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The reliable way to clone WordPress is to move both the complete file set and the database, then perform a serialization-aware URL replacement on the destination copy. Update the destination home and siteurl values, flush rewrites and caches, and test the private clone before changing DNS. Copying only posts, uploads, or files leaves references and settings behind, which is why images, styles, forms, and internal links often fail after a move.
What a complete WordPress clone contains
A clone is a working copy of the whole application, not an export of blog content. Preserve the source site’s files and database as a matched pair.
| Component | What it contains | Why it matters during cloning |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress core files | The application files in the WordPress directory | They provide the runtime and must match the imported database and configuration. |
wp-content |
The active and inactive themes, plugins, uploads, and related files | Theme settings, plugin code, media, and generated assets are commonly referenced by database records. |
| Database | Posts, pages, users, options, menus, widget settings, plugin data, and serialized PHP values | It contains URLs, configuration, and relationships that do not exist in the file copy. |
| Configuration outside the database | Web-server rules, DNS, cron jobs, CDN settings, mail services, and third-party callbacks | These are not automatically moved by a WordPress file-and-database copy. |
The WordPress Developer Handbook warns that changing a domain or URL creates additional migration concerns. A clone that omits the database can look like a fresh installation; a clone that omits wp-content can lose its theme, plugins, or media.
Choose the clone’s purpose before you start
Staging on the same domain family
For a private development copy, use a separate hostname or path and protect it with HTTP authentication, a host-level access control, or an equivalent gate. Keep search-engine indexing disabled while the copy is being tested. A staging clone may intentionally remain disconnected from production services such as payment, email, analytics, and webhooks.
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A new public domain
When the destination domain changes, replace the old absolute URL throughout the copied database and update WordPress’s URL options. Plan redirects from old public URLs, verify certificates, and review every external service that still names the old host.
A temporary test copy
A disposable test environment still needs a real database import and a complete file set. Do not use a partial content export to judge whether a migration will work: it cannot reveal serialized settings, plugin tables, media references, or rewrite behavior.
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- Schedule a maintenance window. Pause publishing and transactions long enough to make the database and files represent the same moment. If orders, comments, form submissions, or memberships continue during the copy, those records can be absent from the destination.
- Record the environment. Note the WordPress version, PHP version, active theme, active plugins, database type, multisite status, web-server rules, and any scheduled jobs. This list gives you a baseline when a destination behaves differently.
- Export the database. From the source WordPress directory, WP-CLI supports:
wp db export backup.sql- Copy the site files. Include the WordPress directory, especially
wp-content, themes, plugins, and the complete uploads tree. Preserve file names, permissions, and symbolic links where your hosting setup uses them. - Store the backup separately. Keep the SQL dump and file archive outside the destination document root, and verify that the dump can be opened and the archive contains recent uploads. Do not overwrite this rollback copy while troubleshooting.
The handbook’s migration guidance specifically calls for backing up the WordPress directory, images, plugins, other files, and database before moving a site.
2. Build an isolated destination
Create the hosting and database resources
Provision the destination hosting account, database, database user, and document root. Match the PHP and database versions first; upgrade only after the clone is working. Configure the destination’s web root so requests reach the copied WordPress files rather than an installer or an empty directory.
Protect staging from visitors and crawlers
Require authentication or an equivalent access restriction before importing production data. A password is preferable to relying only on a noindex directive, because crawlers, shared links, and accidental exposure can still reach an unprotected host. Once access is restricted, keep the site’s indexing setting disabled until the final cutover.
Copy files and import the database
Upload the source files, create or edit the destination configuration with the new database credentials, and import the dump. WP-CLI documents the matching import command:
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wp db import backup.sqlRun WP-CLI from the destination WordPress directory. If the destination uses a different table prefix, confirm that the configuration and imported tables agree before troubleshooting URLs.
3. Set the destination URL values
WordPress stores its primary addresses in the wp_options table as home and siteurl. If the domain or path changes, set both values to the destination address, including the correct scheme and path:
wp option update home 'https://new.example'
wp option update siteurl 'https://new.example'Use the actual destination URL and do not add a trailing slash unless that is how the existing site is configured. If the site defines WP_HOME or WP_SITEURL in wp-config.php, those constants can override database values; make the configuration and database agree, or remove the temporary override after testing.
