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A failed WordPress migration is usually recoverable without reinstalling WordPress. Preserve the old server, verify that the complete files and database reached the destination, correct database and URL settings, repair rewrite rules, isolate plugins, clear caches, and test the new server before changing DNS. This sequence prevents a partial restore from becoming the only copy of your site.
Start with a safe recovery plan
Do not delete the old installation or repeatedly overwrite the new one while troubleshooting. Keep the old server online and treat it as your rollback copy until the destination passes a full content and administration check. The WordPress migration handbook explicitly says that moving WordPress to another server or location does not require a reinstall.
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1. Freeze the failed destination
- Stop automated deployment or migration jobs that might continue copying incomplete files.
- Record the destination server, database name, database host, PHP version, document root, and the exact error shown in the browser or server log.
- Do not make unrelated plugin, theme, or content changes while the cause is unknown.
2. Create fresh, independent backups
Make a new copy of the entire WordPress directory and a new export of the database. Include wp-content/uploads, themes, plugins, and any files outside the standard directory that your web server uses. Keep the original backup untouched and store the new copies separately. A database backup is essential because URL settings, posts, users, plugin configuration, and much of the site’s structure live in SQL rather than in the files.
3. Decide whether to repair or redo
If files, uploads, or database tables are missing, repairing individual symptoms can leave you with an inconsistent site. Compare the destination with the preserved source. When the transfer is partial, redo the migration end to end from one verified backup instead of combining fragments from several failed attempts.
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Verify that the destination has a complete WordPress installation
Check the file set
The destination document root should contain the WordPress core files and directories, including wp-admin, wp-includes, wp-content, and wp-config.php. Within wp-content, compare the uploads, themes, and plugins directories with the old server. Missing media commonly means the database was copied successfully but the uploads directory was not.
Check file ownership and permissions according to your host’s normal WordPress requirements. A file that exists but cannot be read by the web-server user can look like a missing stylesheet, a broken image, or a fatal error. Do not solve permission problems by making the entire site world-writable.
Confirm the SQL import and table prefix
Open the destination database in its administration tool and confirm that the expected WordPress tables are present. The table prefix in wp-config.php must match the imported tables. A site whose tables use a prefix such as site_ will not work if the configuration still points WordPress at wp_ tables.
Also make sure the SQL dump was imported into the database named in the configuration, not into a similarly named empty database. Compare table counts and look for familiar post, user, options, and metadata records before attempting another restore.
Fix “Error Establishing a Database Connection”
This message means WordPress cannot establish a usable connection to its database. It does not identify one single cause, so check each connection layer in order.
Verify the four database settings
Open wp-config.php on the destination and check these values:
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define( 'DB_NAME', 'destination_database' );
define( 'DB_USER', 'destination_user' );
define( 'DB_PASSWORD', 'destination_password' );
define( 'DB_HOST', 'destination_host' );Use the exact database name, user, password, and host supplied by the destination host. Some hosts use localhost; others require a hostname or socket address. Copying the old host’s DB_HOST value unchanged is a common reason a migration fails.
Check database existence and privileges
- Confirm the destination database exists and is online.
- Confirm the configured user has permission to select, insert, update, and create or alter tables in that database.
- Test the credentials with the host’s database client or control panel.
- Check that the imported tables use the same prefix referenced by
$table_prefixinwp-config.php.
After correcting a password or host, reload the front end and /wp-admin/. If the error persists, inspect the database server log and the web-server error log for authentication, connection-limit, or socket errors rather than changing WordPress files at random.
Correct the WordPress and site URLs
After a server move, WordPress may still believe that its home is the old hostname, path, or URL scheme. That can send login requests back to the old server, load CSS and images from the old host, or create an endless redirect.
Use the destination scheme and hostname
The WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) should use the destination hostname and the scheme that the new server actually serves. If the site is now HTTPS, both values normally use https://. If WordPress is installed in a subdirectory, preserve that path consistently.
When the dashboard is available, open Settings > General and correct WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL). Save once, then sign in again using the destination address.
Recover an inaccessible dashboard with constants
If an incorrect URL prevents access to the dashboard, add temporary constants before the line that says to stop editing in wp-config.php:
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define( 'WP_HOME', 'https://new.example.com' );
define( 'WP_SITEURL', 'https://new.example.com' );These constants override the corresponding values in wp_options while they remain in the file. They do not rewrite old URLs embedded in post content, widget settings, serialized plugin data, or other database fields. Once you regain access, correct the database values and remove the temporary overrides so the database becomes the authoritative configuration.
