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A WordPress migration fails when one layer of the site is moved without the others. A working move requires the files, database, configuration, URLs, uploads, rewrite rules, DNS and SSL to agree. Keep the original site untouched, restore both files and database if necessary, then troubleshoot the failed layer instead of repeatedly copying the site.
What a complete WordPress migration includes
WordPress is not a single folder that can be copied from one host to another. A migration coordinates several dependent layers:
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- Database: posts, pages, users, settings, menus, widgets, forms, orders and plugin data.
- Uploads: images, documents and other files in
wp-content/uploads. - Configuration: database credentials and any host-specific constants in
wp-config.php. - Addresses: the
siteurlandhomevalues, links embedded in content, media URLs, widget settings and plugin options. - Web-server behavior: permalink rewrites,
.htaccessor equivalent rules, PHP version and memory limits. - Public access: DNS records, the web host, HTTPS certificates and redirects from the old address.
Copying only the files produces an empty or outdated site because the database is missing. Importing only the database produces a site with missing themes, plugins and uploads. A domain change adds another problem: old URLs remain in database fields and serialized settings. WordPress.org’s migration guidance notes that URL changes leave old references in the database and that a blind whole-database replacement can damage serialized data.
Protect the old site before changing anything
Make rollback possible before you touch DNS or the production database. Freeze publishing, plugin updates and design changes so the source cannot diverge while you copy it.
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Create two independent backups
- Export the complete database as an SQL file.
- Download the complete site files, including
wp-content/uploads, themes, plugins and any server configuration you need to reproduce. - Store copies outside the old host and confirm that the archive can be opened. A backup that exists only on the server being replaced is not a rollback plan.
- Record the current PHP version, database engine, WordPress version, active theme, active plugins, scheduled jobs and custom DNS records.
Keep the old installation online and unchanged through the initial cutover and a rollback window. Do not delete it immediately after DNS changes; DNS caches and overlooked dependencies can take time to reveal themselves.
Choose a migration method that matches the site
A migration plugin can package the database, media, themes and plugins into one archive. The official listing for All-in-One WP Migration describes its .wpress archive as containing those four components, while also noting that the destination host controls the maximum upload size. A manual transfer provides finer control over database imports, URL replacement, server settings and redirects but requires more administration.
| Decision factor | Plugin workflow | Manual workflow |
|---|---|---|
| Completeness | Convenient packaging of files and database when the archive completes successfully. | You select and verify every file, database table and upload. |
| Serialized data | Usually handled by migration software designed for WordPress. | Requires WP-CLI search-replace or another serialization-aware process. |
| Archive or upload limits | Constrained by the host’s PHP and web upload limits; large sites may fail during import. | Can use command-line or direct database transfer, avoiding browser upload limits. |
| Staging and rollback | Often offers a straightforward package to restore, subject to the tool’s limits. | Separate file and database backups make each rollback component explicit. |
| Multisite | Support varies by tool and edition; verify it before starting. | Requires careful handling of network tables, domain mappings and uploads. |
| Redirect and DNS control | Usually leaves server redirects and DNS to you. | Gives direct control over web-server rules and DNS cutover. |
| Access required | Typically WordPress administrator access plus enough server space for the archive. | Usually requires hosting file access, database access and preferably WP-CLI. |
Whichever method you use, test the restored copy on a temporary hostname before changing the public DNS record.
Reliable migration sequence
- Freeze changes and back up. Export both the database and files, then leave the old copy untouched.
- Prepare the destination. Create the database and user, select a compatible PHP/runtime version, configure the document root, install SSL and arrange a temporary test URL.
- Transfer the files and database. Import the SQL dump and copy the complete file tree, including uploads and hidden files such as
.htaccesswhere applicable. - Update only destination credentials. Change the database name, user, password and host in
wp-config.php. Do not use this step as a substitute for changing stored site URLs. - Correct the primary URLs. If the domain or path changed, update the
siteurlandhomevalues on the migrated copy. Confirm that the protocol (httpversushttps), hostname and trailing path are exactly intended. - Replace remaining old URLs safely. Run a serialization-aware search-and-replace for content, options, menus, widgets, media metadata and plugin settings. WP-CLI’s WordPress-aware search-replace workflow or a migration tool designed for serialized data is appropriate. A raw SQL string replacement across every table is not.
- Test before DNS. Use the temporary URL to check the front page, representative posts, media, menus, forms, user login, password reset, search, comments, scheduled tasks, ecommerce or membership functions, and every important plugin and theme feature.
- Flush rewrites. In the WordPress dashboard, open Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes without changing the structure. This regenerates rewrite rules. Check that the destination’s
.htaccessor equivalent server configuration is writable and active. - Prepare redirects and SEO signals. Build an old-to-new URL map, install direct permanent redirects, update canonicals, internal links and XML sitemaps, and test representative old URLs.