Changing only siteurl is not a complete migration. Content, theme options, widgets, menus, plugin settings, and serialized values can still contain the old address, so continue with a database-wide replacement on the destination copy.
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Preview the replacement first
From the destination WordPress directory, preview an old-to-new URL replacement without changing data:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tables --dry-runThe WP-CLI command searches and replaces strings in the database. Its serialization-aware behavior is important because many WordPress options and plugin settings are stored as PHP serialized arrays or objects. The dry run reports the tables and rows that would change so you can detect an incorrect scheme, path, table prefix, or destination before committing.
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Run the confirmed replacement
After reviewing the dry-run output, run the same command without --dry-run:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tablesUse the exact old and new strings. If the source used both HTTP and HTTPS, or several old paths, perform separate reviewed replacements for each real variant. Keep the pre-migration database dump until the clone has passed testing.
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Protect GUIDs unless you have a specific reason
WP-CLI’s examples show --skip-columns=guid. GUID values are intended to remain stable identifiers, so do not change them merely because the public domain changed. If your migration has a documented reason to alter them, understand the consequences first and keep a rollback copy.
Handle multisite deliberately
In multisite, determine whether you are moving one site or the entire network. A network-wide operation can change URLs for every site; a single-site operation must target the correct tables and address. Use WP-CLI’s documented multisite controls only when the scope is clear, and review domain-mapping, network administration, and subdirectory or subdomain settings separately.
5. Refresh rewrites, caches, and generated state
After the database replacement, regenerate rewrite rules and clear object caches from the destination directory:
wp rewrite flush
wp cache flushAlso clear any page cache, reverse-proxy cache, CDN cache, or host-level cache that is serving the old host name. Regenerate plugin- or theme-specific assets only after the new URLs are active. A stale cache can make a correct database migration appear broken, while stale rewrite rules can produce 404 responses for valid pages.
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6. Validate the private clone before DNS changes
Crawl the clone while it is still private. Use representative pages rather than checking only the home page.
| Area to test | Checks | Typical symptom of a missed migration step |
|---|---|---|
| URLs and navigation | Home page, several posts and pages, category and tag archives, menus, pagination, and internal links | Old-domain links, redirect loops, or 404 responses. |
| Media and assets | Images, downloadable files, thumbnails, CSS, JavaScript, fonts, and theme background images | Broken images, unstyled pages, console errors, or mixed-content warnings. |
| Accounts | Login, logout, password reset, user roles, and an administrator session | Cookie failures, unexpected redirects, or inability to access the dashboard. |
| Forms and transactions | Contact forms, confirmation emails, payment test mode, uploads, and spam protection | Messages sent to the old endpoint, missing mail, or callbacks rejected by a third party. |
| Search and metadata | WordPress search, canonical tags, XML sitemaps, robots directives, and any SEO-generated URLs | Canonical links or sitemaps naming the old domain, or a staging copy exposed to indexing. |
| Integrations | Analytics, webhooks, cron jobs, CDN rules, DNS records, and web-server redirects | Events, scheduled tasks, or external callbacks still reaching the old host. |
Compare source and clone systematically
Check a sample from each content type and compare HTTP status codes, final URLs, page source, and browser-console warnings. Search the destination database for the old hostname after replacement; any remaining matches need classification. Some values are intentionally external, such as a payment provider or an image hosted on another service, while others are stale internal references.
Check mixed content and certificates
If the destination uses HTTPS, inspect image, script, stylesheet, and font requests for HTTP URLs. Confirm that the destination certificate covers the hostname and that HTTP requests redirect to HTTPS without creating a loop. Test both the canonical hostname and any intended aliases.
7. Cut over safely
- Lower DNS TTL ahead of time when practical. A shorter time-to-live can make the planned change propagate sooner, although resolvers may retain records according to their own behavior.
