--- title: "How to migrate a website to a new host without downtime" url: "https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host" canonical: "https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host" author: "Jennifer T." published: "2026-10-13" updated: "2026-10-13" sources: - "https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/upgrade/migrating/" - "https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/manage-dns-records/reference/ttl/" - "https://flashcloud.com/pricing" - "https://hosting.com/package-comparison/" - "https://www.fastcomet.com/website-hosting" - "https://www.inmotionhosting.com/shared-hosting" - "https://www.hostpapa.com/renewal-pricing/" - "https://www.scalahosting.com/pricing" - "https://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm" generated: "2026-10-15" note: "Markdown twin generated at build time from the same content as the HTML page. The HTML page is canonical." --- [WordPress](https://hostidea.com/blog/category/wordpress) # How to migrate a website to a new host without downtime A step-by-step migration method for a WordPress or static site: copy, test on the new server, switch DNS with a short TTL, and keep the old host running until the last visitor has moved. By [Jennifer T.](https://hostidea.com/authors/jennifer-t) · Reviewed by [Macaulay A.](https://hostidea.com/authors/macaulay-a) · Published Oct 13, 2026 · Updated Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read We may earn a commission when you buy through our links. Rankings come from the published methodology and sourced data, not from commissions. [Disclosure](https://hostidea.com/disclosure). ## Key takeaways - Copy first, switch DNS last: the site should be working on the new server, tested by IP or hosts file, before any visitor is sent there. - Lower the DNS TTL to 300 seconds a day ahead so the switch takes minutes instead of a day. - For WordPress, never edit the GUID column when replacing URLs; WordPress documentation is explicit about it. - Most hosts we review will do the copy for you; the sequencing and the DNS are still yours. ## Prepare the new account Buy the plan, pick the data center you want (the one nearest your visitors, chosen at checkout), and set up the domain on the new account without changing DNS. The new host will give you a temporary address or an IP for testing. If the new host offers a managed migration (Flashcloud, Hosting.com, FastComet, InMotion, HostPapa and ScalaHosting all list one on their plan pages; SiteGround has an automatic WordPress migrator), request it now and tell them you will handle DNS yourself. Lower the TTL on your domain’s A and MX records to 300 seconds today. The TTL change needs a day to reach every resolver; our [DNS propagation article](https://hostidea.com/blog/what-is-dns-propagation) explains why. ## Back up everything on the old host Files and database, separately, downloaded to your own machine. The WordPress documentation on migrating lists the same first step: back up the WordPress directory, images, plugins and files, and the database. If the old host has a backup tool, use it, then also export the database from phpMyAdmin or with WP-CLI so you have a plain SQL file. ``` wp db export backup.sql ``` Check the file sizes. A database export of 2 KB is an error page, not a database. ## Copy the site to the new server Upload the files to the new account’s web root and import the database into a new database there. Edit `wp-config.php` with the new database name, user and password, which the WordPress documentation lists as the step after the backup. For a static site, the upload is the whole job. If the domain is not changing, nothing else needs editing. If it is, the documentation is clear: references to the old domain will remain in the database and cause issues, so run a search-replace. It recommends WP-CLI’s `wp search-replace 'old.example' 'new.example' --skip-columns=guid` or a search-replace plugin, and it says never to change the contents of the GUID column, under any circumstances, because feed readers use it to identify posts. ## Test the new copy before switching Visit the site on the new server without changing DNS. Either use the host’s temporary address, or add a line to your computer’s hosts file that points your domain at the new server’s IP so only your browser goes there. Click through the admin, the contact form, the checkout if there is one, and a few deep pages. Fix what is broken now; it is far easier while the old site is still serving everyone else. ``` 203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com ``` Remove that line when you are done testing. ## Switch DNS Change the A record (and AAAA if you have one) to the new server’s address. If email moves too, change MX at the same time, otherwise leave it. With a 300-second TTL most visitors arrive at the new server within minutes. Watch both servers’ logs if you can; the old one should go quiet. If the new host uses its own nameservers and you want to switch to them, do that after the A-record move has settled, not during it. Nameserver changes propagate slowly. ## Keep the old host alive, then close it Leave the old account running for at least the length of the old TTL, and longer if the site takes orders: a few visitors will still land there. For a store, put the old site in maintenance mode once the new one is live, so nobody orders on the copy that will be deleted. Copy across any emails that arrived on the old mailboxes. Then raise the TTL back to an hour or a day, confirm the new site has been backed up at least once by the new host, and cancel the old plan within its refund or billing window. ## Frequently asked questions - **### Will my site be down during the migration?**: Not if you copy first and switch DNS last. The old server keeps serving until each visitor's resolver follows the DNS change, and the new one is already working by then. - **### Should I let the new host do the migration?**: Yes for the copy; most hosts we review do it free and well. Keep the DNS switch and the testing yourself, because the host cannot see your resolver or your checkout. - **### What about SSL on the new server?**: Issue the certificate on the new host before switching, using the host's panel; most use Let's Encrypt and need the domain to resolve to the new server for the HTTP challenge, so some hosts issue it just after the switch. A minute of certificate warnings is normal; an hour is a ticket. ## Sources 1. [WordPress developer documentation, Migrating WordPress](https://developer.wordpress.org/advanced-administration/upgrade/migrating/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 2. [Cloudflare developer docs, Time to Live (TTL)](https://developers.cloudflare.com/dns/manage-dns-records/reference/ttl/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 3. [Flashcloud plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://flashcloud.com/pricing), accessed Oct 13, 2026 4. [Hosting.com plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://hosting.com/package-comparison/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 5. [FastComet plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.fastcomet.com/website-hosting), accessed Oct 13, 2026 6. [InMotion Hosting plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.inmotionhosting.com/shared-hosting), accessed Oct 13, 2026 7. [HostPapa plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.hostpapa.com/renewal-pricing/), accessed Oct 13, 2026 8. [ScalaHosting plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.scalahosting.com/pricing), accessed Oct 13, 2026 9. [SiteGround plan and pricing page (plan terms as read by HostIdea)](https://www.siteground.com/web-hosting.htm), accessed Oct 13, 2026 - [Migration](https://hostidea.com/blog/tag/migration) [Prefer HostIdea in Google Search](https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=hostidea.com "Add HostIdea as a preferred source in Google Search") Share[](https://x.com/intent/post?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhostidea.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host&text=How%20to%20migrate%20a%20website%20to%20a%20new%20host%20without%20downtime)[](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fhostidea.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host)[](mailto:?subject=How%20to%20migrate%20a%20website%20to%20a%20new%20host%20without%20downtime&body=https%3A%2F%2Fhostidea.com%2Fblog%2Fhow-to-migrate-a-website-to-a-new-host) ## Related articles Oct 13, 2026 · 4 min read ### [How to choose a web host in 2026: a working method](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-choose-wordpress-hosting) Oct 13, 2026 · 2 min read ### [Shared vs managed WordPress hosting: which one do you need?](https://hostidea.com/blog/shared-vs-managed-wordpress-hosting) Oct 13, 2026 · 3 min read ### [How to read a hosting price page without being misled](https://hostidea.com/blog/how-to-read-a-hosting-price-page)