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To change a WordPress address safely, update the siteurl and home rows in the site’s options table, then replace the old address wherever it appears in content. The rows change where WordPress loads and what visitors see; they do not automatically rewrite links in posts, media, widgets, theme settings, or page-builder data. Use a backup, preview any bulk replacement with WP-CLI’s --dry-run, and check wp-config.php if the database values appear to have no effect.
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What the two WordPress URL values control
WordPress stores two primary addresses in the options table. The table is commonly named wp_options, but wp_ is only the default prefix; use the prefix configured for your installation.
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| Option | Purpose | What changing it affects |
|---|---|---|
siteurl |
The address where the WordPress core installation is located. | Core-generated paths, administrative URLs, and the location WordPress uses for its own files. |
home |
The public address visitors use to reach the site. | Front-end links and the canonical site address presented to visitors. |
For a conventional installation, both values are often the same, such as https://old.example.com. They can legitimately differ when WordPress is installed in a separate directory from the public site, so do not overwrite one with the other without confirming the intended architecture.
Why changing only the options rows is not a complete migration
WordPress and its extensions can store the old address in post content, excerpts, navigation data, attachment metadata, widget settings, theme options, custom fields, and page-builder layouts. Updating siteurl and home changes the two control values but leaves those stored references untouched. Visitors may therefore see broken images, old-domain links, mixed content, or embeds that still point to the previous address.
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A complete change has two distinct operations:
- Set the two address options to the new URL.
- Search the relevant tables for the old URL and replace it with the new URL.
Do not treat a successful update of the options table as proof that every stored link has been changed.
Prepare before editing MySQL
Make a restorable backup
Export the database before changing anything. Keep the export somewhere separate from the live database and know how you would restore it with your database tool or hosting control panel. A URL migration can affect thousands of values, so a backup is the practical recovery point if a replacement is too broad or a serialized value becomes damaged.
Record the current values
With WP-CLI available, record both values before editing:
wp option get siteurl
wp option get homeIf you are using only a database client, read the rows from the options table and note the exact old URL, including its protocol and any path. Also confirm the table prefix in wp-config.php; a site using a prefix such as abc_ stores its options in abc_options, not wp_options.
Confirm the target address
Write down the complete new address and decide whether the change is a domain change, a protocol change, a directory change, or a combination. Search-and-replace is literal: replacing https://old.example.com does not replace http://old.example.com or an old URL that includes a path unless those forms are handled separately.
Choose a method
| Method | Scope | Serialized-data safety | Access required | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|---|
WP-CLI option update plus search-replace |
Two options and then registered WordPress tables. | WP-CLI recalculates serialized string lengths. | Shell access and WP-CLI. | The preferred approach for a normal migration. |
SQL update of home and siteurl |
Only the two rows. | Safe for these plain URL values, but it does not migrate other stored links. | A MySQL client or database panel. | Emergency recovery or a deliberate options-only change. |
| Raw SQL replacement across every table | Potentially the whole database. | Unsafe for PHP serialized values because byte-length prefixes are not recalculated. | A database client. | Do not use for a WordPress-wide URL migration. |
WP_HOME and WP_SITEURL constants |
Overrides the database values at runtime. | Does not rewrite stored content. | File access to wp-config.php. |
Temporary troubleshooting or intentionally pinning an address. |
Preferred procedure with WP-CLI
1. Check the installation and values
Run the commands from the WordPress directory, or supply the appropriate path according to your WP-CLI setup:
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wp option get siteurl
wp option get homeConfirm that the output matches the old address you intend to replace. If the values are already the new address, the remaining work is likely a content search-and-replace rather than an options update.
2. Set the two address options
Use wp option update to write the new values:
wp option update siteurl 'https://new.example.com'
wp option update home 'https://new.example.com'Use the real public URL for home and the real core location for siteurl when those locations differ. These commands update the database; they do not alter URLs embedded elsewhere.
3. Preview the content replacement
Before writing a bulk change, run a dry run using the old and new strings:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guid --dry-runThe dry run reports the rows and values that would change without saving them. Review the table and column counts. A result that is unexpectedly large can indicate that the old string is too short or too broad; stop and refine the exact old URL rather than accepting an uncontrolled replacement.
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4. Run the live replacement
When the preview is reasonable, run the same command without --dry-run:
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wp search-replace 'https://old.example.com' 'https://new.example.com' --skip-columns=guidWP-CLI’s search-and-replace routine is designed for WordPress data and recalculates the byte lengths used by PHP serialized strings. That matters for widget settings, theme options, and builder layouts, where a naïve text replacement can make the stored value unreadable.
5. Decide whether --all-tables is necessary
By default, the command targets tables registered to WordPress’s database object. Use --all-tables only when the old URL also exists in tables outside that registered set and you have verified that those tables should be changed. Extending the scope increases the number of records affected; preview the expanded command with --dry-run first.
6. Verify the options and application
Read the values again:
wp option get siteurl
wp option get homeThen clear relevant page, object, CDN, and browser caches, open the public site, and test an administrator login. Check representative posts, images, menus, forms, and any page-builder screens that contain saved layouts.
