Move WordPress Site to New Hosting using cPanel

Moving WordPress website from one hosting to another is a time consuming process and difficult too for the beginners. In this article, I will show steps to move WordPress site to new Hosting using cPanel. This article will show steps to export wp-content and database from old hosting and move/upload them to new hosting.

Move WordPress Site to New Hosting using cPanel

Step 1. Backup your Database

Go to the cPanel of your current Website. i.e cpanel.mustbeweb.com or mustbeweb.com/cpanel. After you are logged in Go to phpMyAdmin as picture below.

After you click phpMyAdmin, it will redirect you to the admin area of database. You will see list of databases on left pane. Click a database that you want to export and then select Export tab. From here, you can export the tables contained within a database. Choose export method as Quick and select SQL as format and click GO. It will download the copy of your current database tables. After you download it make a new folder in desktop and rename it with your domain name “mustbeweb” and save there.

Step 2: Backup wp-content Folder

Now, go to the cPanel and click on File Manager after that File manager Directory Selection will appear on it make sure you check Web Root (public_html/www) and click GO.

After you are directed to the WordPress installed directory you will see all sorts of file in this file manager. Here, we need to compress and download the wp-content folder. This folder contains all the important files of WordPress like, themes, plugins, etc. Click on wp-content folder and compress it. You can Compress either by clicking Compress button above or Right click > Compress. A progress bar will appear and compress result will be displayed click close.

After you compress file, click Reload or refresh the link, wp-content.zip file will appear. Click on wp-content.zip and click Download from top or right-click > wp-content.zip and click Download.

After you download wp-content.zip file go to desktop and save in the same folder “mustbeweb” where you have saved copy of database earlier. That’s it you have backed up all the required files.

Step 3: Changing Name Server of your Domain for New Hosting

Purchasing New Hosting isn’t enough to use new hosting package you need to change the Name server of your Domain. Log in to the site from where you have purchased your Domain and edit the setting of Name server (NS). The setting process vary as per the website from where you have purchased your domain. In the edit/setting option you will find Name Server change it to the New Name Server which is provided to you by the New Hosting Provider or check their website for further Information. It is something like this ns5.abc.com, ns5.abc.com, ns7.abc.com. Enter the new name server and click update.

Note: It will take up to 48 hour to take your change into effect. But, generally it will work within 1 – 2 hour.

To Check try to open your Website if it is still opening normally then wait for it, if nothing is displayed or the content related to your new hosting provider is displayed then your website is directed to the new hosting.

Also Read: Importance of XML Sitemaps in WordPress

Step 4: Install WordPress in New Hosting

Open the cPanel of your website. Same as before .i.e cpanel.mustbeweb.com or mustbeweb.com/cpanel. The cPanel login panel will be of your new hosting so enter the new username and Password provided you by your new hosting provider. Login and install WordPress through cPanel or how you know. From cPanel choose any WordPress installer and follow simple steps to get installed.

Step 5: Replace wp-content Folder

Open the File Manager and check web root and click OK. You will be redirected to the WordPress installed directory. Click on wp-content folder and delete it.

After wp-content folder has been deleted, upload the wp-content.zip file that was downloaded from old hosting and extract the zip file in the same place

Step 6: Import Database Tables to New Hosting

Now, database tables needs to be imported to new hosting. To Import Database Tables, Open cPanel click phpMyAdmin it will direct you to the current WordPress Database Table. Then select the database when you installed WordPress in this hosting and click Import tab. Browse the database file exported before and click Go. The tables will be imported in this database.

After you have imported Database you are all done and your WordPress Website has been moved from one hosting to another.

Step 7: Update your wp-config.php file

Make sure to update your wp-config.php file. Since you’ve created new database to import database from your old site, the DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD and DB_HOST need to be updated. Check these information in the wp-config.php file which we have backed up earlier.

Go to your root public_html folder and locate wp-confi.php file. And update

DB_NAME
DB_USER
DB_PASSWORD
DB_HOST

Replace the old information with new in this file and you are good to go.

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Rupesh Karna

Rupesh is a Web developer, freelancer and creative blog writer. Coding is his passion. He develops clean and elegant websites that client loves. He loves exploring the world when he doesn't feel like coding.