*** Update Jan 2026 - this method still works like a charm today! ***
In this tutorial I'll show you how to manually migrate your WordPress website from one host to another. There are a plethora of duplicator, migration and cloning tools and plugins out there, but often they timeout, fail or don't work between hosts.
I've used many a cloning tool in my day only to have the migration timeout, take the site down and leave me in a complete panic. It's for this reason that knowing how to do it manually is ABSOLUTELY CRUCIAL. And luckily, it's not rocket science. With a basic understanding of what's going on behind the scenes and the most important files you need to worry about, you can do it often just as fast as it would take a migration tool.
View my FREE simple and advanced checklists for migrating a Wordpress website manually here:
Video timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction and overview
*** Phase 1 - Backup site on old domain ***
01:12 - Backup site files via File Manager
03:47 - Export the site database via phpMyAdmin
*** Phase 2 - Transfer site to new domain ***
06:14 - Install Wordpress at new domain
09:12 - Import site database via phpMyAdmin
10:52 - Upload/replace wp-content folder in File Manager
12:45 - Update config.php file with correct details
17:48 - Find and replace all image/file paths to new URL
*** Phase 3 - Clean up ***
19:06 - Delete old files and backup new site
Again, you can view the FREE simple or advanced checklists for this method of migrating a Wordpress website manually here: