Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Looking for a smarter way to manage site backups? Explore Duplicator's new features, including customizable WP-CLI commands and permission settings!
Announcing Duplicator WP-CLI Commands (And How They Speed Up Backups)
Joella Dunn
Joella Dunn
John Turner
John Turner
Do you need to migrate your WordPress database to a new server or cloud storage?
A WordPress site migration usually involves moving both your files and the database. However, you might want to migrate just the database if you need to update the data on your local staging site. Database migrations can also be useful for moving large sites or even saving data to the cloud.
In this tutorial, we’ll show you how to migrate a WordPress database!
All of your WordPress site’s posts, pages, categories, users, and other data are stored in a database. It saves changes and serves content to visitors.
When you want to migrate your website, you’ll typically want to move both the files and the database to the new hosting server. These two elements work together to display your website.
However, your website might be large. You might need to move the site files and database separately to avoid timeouts on your old host.
You might also have a staging site to test out new changes. To make sure your local site is fully updated, you can upload your database and overwrite the old one.
Having a backup can help you restore data after an emergency. For extra security, consider migrating your database to cloud storage.
There are a few different reasons to migrate a WordPress database, but you might not know how to get started. Let’s walk through the migration process, step by step!
The easiest way to migrate WordPress data is to use a WordPress migration plugin. A tool like Duplicator Pro is built to save and transport your files and database.
If you’re looking to migrate your WordPress database in minutes, try Duplicator. This is the best WordPress migration plugin, allowing you to send databases to the cloud, a new host, or any other location.
To get started, purchase a subscription for Duplicator Pro. There is also a free version, but it doesn’t support drag-and-drop migrations.
Be sure to copy your license key. Then, install Duplicator in your WordPress dashboard.
Lastly, go to Duplicator Pro » Settings » Licensing.
Paste your license key here. Activate it to start using Duplicator!
To migrate your database, you’ll need to create a database-only backup. First, find Duplicator Pro » Packages » Create New.
Name the backup. If you want to migrate the database to the cloud, choose a cloud storage location. Duplicator supports all of these options:
If you’re planning on migrating your database to a localhost, new live host, or new domain, select local storage instead.
Expand the Archive section. Here, choose Database Only. This excludes any files from your backup.
Click Next. Duplicator will fully scan your database, informing you of any issues.
After this, hit Build to run the backup.
If you chose a cloud storage location, your backup will be sent off-site. However, the local storage option will save the backup to the Packages page of your dashboard.
Before you migrate it, download the database backup.
Now it’s time to migrate your database to a different location. On the new website, install Duplicator Pro. Then, open the Import page.
Upload the database backup archive. Review the package details and click Next.
Just in case something goes wrong, feel free to set a recovery point. Choose a recent backup of the site and copy the recovery URL.
Then, hit Launch Installer.
In the installer, you’ll see that only the database will be overwritten.
Click on the Validate button. Accept the terms and notices and continue.
In the pop-up window, hit OK.
Now, Duplicator will migrate your database! It will be installed, overwriting the old one.
If you don’t want to install another plugin or you like to be more hands-on, you could try manually migrating your database. However, be aware that this will take more time and technical experience. Plus, there’s always the risk of error.
First, you’ll need to export your database with phpMyAdmin. Normally, your WordPress hosting plan will give you access to phpMyAdmin through your hosting account’s control panel (cPanel).
On the left, click on the database you want to export. Then, open the Export tab.
Choose the SQL file format and hit Go.
This will download your site’s database as a SQL file. Next, compress it into a zip file.
On the new server, you’ll have to create a new database. To do this, open cPanel and find Databases » MySQL Databases.
Set up a new database name.
Add a new user by choosing a username and password.
Finally, assign the new user to the new database.
Grant this user all privileges, so that you can control the new database.
At this point, you can import your database backup into the new database. Open phpMyAdmin again and find the Import tab.
Upload the database backup file you downloaded earlier. Hit Go to import all of your original database tables into the new database.
To migrate a WordPress database, you can either use a WordPress migration plugin like Duplicator or do it manually. Both methods require you to create a backup of your existing database, which you can then import into a new location. With Duplicator, build a database-only backup and drag and drop it wherever it needs to be migrated to.
To transfer your WordPress database to another domain name, back up your entire website with Duplicator Pro. Then, import the backup into your new site. Be sure to select the Advanced view so you can easily search for your old domain and replace it with the new site URL.
After the move, make sure to point your nameservers and IP address to the new domain in your DNS records.
As a last step, open your wp-config.php file and update the DB_USER, DB_NAME, and DB_PASSWORD values.
These values should reflect the new database and hosting company’s information.
Exporting a WordPress database is a straightforward process. Start installing Duplicator, then download a database-only package. Alternatively, you could manually export your database with phpMyAdmin.
To transfer content from one WordPress website to another, create a Duplicator backup that includes all the data you want moved. You can easily include or exclude media files, WordPress files, plugins, themes, or databases.
Then, import this backup into the new website. The Duplicator installer will do the rest!
The best WordPress migration plugin is Duplicator Pro. It allows you to effortlessly move to a new web hosting provider, domain name, or server without any downtime. With one-click restores, you can easily roll back any errors along the way.
Alternatives: All-in-One WP Migration and UpdraftPlus are other plugins that allow for free migrations. However, Duplicator supports quick drag-and-drop migrations. Since it has a standalone installer, you won’t even have to worry about setting up a new WordPress installation first!
We hope this tutorial helped you migrate your WordPress database!
While you’re here, you may also like these WordPress guides:
Do you want to quickly and easily migrate your WordPress database? Download Duplicator Pro to create database backups and drop them anywhere that supports WordPress!
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