Learning how to move a website to a new host can feel stressful, especially when your site already has visitors, search rankings, contact forms, customer data, and business email. The biggest concern is usually downtime. Nobody wants their website to disappear, show errors, or lose important data during a move.
The good news is that most website migrations are straightforward when you follow the correct order. First, back up the old website. Then prepare the new hosting account, transfer your files and database, test everything on the new server, and only then update your domain settings.
This guide uses Hostinger as the main example because its hPanel includes a migration area for moving WordPress, cPanel, and other website types. The same process applies to most reliable hosts.
Why Moving Your Website to a New Host Matters
Website owners usually switch hosts because their current provider is too slow, expensive, limited, or difficult to manage.
You may need a new host when:
- Your website takes too long to load
- Support is unhelpful or slow to respond
- Your renewal price is much higher than expected
- You need stronger backups and security
- Your current plan cannot handle traffic growth
- You are launching an online store or membership site
- You need a server location closer to your visitors
- Your host has frequent downtime
Moving to a better hosting plan can improve speed, reliability, storage, caching, support, and security. However, it is important to complete the migration before changing your domain’s DNS settings. This keeps the old website active while the new copy is being prepared.
Pro Tip: Do not cancel your old hosting account until the new website has been tested, your domain is working correctly, and your email service has been checked.
How to Move a Website to a New Host: What You Need Before Starting
Before you begin, collect the login details and files you may need.
- Access to your current hosting account
- Access to your new hosting account
- Domain registrar login details
- Website administrator login details
- FTP, SFTP, or File Manager access
- Database access through phpMyAdmin or a similar tool
- A complete backup of your website
- Access to your business email settings, if applicable
- Around 30 to 60 minutes for a simple site
- Extra time for large ecommerce, membership, or media-heavy sites
The exact migration method depends on your website type.
| Website Type | Best Migration Method |
|---|---|
| WordPress website | Host migration service or migration plugin |
| HTML or static website | File transfer through File Manager or FTP |
| WooCommerce store | Host-assisted migration or careful manual migration |
| Joomla, Drupal, or other CMS | Host migration service or manual file and database move |
| Website built with cPanel | Host migration service using cPanel details |
| Custom PHP website | Manual file and database migration |
| Website builder website | Export or rebuild, depending on the builder |
Pro Tip: Make a list of everything connected to your website before moving. This includes contact forms, email accounts, analytics, payment gateways, CDN settings, SSL certificates, redirects, and third-party tools.
How to Move a Website to a New Host Safely
Step 1: Review Your Current Website Before Migrating
Before transferring anything, check what is currently running on your website.
Make a note of:
- Website platform, such as WordPress, Joomla, Shopify, or custom HTML
- Domain name and subdomains
- Email accounts
- Website files and storage size
- Database name and database size
- SSL certificate setup
- DNS records
- Redirects
- Cron jobs
- CDN settings
- Installed plugins, themes, or extensions
- Payment integrations
- Contact forms
- Analytics tracking codes
This review is especially important for ecommerce sites. A WooCommerce store may have order data, customer accounts, payment settings, shipping plugins, and inventory tools that need extra testing after the move.
If your website uses a database, make sure you know where the database credentials are stored. For WordPress, these details are normally found in the wp-config.php file. For other CMS platforms, they may be inside a configuration file such as config.php.
Pro Tip: Take screenshots of important settings before you begin. This includes DNS records, email records, payment settings, and your current PHP version.
Step 2: Create a Full Backup of Your Website
A full backup is the most important part of any website migration.
Your backup should include:
- Website files
- Images and media uploads
- Themes and plugins
- Website database
- Configuration files
- Hidden files such as
.htaccess - Email settings, if managed through your host
- Custom scripts or code changes
For WordPress websites, you can use a migration plugin or create backups through your hosting dashboard. For static websites, download all files from the website folder. For database-driven websites, export the database separately through phpMyAdmin.
In Hostinger, backup tools are available through Websites, then Dashboard, then Backups. The backup section can include website files and database restore options.
Pro Tip: Store two separate copies of your backup. Download one to your computer and save another in Google Drive, Dropbox, or another secure cloud storage service.
Step 3: Set Up Your New Hosting Account
Purchase a new hosting plan that can handle your current website and expected traffic.
A small portfolio, blog, or local business website may work well on shared hosting. A busy affiliate site, WooCommerce store, membership platform, or large content website may need cloud hosting, managed WordPress hosting, or a VPS.
After purchasing the new plan, do not point your domain to the new server yet.
Instead, prepare the new account by:
- Logging in to your new hosting dashboard.
- Adding the website domain.
- Checking the available storage and resources.
