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A WordPress dashboard export is only a content file. To preserve a site so it can actually be rebuilt, download the WXR content export, a separate database dump, and the complete site files—especially wp-content and wp-config.php. Then record the hosting information WordPress does not contain: domains, DNS, email, SSL, account settings, invoices, and payment records.
Keep those items together in a dated archive outside the hosting account, and test a restore before cancelling the old service or changing ownership. The exact backup and restoration screens vary by host and account plan.
What you need to preserve
A recoverable WordPress archive has several distinct layers. Treating them as separate exports prevents the most common failure: having an XML file that contains posts but not the files or settings needed to run the site.
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| Archive item | What it contains | What it does not guarantee | Normal restoration method |
|---|---|---|---|
| WordPress WXR XML | Posts, pages, comments, custom fields, terms, navigation menus, and custom post types. You can export all content or filter posts by category, author, or date. | Site configuration and options, themes, plugins, uploads, and other attachment files. | Use Tools → Import on another WordPress site. |
| Database dump | WordPress records such as settings, users, content relationships, and plugin data stored in database tables. | Files stored on disk, including media and PHP code. | Create a database on the destination and import the SQL dump with its database tool. |
| Site files | WordPress core, wp-content, themes, plugins, uploads, custom scripts, and other files in the site directory. |
Database tables unless you export them separately. | Upload or synchronize the files, then connect them to the restored database. |
| Hosting-panel backup | Possibly files, databases, mail, and account data, depending on the provider’s enabled features and backup type. | A portable archive with a guaranteed self-service restore path. cPanel cannot automatically restore a full account backup by itself. | Use the provider’s restore process, WHM where available, or restore each component manually. |
| Hosting and account records | Domain registration, DNS, email, SSL, redirects, cron jobs, plan details, invoices, receipts, and payment history. | These records are not reliably included in a WordPress export. | Recreate settings at the new provider and retain the documents as an operational archive. |
WordPress’s own backup guidance summarizes the fundamental split: There are two parts to backing up your WordPress site: Database and Files.
A WXR export is useful for moving content between WordPress installations, but it is not a complete disaster-recovery copy.
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Export WordPress content from the dashboard
1. Create the WXR file
- Sign in with an account that can export the site.
- Open Tools → Export.
- Choose All content for a broad export. This includes posts, pages, comments, custom fields, terms, navigation menus, and custom post types.
- Alternatively, choose the available post filters and specify a category, author, or date range when you need only part of the content.
- Click the download control and save the resulting WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR) XML file outside the hosting account.
The WXR file can be imported at the destination through Tools → Import. The importer may ask you to map authors and download attachments referenced by the content. A successful import does not recreate the old server’s PHP files, database options, or hosting configuration.
2. Check the export immediately
- Confirm that the file exists and is not zero bytes.
- Open it in a text editor or XML-capable viewer and look for recent post titles, pages, and expected content types.
- Record the export date and the WordPress site it came from.
- If the site is a multisite network or uses plugin-specific content types, check each network or plugin’s documentation for additional export steps. A standard site export may not cover every network-level setting.
Using WP-CLI
WP-CLI’s wp export command also creates WXR files and supports content-oriented export workflows. Its documentation explicitly says that WXR exports do not include site configuration or options and do not contain the attachment files themselves. Use the command as an additional content export, never as a substitute for the database and file copies described below.
Export the WordPress database
The database is the structured record of the site. It normally lives separately from the files, so downloading the WordPress directory alone does not preserve it.
1. Identify the correct database
Open the site’s wp-config.php and note the database name, user, host, and table prefix. Do not publish this file or its credentials. If the host manages several installations, verify that the database name matches the intended domain before exporting.
2. Use the host’s database tool
- Open the hosting control panel’s database section and launch its supported tool, commonly phpMyAdmin or an equivalent database client.
- Select the database named in
wp-config.php. - Choose the export function. A complete SQL export is appropriate for a full site copy; include all WordPress and plugin tables, not just the tables with the default prefix.
- When the tool offers compression, retain the compressed form such as
.gzor.bz2as well as an uncompressed.sqlcopy when practical. - Download the result to a computer or storage location that is not the hosting account.
WordPress documentation identifies SQL and compressed SQL formats as common database backup forms. Keep the dump beside the matching files and WXR export; a database from a different capture date can refer to media or plugin code that no longer exists.
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3. Validate the dump
- Check that the downloaded file has a plausible size and can be opened or decompressed.
- Look for SQL statements and table names rather than an empty header.
- Record the database export date, site URL, and table prefix in a plain-text manifest.
- Protect the dump as sensitive data. It can contain user information, email addresses, order records, and plugin secrets.
Restoring the database
On a new host, create an empty database and user, import the SQL dump, and put the new credentials in wp-config.php. The destination may use a different database name, username, password, host, or table prefix. Follow the receiving host’s limits for upload size and execution time; large databases may require its command-line or assisted-import method rather than a browser upload.
