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To move a WordPress site off Kinsta without losing content, copy both the complete WordPress file tree and its SQL database, freeze changes while the copy is made, test the new server privately, and change only the DNS record that directs web traffic. Keep the Kinsta site and an independent backup online until the replacement has passed real-world checks.
This guide gives a provider-neutral runbook for the move, including email-safe DNS changes, manual SFTP and SQL steps, preview and hosts-file testing, multisite considerations, and rollback procedures.
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What a complete Kinsta migration contains
A like-for-like move has two inseparable parts:
- WordPress files: the entire application tree, including
wp-content, plugins, themes, uploads, and any custom files or server-specific configuration that belongs with the site. - The SQL database: posts, pages, users, settings, orders, comments, plugin data, and other records stored in MySQL.
A media download, WordPress export, or content-only package cannot recreate the running site by itself. Kinsta describes its downloadable backups as snapshots containing both site files and database content; retain an archive and a separate SQL copy so you have an independent rollback point.
Plan the move before touching DNS
Inventory everything that depends on the current host
Write down the production domain, subdomains, aliases, redirects, multisite mappings, scheduled jobs, CDN configuration, SSL certificates, caching rules, plugins, themes, upload directories, custom Nginx or reverse-proxy rules, and external services. Record where email is handled, which DNS records support it, and every webhook or API callback that names the old hostname or IP address.
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Also note the PHP and database versions currently used, disk consumption, SSH or SFTP credentials, and any Bedrock or Trellis-style project layout. This inventory is the acceptance checklist for the destination; a migration is not finished merely because the home page loads.
Choose a low-traffic window and freeze writes
Schedule the final copy when visits and back-office activity are lowest. Once the transfer starts, stop publishing and avoid plugin, theme, WordPress, and configuration changes. Kinsta’s migration guidance states: “Do not make changes to your site once the migration starts. Any updates made after that point won’t carry over to Kinsta.” For an ecommerce, membership, forum, or community site, enable maintenance mode or another write lock so orders, registrations, comments, and profile changes cannot diverge between servers.
Tell editors and support staff exactly when the freeze begins and keep a written record of the last accepted transaction or content change. If you cannot pause writes, plan a second database synchronization immediately before cutover and treat it as a specialist operation rather than assuming a single copy is current.
Create and preserve a portable backup
- Generate a fresh complete backup in Kinsta and wait for it to finish.
- Download the archive and export the database as a standalone SQL file. Do not rely on a backup that remains only inside the hosting account.
- Store at least one copy outside Kinsta, with access restricted to the migration team.
- Record the backup timestamp, file sizes, and checksums if your storage system supports them.
- Keep the original Kinsta environment available; it is your fastest rollback while DNS changes propagate.
Before importing anything, open the archive and verify that it contains the expected WordPress directories and that the SQL file is readable. A backup that cannot be restored is not a rollback plan.
Prepare an empty destination environment
Create the destination site before moving the domain. It should be an empty, WordPress-capable environment rather than a second production copy with unrelated files. Confirm the following with the new host:
| Area | Checks to complete |
|---|---|
| Runtime | Supported PHP and database versions, memory limits, disk space, and upload limits |
| Access | SFTP or SSH credentials, database credentials, and a documented document root |
| Security | SSL certificate issuance, HTTPS redirects, firewall rules, and administrative access |
| Operations | Cron scheduling, queue workers, caching, log access, and restart procedures |
| Architecture | Multisite domain mapping, Bedrock or Trellis requirements, reverse proxies, and custom Nginx rules |
| Recovery | Backup export and restore, staging or preview access, and a way to revert DNS quickly |
Do not point the production DNS record yet. Add the domain to the destination control panel, but leave the old server serving visitors until private testing is complete.
Move the files and database manually
1. Transfer the complete file tree with SFTP
- Connect to Kinsta with SFTP and download the full WordPress tree, not just
wp-content. - Include plugins, themes, uploads, must-use plugins, custom scripts, and any files outside the standard directories that the site uses.
- Upload the tree to the destination document root, preserving permissions and symbolic links where the destination supports them.
- Compare directory sizes and representative files after transfer. Missing uploads are often noticed only when an older article or product is opened.
If the destination uses a different release directory or environment-variable layout, map the files deliberately instead of copying paths blindly. Bedrock and Trellis installations, custom Nginx configurations, and reverse-proxy setups warrant a specialist review.
