I am running a blog more than 10 years. Recently I bought a new VPs server from Vultr. So I have to move my blog from shared hosting to VPS hosting. 3 to 4 years before I moved my blog. But that time I do not know how to move all WordPress files and migrate settings. So I backup my blog as a ML file via Tools -> Export and imported that file in new WordPress blog. I lost featured images, Image attachments, WordPress users information, theme settings, plugin settings and so many things. It took me 1 to 2 days to setup my blog again.
Now my blog is 10 years old and I got experience in web development. Right now my blog has so many blog posts, images, plugin and themes. Recently I purchased unmanaged VPS hosting from Vultr and I want to move my WordPress site from shared PHP hosting to new VPS hosting. I google it and found 2 interesting plugins WPvivid and UpdraftPlus.
First I tried WPvivid. It displays lot and lots of error when I try to restore my site (maybe it can’t handle big blog and its suitable for small blogs). So I tried UpdraftPlus and it worked like a charm.
So I created this tutorial to help other bloggers and website owner to move their WordPress site/blog from one hosting to another hosting/server.
Step 1: Backup your Site using UpdraftPlus Plugin
Before you moving your WordPress site to new server, first backup your site using Updraft Plus plugin.
To do that, first install UpdraftPlus plugin on your WordPress dashboard via Plugins -> Add New.
Search and install UpdraftPlus plugin. Then “Activate the plugin”.
Now go to the Settings -> UpdraftPlus Backups.
In UpdraftPlus Backup/Restore Settings page, choose Backup.
It will backup your WordPress database, themes, plugins, uploads, others as a separate files.
Download these files on your computer.
Note: Do not forget to take a manual website backup on your old server.
If you want to test this backup works or not, install XAMP server and WordPress on your computer. Then add and test this backup. If its work good, then you don’t need to worry about anything.
Step 2: Change Domain DNS address for New hosting & add your domain in New Server
If you purchased news web hosting package, they will provide new Name servers. Now go to the domain name providers website where your purchase your domain name like GoDaddy and replace the old Name servers with new one.
Also don’t forget to add your website on the new hosting.
Step 2: Install New WordPress and Restore files/settings with Backup Plugin
After you added your domain name in new hosting account wait 5 to 30 minutes.
If you want to monitor name server changes quickly and see your new site pages use DNSchanger.org website, add and test your site A record. Also use free or paid VPN software like iTop VPN (here I am used free version and free country list) and select other countries like japan, US or Australia to test your sites.
In your new hosting provides cPanel software, install WordPress with new credentials (its does not matter now).
If you are hosting does not cover cPanel software (It happened when you are using unmanaged VPS hosting) manually download and install the latest version of WordPress.
Install the UpdraftPlus plugin.
Go to plugin Settings page. Find “Existing backup” section and select the “Upload backup files” option.
Select the backup files from your location computer directory. Once it upload all files, it will show the available files to restore like “Database”, ‘Plugins” and ‘Themes”.
Select the “Restore” button. UpdraftPlus Restoration window will appear. Choose the component like “Database” “Plugins” and Click the next button. If the backups or your WordPress installation have issues, it will. show. If it does not show any warnings, choose “Restore” option. it just take a couple of seconds to restore your files.
After it restored your WordPress database, themes and plugin, it will show the success message. That’s all.
Now check the WordPress dashboard and Homepage. If everything looks same like your old site, then no issues.
Note: If you previously changed your WordPress default table prefix, install “Change Table Prefix” plugin.
First change the prefix in plugin settings. Your WordPress site automatically logout and ask you to install a fresh WordPress setup. do not install anything. Now in your new webserver, go to the WordPress installation directory. Find the wp-config.php file.
Then open “wp-config.php” file. Search and find “$table_prefix” and change the prefix you previously used in old WordPress site.
That’s all.