Change old URLs without corrupting serialized data
If the domain or installation path changed, perform a serialization-aware search and replace across the relevant database content. WordPress stores many PHP arrays and objects with string-length information. A blind text replacement can leave those lengths wrong and break widgets, menus, page builders, or plugin settings.
Use a migration tool that understands serialized data, or a database-aware procedure that reports how many rows and fields it changed. Make a database backup immediately before the replacement, run a dry run when the tool supports one, and exclude values that should remain historical, such as attachment GUIDs, unless your procedure specifically requires them. Afterward, inspect representative posts, menus, widgets, forms, and plugin settings for links that still point to the old host.
Repair 404 errors after the home page loads
A home page that works while posts and pages return 404 usually indicates a rewrite or permalink problem rather than missing content.
Resave permalinks
- Sign in to the destination dashboard.
- Open Settings > Permalinks.
- Leave the intended permalink structure selected.
- Click Save Changes, even if no setting was changed.
- Open a representative post, page, category, and attachment URL in a private browser window.
Saving rebuilds WordPress’s rewrite rules. It does not repair a server that refuses to honor those rules, so continue with the server checks if the 404 remains.
Inspect .htaccess and rewrite support
On Apache, verify that the destination has the correct WordPress .htaccess rules and that the site’s directory permits overrides. On other server software, confirm that the equivalent rewrite configuration is enabled. A copied .htaccess can contain an old document-root path or directives unsupported by the destination. Compare it with a clean rule set generated by saving permalinks, then check the server error log for denied overrides or rewrite-module errors.
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Do not overwrite a host’s custom security or caching rules without a backup. If only one virtual host returns 404, check that DNS and the web-server site configuration point to the same document root that contains the migrated files.
Resolve a white screen or HTTP 500 error
Enable controlled logging
A blank page often hides a PHP fatal error. Enable WordPress logging temporarily in a controlled environment, or use the host’s PHP and web-server error logs. Keep errors out of the public response; debug output can expose paths, credentials, and other sensitive details.
Reproduce the failure once, note the first fatal file and line number, and disable logging or public display after collecting the evidence.
Isolate plugins and themes
A plugin or theme may depend on a PHP extension, file path, database table, or version that is absent on the new server. If the dashboard is available, deactivate all plugins, test the site, and reactivate them one at a time. If the dashboard is inaccessible, rename the plugins directory temporarily so WordPress treats the plugins as inactive; restore the directory name after testing.
Switch to a standard theme only as a diagnostic step if the error points to the active theme. Once the failing component is identified, update it, restore its required dependency, or replace it. Do not leave every plugin disabled as the permanent fix if the site depends on those features.
Fix missing CSS, images, and media
Separate missing files from wrong URLs
Open a missing image or stylesheet URL directly. A 404 response means the file is absent, in the wrong directory, or blocked by rewrite rules. A request that redirects to the old host means the database or a plugin still contains the old URL. A permission or MIME-type error points to server configuration rather than a search-and-replace problem.
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Restore uploads and references
Compare wp-content/uploads by year and month with the old copy, including files whose names contain spaces or non-Latin characters. Check that the destination web user can read the files. Then correct old host references with a serialization-aware replacement and clear every cache layer. Test images inserted into old posts, featured images, responsive image sizes, theme backgrounds, and files served by plugins.
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A loop occurs when WordPress, the web server, a reverse proxy, or a CDN disagrees about whether the request is HTTP or HTTPS. Verify that the URL settings use the intended scheme, the TLS certificate covers the hostname, and forced-HTTPS rules are applied at only the appropriate layer.
If the site sits behind a proxy, confirm that the proxy’s forwarded-protocol setting is understood by the application and server. Remove conflicting redirect rules rather than adding another redirect. After each change, purge browser, server, plugin, and CDN caches and retest in a private browser session. A private session prevents an old permanent redirect from hiding whether the configuration is now correct.
Clear caches only after configuration is correct
Caches can preserve old HTML, CSS, redirects, and database-derived settings after a successful repair. Clear, in order, the WordPress caching plugin, server or host cache, reverse-proxy or CDN cache, and browser cache. Purging caches before fixing URLs or rewrites only makes the broken result appear fresh; purge after each confirmed configuration change.