- Creating a temporary website or preview environment if available.
- Confirming that backups are enabled.
- Reviewing the migration options inside the dashboard.
Hostinger users can open Websites, select Migrations, and click Migrate website to begin a migration request. The process can use existing hosting login details or uploaded backup files, depending on the website type.
Pro Tip: Use a temporary domain or preview link for testing when possible. It lets you review the new copy of your website before changing public DNS records.
Step 4: Choose the Right Website Migration Method
Most website moves fall into one of three methods.
Option 1: Use a Host Migration Service
This is usually the safest choice for beginners. Your new host transfers the site for you using your old hosting login details, cPanel login, FTP access, or backup file.
This method is useful when:
- You are not comfortable with databases or file transfers
- Your site is large or important to your business
- You are moving from cPanel
- Your website uses WordPress, WooCommerce, Joomla, Drupal, or custom PHP
- You want to reduce the chance of missing files or settings
Hostinger provides a migration process through hPanel and recommends completing the transfer before repointing your domain.
Option 2: Use a Website Migration Plugin
This is best for smaller WordPress websites. Plugins can package your website files and database together, then restore them on the new host.
Common WordPress migration plugins include:
- All-in-One WP Migration
- Duplicator
- WPvivid
- UpdraftPlus
This option is easy for blogs, portfolios, affiliate sites, and small business websites. However, large websites may exceed file import limits on free plugin versions.
Option 3: Move the Website Manually
Manual migration gives you more control, but it requires more technical work.
This method involves:
- Downloading website files
- Exporting the database
- Uploading files to the new server
- Creating a new database
- Importing the database
- Updating configuration files
- Testing the website carefully
Pro Tip: Choose the host migration service if your site generates leads, sales, or daily traffic. The cost of a mistake can be higher than the cost of asking for migration help.
How to Move a Website to a New Host Manually
Step 5: Transfer Website Files and Database
For a static HTML website, you normally only need to copy files from the old server to the new server.
- Open File Manager or connect through FTP.
- Find the website folder, often called
public_html. - Download all files to your computer.
- Upload them to the new host’s website folder.
- Check that the homepage file is named correctly, usually
index.htmlorindex.php.
For WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, or another database-driven website, you must also move the database.
First, export the old database:
- Open phpMyAdmin in your old hosting account.
- Select the website database.
- Click Export.
- Choose Quick and select SQL.
- Download the database file.
Then, create and import a database on the new host:
- Open the new hosting dashboard.
- Create a new database.
- Create a database user.
- Assign the user to the database.
- Give the user full permissions.
- Open phpMyAdmin.
- Select the new database.
- Click Import.
- Upload the SQL file.
After that, update your website configuration file with the new database details.
For WordPress, edit wp-config.php and update:
- Database name
- Database username
- Database password
- Database host, if required
Hostinger’s manual migration instructions explain that a database-driven site needs both file transfer and database transfer, followed by updating the site configuration with the new database information.
Pro Tip: Download hidden files too. The
.htaccessfile is important for WordPress permalinks, redirects, and security rules.
Step 6: Test Your Website on the New Server
Before changing the domain DNS, test the migrated version carefully.
Check these items:
- Homepage loads correctly
- Main navigation works
- Images display properly
- Blog posts and pages open
- Contact forms submit successfully
- Login pages work
- HTTPS is active
- Mobile layout looks correct
- Search function works
- Website speed is acceptable
- Redirects work
- Payment process works for ecommerce sites
- Email notifications are delivered
- Analytics tracking is active
For WordPress websites, open Settings, select Permalinks, and click Save Changes. This refreshes permalink rules and can fix many 404 errors after a migration.
Clear all cache layers while testing:
- Browser cache
- WordPress caching plugin
- Hosting cache
- CDN cache
- Cloudflare cache, if used
Pro Tip: Test the website in an incognito browser window. This helps you see the latest version instead of an older cached version.
Step 7: Point Your Domain to the New Host
Once the website works correctly on the new server, update your domain settings.
You have two main options:
Change nameservers: This lets the new hosting provider manage your DNS records.
Update A records: This keeps DNS management with your domain registrar, Cloudflare, or another DNS provider.
Hostinger recommends using the exact nameserver values displayed in your account because nameservers can vary depending on your hosting setup.
If your domain is registered elsewhere, log in to your domain registrar and update the values there.
DNS changes can take several hours to fully update. During that time, some visitors may reach your old website while others reach the new server.
Pro Tip: Check your MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records before changing nameservers. If you use Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, or another email provider, these records are important for keeping email working.
Step 8: Keep the Old Hosting Active and Monitor the New Site
After your domain points to the new host, do not close the old hosting account immediately.
