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1Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches2Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors3Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteThe reliable way to clone WordPress to staging or a new domain is to move both the complete file tree and the database, keep the destination private, update the destination URL settings, run a serialization-aware database search-and-replace, flush rewrites and caches, and test the clone before changing DNS. Copying only posts, only uploads, or only the database leaves references and configuration behind, which is why images, theme settings, forms, and internal links often fail after a move.
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What a complete WordPress clone contains
A clone is a second, working WordPress installation—not an export of visible articles. The source directory and database must be transferred together so that attachment records, plugin settings, menus, widgets, users, and theme options still correspond.
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|---|---|---|
| WordPress files | The core installation and configuration files, including wp-config.php where appropriate |
Core code and environment settings determine how WordPress connects to the destination database. |
wp-content |
The active theme, plugins, mu-plugins, languages, and uploads | Theme templates, plugin code, and media files are not recreated by importing posts. |
| Database | All WordPress tables, including options, posts, post metadata, users, taxonomy data, and plugin tables | Database rows contain URLs, serialized theme settings, attachment paths, menus, forms, and other site state. |
| External configuration | Web-server rules, PHP settings, cron jobs, DNS, CDN rules, email delivery, analytics, and webhook endpoints | These items can continue pointing to the old host even when WordPress itself loads correctly. |
When a domain or directory changes, the old address can remain in many database fields. A browser may therefore request an image from the old host, a stylesheet may load over the wrong protocol, or a plugin may post a form to a retired endpoint. The WordPress Developer Handbook warns that changing a domain or URL introduces concerns beyond copying files.
Plan the migration and freeze the source
Choose a maintenance window if the clone will become production. A busy site can receive orders, comments, uploads, or form submissions while you copy it; those changes will not exist in an earlier database export. For a staging copy that will never replace production, you can copy while the site remains live, but record the time of the export so you know how current the clone is.
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Record the source state
- Note the WordPress version, PHP version, active theme, active plugins, multisite status, database name, table prefix, and current home and site URLs.
- List scheduled tasks, payment or email callbacks, analytics endpoints, CDN settings, and any web-server redirects that live outside WordPress.
- Confirm that you can log in as an administrator and that you have database and file-level access for rollback.
Keep the old site untouched until the new copy has passed testing. A rollback is simplest when the source directory and pre-migration database remain available.
Back up both files and database
WordPress migration guidance calls for a backup of the WordPress directory, images, plugins, other files, and database before a move. Export the database from the source WordPress directory with WP-CLI:
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wp db export backup.sqlStore that SQL file outside the web root and make a separate copy of the complete site files. Check that the archive can be read and that the SQL export is not empty. Do not treat a host snapshot as your only backup unless you have verified that it can be restored independently.
Build an isolated destination
Create the destination hosting account, database, database user, PHP runtime, and document root before importing anything. Match the source PHP and WordPress versions first; upgrade after the clone is working, not during the move.
Keep staging private
Protect a staging clone with HTTP authentication, a host-level access list, a VPN, or an equivalent control. A password gate is stronger than relying on a WordPress login page because crawlers and unauthenticated requests can still reach public assets without it. Discourage indexing while you test, and do not remove that restriction until the final domain is live.
Copy files and import the database
Copy the source files into the destination document root, preserving permissions and the complete wp-content directory. Create an empty destination database, then import the export from the destination WordPress directory:
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wp db import backup.sqlUpdate the destination configuration with the new database credentials, database host, table prefix, and salts as required by the host. If the destination uses a different directory layout, verify that the web server points to the directory containing wp-admin, wp-includes, and wp-content.
Set the destination URL values
WordPress uses the home and siteurl options to determine where the front end and administrative installation load. If the domain or path changes, set both values on the destination before testing. From the destination WordPress directory, the corresponding WP-CLI commands are:
wp option update home 'https://new.example'
wp option update siteurl 'https://new.example'Include a subdirectory in both values when the clone lives at one, such as https://new.example/staging. Use the exact protocol and hostname that the destination serves. A mismatch between HTTP and HTTPS can create redirects or mixed-content warnings before the database replacement has even run.
Changing these two options is necessary but not sufficient. Content, attachment metadata, widget settings, serialized theme options, plugin configuration, and custom fields can still contain the old address. Those references require a database-wide replacement on the copied database.
Replace every old URL without corrupting serialized data
Use WP-CLI’s search-replace from the destination WordPress directory. It understands PHP serialized data, so string lengths inside serialized arrays are recalculated instead of left with invalid byte counts.