Use a diagnostic matrix instead of guessing
| Observed symptom | Most useful checks |
|---|---|
| Error establishing a database connection | Database exists, credentials and host in wp-config.php, user permissions, imported dump, and table prefix |
| White screen or HTTP 500 | Controlled logging, PHP and server logs, then plugin and theme isolation |
| Home page works but inner pages return 404 | Save permalinks, inspect .htaccess, and confirm rewrite support and overrides |
| CSS or images are missing, or links use the old host | Correct URL values, perform serialization-safe replacement, restore uploads, and clear caches |
| Redirect loop or HTTPS warning | Align URL scheme, proxy and SSL settings, forced-HTTPS rules, and cached redirects |
| Only some content is missing | Compare database tables, uploads, plugin and theme directories, selected database, and table prefix |
| Admin is inaccessible after a URL change | Use temporary WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL overrides or correct home and siteurl in wp_options, then remove temporary overrides |
Test the new server before DNS cutover
Do not point public DNS at an untested migration. Use a temporary host-file mapping, the destination server IP, or a staging URL. A migration tool may provide a destination URL and a server_ip option for this purpose. Test the destination while the old server remains available.
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Run a representative acceptance checklist
- Open the home page and several posts, pages, categories, and author archives.
- Sign in and sign out of
/wp-admin/; create and edit a draft without publishing it. - Load original and newly uploaded media, image thumbnails, downloads, and theme assets.
- Submit every important form and confirm that mail reaches its intended destination.
- Check redirects from old paths, canonical URLs, robots directives, XML sitemaps, and indexing settings.
- Verify the HTTPS certificate, mixed-content warnings, and both desktop and mobile layouts.
- Confirm scheduled tasks, backups, cron jobs, analytics, webhooks, and payment or membership integrations where applicable.
- Review server, PHP, WordPress, and plugin logs after the test traffic.
Compare the destination’s generated HTML and response headers with the old site for representative URLs. This catches stale cache headers, unexpected redirects, and security rules that a visual check can miss.
Choose a migration method with the right safeguards
| Decision factor | Manual transfer | Migration plugin or managed service |
|---|---|---|
| Files and database completeness | You verify every directory, export, import, and table directly. | The tool can automate transfer, but you still need an independent backup and a file/database comparison. |
| Serialized URL handling | Requires a serialization-aware procedure and careful validation. | May automate safe replacement; confirm what fields and tables it processes. |
| Rollback clarity | Clear when the old server and verified backups remain untouched. | Convenient only when the service documents restore points and lets you retain the original site. |
| Pre-DNS testing | Use host mapping, an IP address, or a staging hostname. | Useful when the tool supports a destination URL or server_ip test mode. |
| Logging and visibility | Depends on your access to database, PHP, and web-server logs. | May provide migration logs, but host-level failures still require server logs. |
| Large databases and uploads | Lets you tune export, import, timeouts, and transfer batches directly. | Can simplify large transfers; verify limits, timeout behavior, and whether all uploads are included. |
| Cache and CDN cleanup | You must purge each layer and verify the result. | Some tools clear application caches, but CDN and browser caches remain your responsibility. |
| Support responsibility | You own diagnosis and recovery. | A managed service may provide assistance, but define what its support covers before relying on it. |
Automation reduces repetitive work; it does not replace a verified backup, a serialization-safe URL change, or a pre-DNS acceptance test.
Perform the cutover and keep a rollback window
- Lower DNS time-to-live before the planned change if your DNS provider allows it.
- Put the old site in maintenance mode or otherwise prevent writes during the final database export, when your site’s workflow permits.
- Take the final database and file backups and import them into the tested destination.
- Recheck database credentials, URLs, uploads, permalinks, SSL, forms, and scheduled tasks.
- Change DNS to the destination IP and monitor requests, logs, uptime, and error rates from multiple networks.
- Keep the old server intact until DNS is serving the intended IP consistently and the destination has passed the acceptance checklist.
If the cutover reveals missing content or a new fatal error, revert DNS or route traffic to the old server, preserve the failed destination for diagnosis, and redo the transfer from the verified backup. Do not continue editing the only copy while deciding whether the migration succeeded.
When to ask for specialist help
Escalate to your host or a managed WordPress migration service when you lack database access, the destination uses a reverse proxy you cannot configure, the database export exceeds host limits, or the failure involves custom deployment code. Provide the exact error, timestamps, destination IP, relevant log excerpts with secrets removed, the backup date, and a list of checks already completed. A precise handoff is faster than reporting only that “the migration failed.”
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