Changing only the two rows with SQL
If WP-CLI is unavailable and you intentionally need to change only the addresses, update the two option rows in the correct prefixed table:
UPDATE wp_options
SET option_value = 'https://new.example.com'
WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl', 'home');Replace wp_options with the actual options-table name and replace the URL with the exact target address. This query changes the two control values quickly, but it does not search post content, metadata, widgets, theme settings, or other options for the old address.
Use this SQL-only method as a focused repair or as the first part of a larger, carefully planned migration. Do not follow it with a blanket SQL REPLACE() across every column. WordPress stores many values as PHP serialized strings containing byte-length prefixes. Changing the text while leaving those lengths unchanged can break the value, causing missing widgets, damaged theme settings, or unusable builder layouts.
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Why a raw SQL find-and-replace is risky
A database-wide expression such as a SQL REPLACE() appears convenient because it can touch many tables at once. It cannot, however, understand PHP serialization. A serialized string records how many bytes the string contains; changing the URL changes that count. Unless the replacement process parses and rewrites the serialized structure, PHP may reject the value or read the remainder incorrectly.
The practical rule is simple: use SQL for the two plain option rows when necessary, and use a WordPress-aware tool for a content-wide replacement. WP-CLI’s search-replace is the option in this workflow that preserves serialized data.
When WP_HOME or WP_SITEURL overrides MySQL
WordPress can define the public and core addresses as constants in wp-config.php:
define( 'WP_HOME', 'https://new.example.com' );
define( 'WP_SITEURL', 'https://new.example.com' );When these constants are present, they override the corresponding values in wp_options at runtime. The database may show the old URL while the site uses the value from the configuration file. Conversely, changing the database may appear to do nothing because the constants continue to win.
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Redirect loops and login failures
A mismatch between the database values and configuration constants can produce repeated redirects or prevent the administrator area from loading. Compare all of the following:
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siteurlin the options table.homein the options table.WP_HOMEandWP_SITEURL, if defined inwp-config.php.- The exact protocol and host being requested in the browser.
Remove or correct conflicting constants, then clear caches and retry the front end and administrator login. Do not keep temporary override settings in place after the address has been stabilized.
Using the RELOCATE constant
WordPress migration documentation also describes a RELOCATE constant that can change the stored siteurl. Treat it as a temporary recovery mechanism, not as a substitute for a planned search-and-replace. The documentation warns that leaving it enabled can be insecure in some configurations. If you use it, remove it immediately after the required correction and then verify the stored values and login behavior.
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Use a representative, not just a single home-page, test:
- Open the home page and several older posts.
- Click navigation menus and internal links.
- Load images, downloadable files, and embedded media.
- Open the administrator login and a few dashboard screens.
- Inspect widgets, theme customizer settings, and builder-created pages.
- Check forms, feeds, and integrations that store callback or asset URLs.
- Search the database or application output for the old URL if links still point to it.
If only some links remain old, the options update worked but the content replacement did not cover the table or value where those links are stored. Recheck the dry-run scope and whether the old address appears in another form, such as a different protocol or directory path.
Recovery when something goes wrong
The site redirects to the old address
Read both options and inspect wp-config.php for constants that still specify the old value. Correct the authoritative setting, clear caches, and test again.
Widgets or layouts disappear after a database replacement
Stop making further replacements and restore the database backup. This symptom is consistent with serialized data being altered by a raw SQL replacement. Repeat the migration with WP-CLI’s WordPress-aware command instead.
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The front end works but internal links are mixed
The two options may be correct while stored content still contains the old URL. Run a narrowly targeted WP-CLI dry run for the exact old string, inspect the affected tables, and then execute the live replacement if the scope is appropriate.
The command reports no changes
Confirm that the old URL is spelled exactly as stored, including protocol, host, and path. Also verify that you are running WP-CLI against the intended WordPress installation and that the tables containing the old value are registered. Only add --all-tables after a dry run shows that an external table is genuinely part of the migration.
A repeatable runbook
- Export the database and confirm that the backup can be restored.
- Record
siteurlandhomewithwp option get, or read them from the correctly prefixed options table. - Check
wp-config.phpforWP_HOMEandWP_SITEURLoverrides. - Choose the exact old and new URL strings, including protocol and path.
- Use
wp option updatefor the two control values when WP-CLI is available, or use the focused SQL update when only the rows must change. - Preview a content-wide replacement with
wp search-replace,--skip-columns=guid, and--dry-run. - Review the reported scope, then run the same command without
--dry-run. - Use
--all-tablesonly for verified tables outside WordPress’s registered set. - Flush caches, test the front end and administrator login, and inspect representative content.
- Remove temporary constants such as troubleshooting overrides or
RELOCATEwhen they are no longer required.
The durable solution is not merely changing two strings in MySQL. It is aligning the database options, any configuration constants, and every stored content reference while preserving serialized data. Backing up first and previewing the WP-CLI operation gives you a recoverable, auditable path from the old address to the new one.
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