- Switch DNS last. Point the domain to the verified destination only after the temporary-site checks pass. Keep the old host available while DNS caches expire and monitor both installations.
Fix database connection errors or an empty site
A “database connection error,” a blank installation or a site showing the default setup usually means the destination cannot reach the imported database or WordPress is pointed at the wrong one.
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Check credentials and server settings
- Compare
DB_NAME,DB_USER,DB_PASSWORDandDB_HOSTinwp-config.phpwith the destination host’s actual database details. - Confirm the database user has permission to read and write the imported database.
- Verify that the SQL import completed rather than stopping at a size, timeout or character-set error.
- Check the table prefix in
wp-config.phpagainst the imported table names. A site imported with one prefix but configured for another appears empty. - Confirm the destination PHP version and database server can run the WordPress version and plugins you migrated.
If the import is incomplete or the destination copy has been altered repeatedly, restore the known-good files and SQL backup and repeat the transfer cleanly. Do not troubleshoot a moving target while the old site is still receiving edits.
Stop redirect loops and old-domain login redirects
A loop between HTTP and HTTPS, or a login that returns to the old domain, generally comes from inconsistent URL values or conflicting proxy and certificate settings.
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- On the migrated database, inspect the
siteurlandhomevalues in the WordPress options table. - Set both to the final, canonical address, including the correct HTTPS scheme and path.
- Search serialized options, widgets, menus and plugin settings for the old hostname and replace it with a serialization-aware tool.
- Clear stale transients on the migrated copy, then clear page-cache, object-cache and CDN caches.
- Verify that the web server, reverse proxy and SSL certificate agree about the original protocol. A proxy that terminates HTTPS but tells WordPress the request is HTTP can create an endless redirect.
Test an anonymous browser window and a logged-in session. If the old host still redirects users, inspect its redirect rules separately; do not mask a destination URL error by adding more redirects.
Repair 404 errors after moving folders or hosts
When the home page loads but posts and pages return 404, the database is often intact and the rewrite layer is not.
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Flush WordPress rewrite rules
- Log in to the migrated dashboard.
- Go to Settings > Permalinks.
- Leave the preferred structure selected and click Save Changes.
- Open a category, a post, a page and a media attachment in a private browser window.
WordPress common-errors guidance identifies resaving the permalink structure as a way to flush rewrite rules and solve many post-move 404s. If the problem remains, inspect .htaccess in the document root, confirm that Apache’s rewrite module or the equivalent Nginx rules are enabled, and ensure the virtual host points to the correct WordPress directory. A folder move also requires updating the site’s path in home, siteurl, server configuration and any hard-coded links.
Restore missing images, menus and embedded links
Missing images after a domain change usually mean the files were copied but old URLs remain in post content, attachment metadata, widgets or theme options. A broken menu can have the same cause, or its menu locations may not have been assigned to the active theme.
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Find the old path safely
- Confirm the physical files exist under the destination’s
wp-content/uploadsdirectories with the original year/month structure. - Inspect a broken image URL in the browser and compare its hostname and path with the final address.
- Run a serialization-aware replacement for the old domain and old subdirectory, covering posts, post metadata, options, widgets and plugin tables.
- Regenerate thumbnails only after the originals are present and the URLs are correct.
- Open Appearance > Menus and verify custom links and menu assignments; then inspect page-builder or theme settings for hard-coded paths.
Do not solve a path problem by uploading duplicate files under random names. That hides the reference error and can leave search engines and old visitors pointing at inconsistent assets.
Handle serialized plugin and theme data correctly
WordPress plugins and themes often store arrays or objects in serialized form. Serialized values include lengths and structure information. Replacing a longer hostname with a shorter one, or vice versa, without updating that structure can corrupt the value and break widgets, page builders, menus or settings.
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Use a WordPress-aware, serialization-safe search-and-replace operation. Review its dry-run output, limit the operation to the migrated database, and take a fresh backup immediately before writing changes. Search not only ordinary post content but also options, post meta, user meta, term meta and plugin-specific tables. If a page builder still displays blank content after replacement, restore the backup, confirm the builder’s compatibility with the destination PHP version, and repeat the operation with a tool that understands serialized data.
Recover from “There has been a critical error”
The critical-error screen is a symptom, not a diagnosis. Common migration-related causes include a plugin or theme that is incompatible with the destination PHP version, a memory limit that is too low, incomplete or corrupted files, and a failed URL or settings conversion.
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- Check the WordPress administrator email. Recovery Mode messages often identify the plugin, theme or file that triggered the fatal error.