- Take a final content backup. If publishing or transactions resumed during testing, export the latest database and copy new uploads before the switch.
- Point DNS to the validated destination. Update the relevant A, AAAA, CNAME, or managed-host record, then verify that the request reaches the intended document root.
- Enable public indexing only at launch. Remove temporary staging restrictions and restore the intended indexing setting after the production hostname resolves correctly.
- Keep the old site available. Do not immediately delete it. Preserve the old files and database while logs and monitoring show that normal traffic, forms, redirects, and scheduled jobs work on the new host.
- Re-crawl after propagation. Test from more than one network and check server logs for 404s, redirect loops, failed callbacks, and requests still arriving at the old site.
Retain the pre-migration backup until the new site has completed a normal operating period and any late-arriving transactions or submissions have been reconciled.
Common failure modes and fixes
Only siteurl was changed
Symptom: WordPress loads, but content links, theme settings, widgets, or plugin screens still reference the old host. Fix: Run a reviewed, database-wide wp search-replace on the destination copy, including all relevant tables, and account for serialized data.
SQL was edited with a plain-text replacement tool
Symptom: A plugin loses settings, widgets disappear, or PHP reports unserialization errors. Cause: Serialized values contain length information; changing a URL’s length without updating that metadata corrupts the value. Fix: Restore the clean dump and use WP-CLI or another serialization-aware migration tool.
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Rewrites or caches were not refreshed
Symptom: The database contains the new URL, but pretty permalinks return 404s or pages continue to show old links. Fix: Run wp rewrite flush, wp cache flush, and clear any host, proxy, page, or CDN cache.
The staging clone was indexable
Symptom: Search results show duplicate pages or the staging host appears in canonical data. Fix: Protect staging before import, disable indexing during validation, remove the restriction only for the intended production hostname, and re-crawl after cutover.
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Symptom: The site works in a browser but mail, scheduled jobs, analytics, webhooks, CDN behavior, or redirects fail. Fix: Audit DNS, web-server configuration, cron definitions, email forms, analytics properties, API allowlists, and every third-party callback separately; these are outside the WordPress database replacement.
Old and new sites diverged during testing
Symptom: The clone passes checks but recent comments, orders, or uploads are missing after launch. Fix: Freeze writes for the final copy, export a fresh database, copy new media, import again if necessary, and repeat the URL replacement and validation steps.
Which migration method fits your workflow?
| Method | Best fit | Strength | Watch for |
|---|---|---|---|
| WP-CLI export, import, and search-replace | Developers, repeatable staging pipelines, and scripted moves | Official commands are scriptable, auditable, and handle serialized values intelligently. | Requires shell access, careful scope selection, and separate handling for DNS and external services. |
| Migration plugin | Administrators who prefer a guided interface | Can bundle file transfer, database export, and find-and-replace in one workflow. | Verify that the current version supports your host, multisite layout, database size, and serialized data; keep an independent backup. |
| Managed WordPress staging or migration | Teams whose host provides staging, backups, and migration assistance | Infrastructure setup, isolation, and parts of the cutover can be integrated. | Confirm current staging limits, URL-replacement behavior, backup retention, DNS control, and how production data is synchronized. |
Regardless of method, the acceptance criteria are the same: complete files and database, correct destination URL values, serialization-safe replacement, refreshed rewrites and caches, private validation, and a rollback plan.
Automation checklist for repeatable clones
- Fail the job unless the source backup and destination database import complete successfully.
- Run
wp search-replacewith--dry-runfirst and save its report for review. - Keep production credentials, payment keys, email credentials, and webhook secrets out of a shared staging copy; replace or disable them according to your environment policy.
- Apply authentication and indexing protection before making the clone reachable.
- Flush rewrites and caches after replacement, then run automated HTTP checks for representative URLs and assets.
- Record the source and destination versions, replacement strings, database dump name, and cutover time so a rollback can be executed without guesswork.
The WP-CLI common-tasks documentation page reports “First published — March 17, 2026” and “Last updated — October 14, 2026.” Command behavior and hosting integrations can change, so confirm options against the version installed in your environment before scripting a production migration.
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