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2. Export and import the SQL database
- Use phpMyAdmin or an equivalent database tool on Kinsta to export the production database as SQL.
- Create an empty database and a dedicated database user at the destination.
- Import the SQL file into that database and note any character-set or size errors reported by the importer.
- Grant the user the permissions WordPress requires, then record the database name, username, password, host, and table prefix.
The database and files must come from the same frozen point in time. If one is newer than the other, WordPress can show missing media, stale settings, or incomplete transactions.
3. Connect WordPress to the new database
Update wp-config.php with the destination database values, or set the equivalent environment variables when the host uses configuration outside the file. Preserve security keys, the table prefix, and any site-specific constants unless the destination documentation requires a deliberate change. Remove temporary credentials from notes and migration scripts after verification.
Configure domains, URLs, SSL, and dependent services
Add the production domain and every required subdomain at the destination. Issue or install an SSL certificate before cutover so HTTPS works as soon as DNS changes. Check HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects, canonical URLs, cookie domains, cache settings, and any security headers.
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Recreate services that do not travel inside the file/database copy:
- Cron jobs and queue workers, including their schedules and commands
- Transactional email credentials, sender domains, and bounce handling
- CDN origins, cache rules, purge hooks, and image transformation settings
- Payment, analytics, advertising, search, and CRM callbacks
- Webhooks that allow-list an IP address or hostname
- Robots.txt, XML sitemap generation, and uptime monitoring
Test the new server without changing public DNS
Use a preview or staging URL
Kinsta recommends Site Preview for checking a migrated site while the original remains public. Use the destination host’s preview or staging address to exercise the site end to end. Preview systems sometimes rewrite absolute URLs or block third-party callbacks, so treat them as a first pass rather than the only test.
Use a hosts-file override for production-like testing
A hosts-file entry maps your computer to the destination IP while everyone else continues to resolve the old server. Kinsta’s technical documentation also describes this method. Test from more than one device or network, and remove the override after the cutover so you do not accidentally keep viewing the old mapping.
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Run a functional checklist
- Open the home page, representative posts, pages, categories, archives, and attachment URLs.
- Sign in as an administrator and perform an edit, media upload, plugin setting change, and logout.
- Verify pretty permalinks, search, pagination, redirects, 404 handling, and canonical tags.
- Load images and downloads from old and recent content; check responsive layouts and major browsers.
- Submit every important form and confirm delivery, autoresponders, and spam protection.
- For stores or memberships, test cart, checkout, payment callbacks, account creation, renewals, and protected content without creating unintended live transactions.
- Trigger webhooks, analytics events, scheduled jobs, and queue workers in a controlled way.
- Inspect PHP, web-server, and application logs for warnings, fatal errors, permission failures, and database errors.
- Check robots.txt, XML sitemaps, no-index settings, SSL padlocks, and mixed-content warnings.
Capture screenshots or test results for each critical path. Fix failures on the destination while DNS still points to Kinsta.
Change DNS without breaking email
Lower TTL before the cutover when possible
Reduce the TTL on the web record ahead of the migration window if your DNS provider permits it. This can shorten the period during which resolvers retain the old address, but it cannot force every resolver to refresh immediately.
Change only the web record
When email or other services share the domain, update the relevant A record or CNAME that serves the website. Do not replace the entire DNS zone or change nameservers unless every required record has been recreated and verified. Nameserver changes can affect MX records, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification records, subdomains, and unrelated applications.
Before editing, export or screenshot the current zone. After editing, confirm that MX, TXT, CNAME, and any service-specific records remain unchanged. Kinsta notes that customers handle DNS, CDN, and email setup themselves after migration, so ownership of this step must be explicit.
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Kinsta describes DNS propagation as typically around one hour in one 2026 reference, while another says it can take up to 48 hours depending on TTL and resolver conditions. Treat both as planning ranges, not guarantees. During this interval, some visitors may still reach Kinsta while others reach the destination.
Monitor the cutover and keep rollback available
- Immediately after changing DNS, resolve the domain from multiple networks and confirm that each result reaches the destination.
- Check HTTPS, redirects, login, forms, orders or memberships, media, analytics, cache behavior, and email delivery.