Download the complete WordPress files
Download the entire WordPress directory with SFTP, FTP, SSH, a host backup tool, or another supported synchronization method. The WordPress handbook gives special attention to wp-content and wp-config.php, but both should be retained with the rest of the installation.
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Files that normally matter
wp-content/themes, including a child theme and any custom theme code.wp-content/plugins, including inactive plugins whose data may still be needed.wp-content/uploads, which contains media and other uploaded assets.wp-config.php, copied securely because it contains database credentials and salts.- WordPress core files and any custom PHP, JavaScript, CSS, or static assets in the site directory.
- Server-specific files such as
.htaccess, web-server rules, rewrite configuration, and custom verification files when the destination supports them.
Do not assume that an XML export includes images or that a database dump includes themes and plugins. Those are separate storage locations.
Preserve and package the files
- Put the site in maintenance mode only if your transfer procedure requires a consistent snapshot; otherwise document the capture time and continue.
- Download the files while preserving directory names, permissions where relevant, and symbolic links if your transfer method supports them.
- Create a compressed archive after the download if that makes storage and transfer easier. Keep the original directory copy when space permits.
- Open the archive and inspect
wp-content, uploads, themes, plugins, andwp-config.phpbefore deleting anything from the old host.
Use a hosting-panel backup without overestimating it
Control panels can simplify collection, but their scope is provider-dependent. cPanel can generate full or partial backups and may send a full backup to the account’s home directory or to supported remote destinations. Whether the feature is enabled, what it contains, and where it can be sent depend on the host.
There is an important restoration limitation: You cannot automatically restore a full backup file in cPanel.
Automatic restoration may require WHM or help from the hosting provider. Therefore:
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- Download the generated backup to storage you control instead of leaving the only copy in the account.
- Ask the provider in writing which files, databases, mailboxes, DNS data, and account settings are included.
- Confirm whether the destination host can restore that backup format or whether you must extract and restore components manually.
- Do not cancel the old account until the archive has been downloaded and checked.
A full account backup can be a useful additional safety copy, but it does not remove the need to understand the separate database, files, and hosting-record layers.
Capture domain, DNS, email, SSL, and server settings
These records often live in the registrar, DNS service, email interface, or hosting control panel rather than in WordPress. Make a readable inventory before changing nameservers, transferring a domain, or closing an account.
Domain and DNS inventory
- List every domain and subdomain, including aliases and parked names.
- Record the registrar, registration and renewal status, expiration date, transfer lock state, and authorization process.
- Copy the active nameservers and every DNS record. Include A and AAAA records, CNAMEs, MX records, TXT verification and email-authentication records, CAA records, and any provider-specific entries.
- Note which service is authoritative for DNS. A domain transfer does not necessarily move the DNS zone to the same provider.
- Save the records as text or PDF as well as screenshots so they can be searched and recreated.
Email and mail retention
Domain ownership and email hosting are separate services. WordPress.com specifically warns that transferring a domain does not automatically transfer email hosting. Record mailbox addresses, aliases, forwarding rules, autoresponders, spam settings, and the MX and related TXT records. Export or archive mail that must be retained, and confirm where new mail will be delivered during the transition.
SSL and web-server configuration
- Record which domains and subdomains have certificates, who issues them, and whether renewal is automatic.
- Note the installation method, certificate chain requirements, and any private-key location. Handle private keys as secrets.
- List HTTP-to-HTTPS redirects, canonical redirects, password-protected areas, and rewrite rules.
- Document cron jobs, scheduled tasks, environment variables, firewall allowlists, CDN settings, staging sites, and external integrations that the new host must reproduce.
Some managed migration services include files, databases, SSL/TLS, custom DNS, and email; others do not. Obtain a written scope and identify technical limitations before relying on a service.
Account and billing records
Before closure, export or print the provider’s service details, account identifiers, invoices, receipts, subscriptions, and payment history. Export categories and formats vary. For example, one provider may offer a dedicated data-export area covering files, databases, email, subscriptions, invoices, and payment history, while another may provide only downloadable invoices. Save the records required for tax, ownership, warranty, or dispute purposes.
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Choose the right preservation route
| Goal | Minimum archive | What you still need to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Move selected articles to another WordPress site | WXR export and any media you want to keep | Author mapping, attachment downloads, custom post types, and plugin-specific data. |
| Rebuild the same site on another host | Database dump plus complete files | New database credentials, PHP and server compatibility, URL settings, SSL, DNS, and email. |
| Keep a long-term archive | WXR, database, files, hosting-record inventory, and account documents | Readable documentation, secure storage, and a periodic test restore. |
| Use a host-provided full backup | Downloaded full backup plus a manifest | Included components, portability, destination restore support, and whether WHM or provider assistance is required. |
| Hand the site to a new owner | All technical archives plus domain, email, SSL, service, and billing records | Credential handoff, removal of your access, privacy obligations, and documented ownership of third-party services. |
Restore or migrate in a controlled sequence
cPanel’s published WordPress migration sequence illustrates the usual order for a cPanel and WHM destination. The menus differ on other hosts, so use the receiving provider’s instructions rather than assuming identical labels.