Monitor the migrated website for at least 48 to 72 hours.
Check:
- Website uptime
- Contact form submissions
- Email delivery
- SSL certificate status
- WordPress admin login
- Analytics data
- Search Console performance
- Ecommerce checkout
- Customer account login
- Images and downloads
- Redirects
- Website speed
Hostinger notes that email service migration needs to be handled separately, so do not assume your old email accounts will automatically work after moving the website.
Once everything is working properly, cancel the old hosting plan. Keep your domain registration active unless you also plan to transfer the domain to a different registrar.
Pro Tip: Take a fresh backup after your website is stable on the new host. This gives you a clean restore point for the future.
Common Website Migration Problems and Fixes
The Website Shows a Database Connection Error
This usually means the database details in your configuration file are incorrect.
Fix: Check the database name, username, password, and host in your new hosting dashboard. Then update the same details inside your WordPress wp-config.php file or CMS configuration file.
Your Images Are Missing
Images may be missing because the uploads folder was not copied fully.
Fix: Re-upload the missing image folders, usually inside wp-content/uploads for WordPress. Clear all cache after the upload.
You See a 500 Internal Server Error
This can happen because of a broken .htaccess file, unsupported PHP version, file permission issue, or plugin conflict.
Fix: Rename the .htaccess file temporarily. For WordPress, go to Settings, select Permalinks, and click Save Changes to create a fresh file.
The Domain Still Shows the Old Website
This often happens because DNS propagation is still happening or cache is showing an older version.
Fix: Check your DNS records, clear browser and CDN cache, and wait for propagation to complete.
Your Business Email Stops Working
Changing nameservers can remove existing email records.
Fix: Recreate your MX, SPF, DKIM, and DMARC records on the new DNS provider before relying on the new setup.
Your SSL Certificate Is Not Active
The SSL certificate may need time to issue after the domain points to the new server.
Fix: Confirm the domain is correctly connected, install or activate SSL in the new hosting dashboard, then enable HTTPS redirects.
Performance and Security Tips After Moving Your Website
A new hosting account is a good opportunity to improve website performance and security.
- Enable automatic backups
- Install an SSL certificate
- Force HTTPS redirects
- Update WordPress, themes, plugins, and extensions
- Remove unused themes and plugins
- Use strong passwords
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Compress oversized images
- Enable caching
- Use a CDN for international visitors
- Check the PHP version
- Scan for malware
- Test speed on desktop and mobile
- Review user permissions
A better host can improve your website experience, but regular maintenance still matters. Keep the website updated, create backups before major changes, and monitor errors after plugin or theme updates.
Why Hostinger Can Make Website Migration Easier
Hostinger can make migration easier because it provides a dedicated Migrations section inside hPanel. Users can begin a migration request by selecting Websites, then Migrations, then Migrate website. Depending on the source website, users can provide current hosting login details or upload backup files.
Its dashboard also keeps website files, databases, backups, domains, and security settings in one place. This is useful for beginners who want to avoid dealing with multiple control panels during the move.
The same principle applies to any quality host. Choose a provider that offers easy backups, clear documentation, reliable support, migration assistance, and enough resources for your website to grow.
How to Move a Website to a New Host: Final Thoughts
Knowing how to move a website to a new host gives you the freedom to leave a slow, expensive, or unreliable hosting provider without putting your website at unnecessary risk.
Start with a complete backup. Prepare the new hosting account without changing DNS. Transfer files and databases, test every important feature, then point your domain to the new server. Keep your old hosting active until the move is fully confirmed.
A careful migration may take a little time, but it is much better than rushing and dealing with broken pages, missing emails, or lost data later.
FAQs About How to Move a Website to a New Host
Can I move a website to a new host without downtime?
Yes. Migrate and test the website on the new hosting account before changing DNS. Your existing website stays live while the new copy is prepared.
Will moving to a new host affect SEO?
Moving hosting should not affect SEO if you keep the same domain, URLs, content, internal links, redirects, and HTTPS setup. Check for broken pages after the move.
Do I need to transfer my domain name to the new host?
No. You can keep your domain with the current registrar and only update its DNS records or nameservers to point to the new host.
Can I move email accounts to a new host too?
Yes, but website migration and email migration are separate tasks. Back up important messages and recreate or migrate email accounts before cancelling old hosting.
How long does it take to move a website to a new host?
A small website may take less than an hour. Larger websites, ecommerce stores, and websites with large media libraries may take several hours because they need more file transfer and testing.
What is the safest way to move a WordPress website?
For beginners, using the new host’s migration service is usually the safest option. For smaller WordPress websites, a reliable migration plugin can also work well.