- Watch destination access logs, PHP logs, error tracking, uptime monitors, and transaction reports continuously through the first busy period.
- Keep Kinsta serving the old site and retain the independent backup until traffic is consistently reaching the new server and logs are clean.
- If a critical defect appears, restore the affected data or temporarily point the web record back to Kinsta, then investigate with the destination isolated.
Do not cancel the Kinsta environment immediately after DNS appears to change. A resolver that still has the old address, a delayed webhook, or a late customer transaction can expose a problem after the first successful check.
Special cases that need extra planning
WordPress Multisite
Migrate the network as a whole, including its database, uploads, domain mappings, sunrise or must-use files, and network-level configuration. Testing only the primary site can miss failures on mapped subsites. Verify each mapped domain and every network administrator workflow before changing DNS.
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- Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
- To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
- This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
- The available storage capacity may vary.
Bedrock, Trellis, custom Nginx, and reverse proxies
These layouts separate application code, configuration, and document roots differently from a conventional WordPress install. Recreate the deployment structure, environment variables, rewrite rules, worker processes, and filesystem permissions intentionally. A simple archive upload may produce a page that loads while scheduled jobs, cache purges, or secure callbacks fail.
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Stores, communities, and membership systems can receive writes throughout the migration. Maintenance mode is the safest documented approach. If downtime is unacceptable, use a migration design that supports a final synchronized database and an explicit transaction reconciliation plan; do not assume that copying files and one SQL dump will capture late writes.
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Price and storage are only part of the decision. Ask each prospective host these questions before committing:
| Capability | Question to answer |
|---|---|
| Migration assistance | Will the provider move files and database, and what happens when the site needs a final sync? |
| Preview and staging | Can you test the real domain privately with a preview URL or hosts-file method? |
| Backups | Can backups be downloaded, restored, and stored outside the provider account? |
| SSL and DNS | Can certificates be issued automatically, and do you retain control of individual A and CNAME records? |
| Server access | Are SFTP or SSH, logs, cron, queues, and database tools available? |
| CDN and caching | Can origins, purge hooks, and cache rules be reproduced? |
| Application support | Are multisite, custom server rules, Bedrock, and reverse proxies supported? |
| Rollback | How quickly can you restore a backup or revert the web DNS record? |
| Email boundaries | Which email functions are included, and which records or providers remain your responsibility? |
Troubleshoot the most common migration failures
The site shows an installation screen or database error
Recheck the database name, user, password, host, table prefix, and imported SQL. Confirm that the destination user has permission to read and write the database and that the import completed rather than stopping at a size or character-set error.
Images or downloads return 404 errors
Confirm that the entire uploads tree was copied, file names retained their case, and the destination document root matches the configured WordPress path. Regenerate rewrite rules by saving Permalinks after the site is safely reachable, then inspect logs for permission or rewrite failures.
Forms, payments, or webhooks fail
Check SSL, outbound network permissions, callback URLs, allow-listed IP addresses, API keys, and cron or queue workers. Preview environments may intentionally block callbacks; repeat the test on the destination using a temporary private hostname or controlled transaction.
Visitors see different versions
This is expected during DNS propagation. Compare resolver results from multiple networks, verify the destination’s logs, and avoid making content changes until traffic has settled. Do not delete the old site while any legitimate traffic still reaches it.
Email stops after the web move
Inspect MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, and mail-provider verification records. If nameservers were changed, restore every required DNS record or revert to the previous authoritative zone. A web migration should not require changing mail records.
Quick Recap
A concise cutover runbook
- Finish the inventory and notify stakeholders of the write freeze.
- Create and download a complete Kinsta backup plus a separate SQL export.
- Build the empty destination and verify runtime, access, SSL, cron, caching, and rollback capabilities.
- Transfer all files, import SQL, configure
wp-config.phpor environment variables, and recreate dependent services. - Test through preview and hosts-file methods, covering administration, content, forms, transactions, integrations, and logs.
- Lower web-record TTL ahead of the window when possible and document the current DNS zone.
- Change only the relevant A or CNAME record; leave nameservers and mail records untouched unless you have a complete replacement zone.
- Monitor multiple networks, HTTPS, traffic, transactions, logs, analytics, cache, and email throughout propagation.
- Keep Kinsta and the external backup until the destination is stable, then retire the old environment only after a final recovery review.
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