- Enable debugging on the migrated copy and log errors rather than displaying them to visitors. In
wp-config.php, use the standard WordPress debug constants appropriate to a non-production test environment. - Inspect
wp-content/debug.logfor the first fatal error, its file path and line number. Later warnings may be consequences rather than causes. - Temporarily deactivate all plugins by renaming the
wp-content/pluginsdirectory through file access if the dashboard is unavailable. Restore the directory name, then reactivate plugins one at a time. - Switch to a default WordPress theme by renaming the active theme directory if the error persists with plugins disabled.
- Compare the destination PHP version and memory limit with the source. Raise memory only within the host’s supported limits and update or replace incompatible extensions.
- Re-copy core, theme and plugin files from trusted packages if the log indicates missing or damaged files. Never overwrite the database while diagnosing a file error.
After isolating the failing component, update it, use a compatible version or leave it disabled until the vendor provides a fix. Turn off public error display after testing so paths and credentials are not exposed.
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Build a URL map
- Export the old site’s important indexable URLs, including posts, pages, category archives, media that receives traffic and feeds or resources referenced externally.
- Assign each old URL one final destination. Redirect a retired page to the closest relevant replacement rather than sending every URL to the home page.
- Update internal links, navigation, canonical tags, hreflang or structured data URLs where those features are used, and XML sitemaps so they contain only final URLs.
Use direct permanent redirects
Implement server-side 301 or 308 redirects from the old URL directly to the final URL. A 301 indicates that a page moved permanently. Avoid chains such as old URL to an intermediate URL to the final URL, and avoid redirecting an entire old domain to one unrelated home page. Test HTTP and HTTPS variants, trailing-slash variants, representative posts, deleted URLs and query-string behavior.
Google Search Central recommends server-side permanent redirects for site moves and says to keep them generally for at least one year. Retain them longer when external links, bookmarks or slow-moving traffic make the old addresses useful.
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Tell search engines and monitor the move
- Verify ownership of the old and new properties in Search Console.
- Submit the new XML sitemap and use the Change of Address feature when it applies to the type of move.
- Check that the new site is not blocked by
robots.txt, a noindex directive, password protection or a staging setting accidentally carried into production. - Monitor crawl errors, indexed pages, redirect responses, canonical selection, impressions, clicks and server logs.
- Investigate a sudden traffic drop by sampling old URLs first: a missing redirect, redirect chain, 404, HTTPS error or incorrect canonical is more actionable than an aggregate ranking report.
DNS, SSL and cutover failures
A perfectly migrated WordPress copy can still appear broken if the domain reaches the wrong server or the certificate does not cover the requested hostname.
- Check the domain’s A, AAAA and CNAME records and confirm they point to the intended destination. An old AAAA record can send IPv6 visitors to the former host while IPv4 visitors reach the new one.
- Install a certificate covering the exact apex and
wwwhostnames you serve, then select one canonical hostname and redirect the other. - Test the temporary hostname without forcing production redirects. A staging rule that assumes the final domain can create a loop before DNS is changed.
- Lowering DNS TTL before a planned cutover can reduce, but cannot eliminate, cached responses; keep the old server available during propagation.
- Review cron jobs, outbound email, webhooks, payment callbacks and external API allow-lists. They may still reference the old hostname or source IP even when the front end works.
Verification checklist before declaring success
| Area | Checks | Pass condition |
|---|---|---|
| Database | Dashboard data, users, posts, settings and search. | Expected records load and new test content can be saved. |
| URLs | Home, posts, pages, archives, feeds and redirects. | Final HTTPS URLs load without loops, chains or unexpected old-domain links. |
| Media | Original images, thumbnails, documents and downloads. | Files return successful responses and display at the final hostname. |
| Theme and plugins | Menus, widgets, forms, builders, commerce, login and checkout. | Key workflows complete without PHP errors. |
| Rewrites | Permalinks, .htaccess or server rules. |
Representative deep URLs do not return 404. |
| Security | SSL, cookies, administrator access and error display. | Certificate is valid, sessions work and debug output is private. |
| SEO | Canonicals, sitemap, robots rules and old URL map. | Search engines can crawl final URLs and old URLs resolve directly. |
| Operations | Backups, cron, email, webhooks and logs. | Scheduled and external integrations run on the destination. |
When to roll back
Roll back when the destination cannot reliably serve core pages, process essential transactions, protect administrator access or preserve critical URLs within the planned window. Point DNS back to the untouched old host, restore the old redirect behavior, record the failure and fix the destination offline. Do not keep patching a partially migrated production copy while visitors are receiving mixed results. Once the corrected destination passes the same checklist, repeat the cutover and retain both backups.
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