- Prepare the destination. Create the hosting space, database, database user, PHP version, and required domains or subdomains. Obtain the destination database credentials.
- Transfer the files. Upload the WordPress directory and verify that
wp-content, uploads, themes, plugins, and custom files are present. - Create and import the database. Import the SQL dump into the new database using the destination’s supported tool.
- Update configuration. Edit the destination copy of
wp-config.phpwith the new database name, user, password, host, and any changed table prefix. Keep the original credentials out of public notes. - Update site addresses. Apply the destination URL and any documented URL changes in the database or WordPress settings. Preserve the old address until redirects and DNS are ready.
- Test before DNS cutover. Use a temporary URL, hosts-file override, or staging address where supported. Check login, pages, media, forms, search, comments, cron tasks, plugin integrations, and administrator email.
- Configure SSL, DNS, and email. Install the certificate, reproduce redirects, point DNS records, and verify MX routing and mailbox access.
- Plan for downtime. The cPanel migration guidance warns that migrations can involve downtime. Lowering DNS TTL in advance may help with a planned change, but it does not eliminate caching or application-level downtime.
- Cut over and monitor. Change the authoritative DNS or relevant records, watch logs and error reports, and keep the old service available until the new site and mail flow are confirmed.
Verify the archive before cancelling anything
Use a dated, self-describing folder
A practical structure is:
site-name/YYYY-MM-DD/wordpress-content.wxr.xml
site-name/YYYY-MM-DD/database.sql.gz
site-name/YYYY-MM-DD/site-files.tar.gz
site-name/YYYY-MM-DD/hosting-records.txt
site-name/YYYY-MM-DD/invoices/Add a manifest stating the capture date, domain, WordPress version, database name or prefix, included subdomains, and any known exclusions. Keep at least one copy outside the hosting account and, for an important site, a second copy in a separate storage location.
Perform basic integrity checks
- Open every archive and confirm it is not empty or corrupt.
- Check that recent content appears in the WXR file.
- Confirm the SQL dump contains the expected tables.
- Browse the files and verify uploads, themes, plugins, and configuration files.
- Compare the DNS inventory with the live zone and confirm that mail records are included.
- Open invoices and account documents and make sure the dates and service identifiers are legible.
Test a restore for a critical site
Restore the database and files to a local or staging environment before deleting the live account. A test should prove that the archive can produce a working login, representative pages, media, forms, and administrative functions. If the host’s full-backup format cannot be restored independently, treat the component exports as the portable archive and document the provider assistance that would be needed.
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Backups can be more sensitive than the live site. The database may contain customer information; wp-config.php contains credentials; SSL private keys, API tokens, integration links, invoices, and payment records can enable account access or expose personal data.
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- Use encrypted storage and access controls for the archive.
- Do not email credentials or place them in an unprotected shared folder.
- Keep the manifest separate from secret values; record where secrets are stored rather than copying them into a general handoff document.
- When transferring ownership, remove your administrator, SFTP, database, API, and billing access only after the recipient confirms the archive and the new site work.
- Dispose of temporary downloads and old credentials according to your organization’s security and retention requirements.
Common failure modes and fixes
The XML imported, but images are missing
WXR does not contain the attachment files themselves. Restore wp-content/uploads from the file archive and check that the destination URLs and permissions allow WordPress to serve the media.
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The site shows a database connection error
Confirm the destination database exists, the user has privileges, and the values in wp-config.php match the new host. Check the database host name as well as the password; it is not always localhost.
The host says a full backup cannot be restored
Ask whether WHM or provider-assisted restoration is available. If not, extract the backup and restore the database, files, mail, and settings individually. Keep the downloaded original as evidence of what was supplied.
The site works but email stopped
Review the authoritative nameservers and MX records, then check SPF, DKIM, DMARC, forwarding rules, and mailbox provisioning. A domain move does not automatically move email hosting.
DNS or SSL settings were overlooked
Use the text inventory and certificate notes made before the move. Recreate records at the authoritative DNS service, install certificates for every active hostname, and verify redirects after DNS propagation.
The database import is too large for the browser
Use the receiving host’s documented large-database method, such as a command-line or assisted import, rather than repeatedly retrying a timed-out browser upload. Preserve the original compressed dump unchanged.
A plugin or multisite feature is absent after migration
Compare the file archive with the active installation and check the plugin or network’s own export requirements. The standard WXR export is content-focused and may not include plugin configuration or network-level data.
Quick Recap
Final pre-closure checklist
- WXR export downloaded, opened, and checked for recent content.
- Complete database dump downloaded and validated.
- Entire site directory downloaded, including
wp-contentandwp-config.php. - Any cPanel or other host backup downloaded outside the account, with its restore limitations documented.
- Domains, nameservers, DNS records, email, SSL, redirects, cron jobs, and integrations recorded.
- Invoices, receipts, subscriptions, and payment history saved where required.
- Archive placed in dated, access-controlled storage with a manifest.
- Restore tested on staging or locally when the site is important.
- New DNS, SSL, website, and email operation verified before the old service is cancelled.
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