Move your site to a new host with zero downtime

Moving to a new host sounds risky, but the method that avoids downtime is simple: build a complete copy of your site on the new host while the old one keeps serving visitors, test the copy privately, then switch DNS. For a while both servers can answer, and nobody sees a gap.

Most migrations that go wrong skip one of those steps, usually the inventory or the testing. This guide covers each one in order.

Take an inventory

Before you copy anything, write down everything your current host does for you. It’s easy to remember the website and forget the email.

• Files: your site’s folder, including uploads, themes, plugins and any custom files in the root such as .htaccess or verification files.
• Databases: name, user and which site uses which. WordPress keeps its details in wp-config.php.
• Email: are your mailboxes hosted with the same company? How many, and how much mail is in them?
• DNS records: export or screenshot the full zone, not just the A record. MX, TXT (SPF, DKIM, site verifications) and CNAME records are easy to lose.
• SSL: note whether you use the host’s free certificate or a paid one you’ll need to reinstall.
• Extras: cron jobs, redirects, subdomains, PHP version and any server settings your site depends on.

Also check where your domain is registered. If it’s registered with your old host, you can leave it there for now and simply change where it points. Transferring the registration is a separate job you can do later.

Make backups

Take a full backup of files and database and download it to your own computer or cloud storage. Don’t rely on the old host’s backup system alone; you’re about to leave it. If anything goes wrong during the move, this is what you restore from.

Try to pick a quiet period for the move, and pause big changes to the site until it’s done. New posts, orders or comments made on the old server after you copy it won’t appear on the new one unless you copy again.

Lower your DNS TTL

TTL (time to live) tells the internet how long to cache your DNS records. If it’s set to a day, some visitors may keep going to the old server for a day after you switch. That’s fine as long as the old server is still running, but a shorter TTL makes the switch quicker and easier to undo.

A day or two before the move, find your DNS records wherever they’re managed (your registrar, your old host or a service like Cloudflare) and lower the TTL on your A and AAAA records to something short, such as five minutes. Wait for the old TTL to pass before switching. You can raise it again once the move is settled.

Use free migration

Before doing it yourself, check whether your new host will do it for you. Hostinger, SiteGround and Cloudways all offer free migration, either through a plugin or a request to their team. The details vary, such as how many sites are included and whether it’s automatic or hands-on, so confirm on their site before you buy.

Even with free migration, the rest of this guide still applies. You still want your own backup, a lowered TTL, your own testing and a plan for email. The migration service copies the site; the switch is usually up to you.

Migrate WordPress yourself

With a plugin

For most WordPress sites, a migration plugin is the easiest route. Popular choices such as All-in-One WP Migration, Duplicator or Migrate Guru package your files and database and unpack them on the new host. The usual flow is: install a fresh WordPress on the new host, install the same plugin on both sites, export from the old one and import on the new one. Free versions often have a size limit, so check yours fits first.

Files and database by hand

For larger sites, or if a plugin fails, do it manually:

1. Download all site files over SFTP or with the old host’s file manager, ideally as a single compressed archive.
2. Export the database as an .sql file using phpMyAdmin or your host’s database tool.
3. On the new host, create an empty database and user, then import the .sql file.
4. Upload the files to the new site’s folder.
5. Edit wp-config.php with the new database name, user, password and host.

If the domain is staying the same, you don’t need to search and replace URLs in the database. If you’re changing domains at the same time, use a proper search-and-replace tool that handles serialized data, not a text editor.

Test before you switch

This is the step that makes zero downtime possible. Your domain still points to the old server, so you need another way to view the new copy.

• Hosts file: add a line to your computer’s hosts file that maps your domain to the new server’s IP address. Your browser then loads the new site while everyone else still sees the old one. Remove the line when you’re done.
• Temporary URL: many hosts give each site a temporary address or preview link. It works for a quick look, though WordPress may redirect to your real domain unless the host handles that for you.

Click through the important pages, log in to the dashboard, submit a contact form, run a test order if you have a store, and check that images load. Look for PHP errors, missing uploads and broken permalinks. If permalinks fail, resaving them under Settings in WordPress usually fixes it.

Switch DNS

When the new copy works, point your domain at it. You can either update the A record (and AAAA if used) to the new IP, or change the domain’s nameservers to the new host’s. Updating records is faster and keeps your other DNS entries intact. Changing nameservers means recreating every record at the new host first, so use your inventory.

Because you lowered the TTL, most visitors should reach the new server quickly. During the overlap some still hit the old one, which is why the old site must stay up and unchanged. Once DNS points at the new host, issue or confirm the SSL certificate there.

Handle email carefully

Email is where most surprises happen. If your mailboxes live with the old host, decide where they’re going before you touch DNS.

• Moving email too: create the same mailboxes at the new provider, copy existing mail over (many providers offer an import tool), then update MX records.
• Keeping email where it is: if you use a separate service, make sure your MX and TXT records are copied exactly when you change nameservers.
• Check SPF and DKIM: if your website sends mail, update these records so messages from the new server don’t land in spam.

This is also a good moment to consider separate email hosting, so future moves only involve the website. Our best email hosting page covers the options.

Keep the old host a week

Don’t cancel the old account the day you switch. Keep it for at least a week so cached DNS has time to expire, late emails still arrive and you have a working fallback. Before you cancel, take one final backup, and check whether your domain is registered there.

Post-move checklist

• The site loads over https with a valid certificate and no mixed-content warnings.
• Forms, checkout and logins work, and site emails arrive.
• Backups are scheduled on the new host.
• Caching is set up once, not twice. Remove the old host’s caching plugin if the new host uses a different one.
• Cron jobs, redirects and the PHP version match what you noted in your inventory.
• Search Console and analytics still report normally after a few days.
• DNS TTL is raised back to a normal value.

Still choosing where to move? Our best WordPress hosting rankings and renewal price guide are good places to start.

FAQ