Preview first
Run a dry run against the old and new base URLs:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tables --dry-runRead the report before changing anything. Confirm that the old URL is the intended source, that the replacement count is plausible, and that the command is looking at the destination database rather than the live site. A dry run changes nothing.
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Run the replacement
When the preview is correct, run the same command without --dry-run:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tablesThe --all-tables option includes tables outside the standard WordPress set, which is important for plugins that keep settings in their own tables. If a plugin stores data in a table you deliberately do not want changed, target tables explicitly or use the documented skip-table controls rather than guessing.
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Post GUIDs are identifiers, not display URLs. WP-CLI examples show --skip-columns=guid for migrations where GUIDs should remain stable:
wp search-replace 'https://old.example' 'https://new.example' --all-tables --skip-columns=guidUse that choice deliberately. If a particular integration requires GUID changes, document the reason and test feeds and syndication afterward.
Handle multisite deliberately
In multisite, each site has its own URL-related rows and the network has additional domain and path data. Target the specific site URL when cloning one site, and use WP-CLI’s documented network mode only when the entire network is meant to move. A network-wide replacement on a single-site clone can change URLs that belong to other sites.
Why plain SQL editing is risky
A global find-and-replace in a text editor or basic SQL command can change the visible URL while leaving serialized length fields unchanged. The result may be broken widgets, missing theme options, fatal errors, or plugins that silently revert settings. Use WP-CLI or another tool that explicitly supports PHP serialization; never assume that a successful SQL command means the data is valid.
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Refresh rewrites, object caches, and generated files
After replacing URLs, refresh WordPress’s rewrite rules and clear caches on the destination:
wp rewrite flush
wp cache flushVisit Settings → Permalinks and save once if you need a manual confirmation that rewrite rules were regenerated, but do not change the permalink structure during a migration. Also purge any page cache, CDN cache, reverse-proxy cache, PHP opcode cache, or plugin cache that may still contain the old hostname. If the destination uses generated CSS or JavaScript files, regenerate them using that system’s normal control panel or command.
Validate the private clone before changing DNS
Test through the private staging address or a temporary hosts-file mapping. Do not wait for visitors to discover migration errors after the domain points to the new server.
Core page and asset checks
- Open the home page, several recent and older posts, pages, category archives, tag archives, author archives, and paginated views.
- Open representative images, galleries, downloadable files, and video embeds. Confirm that attachment URLs use the destination host and that files return the expected status.
- Inspect page source and browser developer tools for old-host references, HTTP assets on an HTTPS page, missing CSS, JavaScript errors, and requests returning 404 or 403.
- Check menus, widgets, theme customizer values, logos, favicons, background images, and any block patterns that use absolute URLs.
Interactive and account checks
- Submit every important form, including contact, newsletter, search, comments, checkout, and account-registration forms. Verify delivery and the destination of each callback.
- Log in, log out, reset a password, and test an administrator screen. Confirm that cookies are scoped to the destination domain and that no login redirect returns to the old host.
- Run scheduled tasks in a safe manner and verify that cron jobs, queue workers, and transactional email are not sending duplicate production messages.
Search, indexing, and redirects
- Check canonical tags, Open Graph URLs, XML sitemaps, feeds, pagination links, and robots behavior.
- Keep the staging clone non-indexable and access-controlled. A duplicate site can be crawled before launch even when its pages look correct.
- Test redirects from old paths only where they are intentionally configured. A blanket redirect can hide a missing page or create a loop.
- Crawl the clone and compare its 404 list with the source. Investigate every unexpected difference before cutover.
Non-WordPress dependencies
DNS records, CDN rules, web-server redirects, firewall allowlists, email forms, analytics properties, payment callbacks, OAuth applications, webhooks, and external cron services are separate from the WordPress database. Update each one that should use the new host, and decide which must continue to point to production while staging is private.
Cut over the domain safely
- Lower DNS TTL ahead of time when practical. A shorter TTL can make a planned change propagate faster, but cached DNS responses can still remain until their prior TTL expires.
- Freeze final writes. Put the source in maintenance mode or otherwise stop comments, orders, uploads, and other writes that would be lost in the final export.
- Export and import the final database delta. Repeat the backup and import process so the destination includes the last approved changes, then repeat the URL replacement if the final import restored old values.
- Run the validation checklist again. Test the destination while it is still private, including forms, login, media, redirects, canonical tags, and sitemaps.
- Point DNS to the validated destination. Keep the old site available but protected from new writes until traffic confirms the cutover.
- Re-crawl after propagation. Check server logs, error rates, 404s, form deliveries, and cache behavior from real hostnames and networks.
Retain the pre-migration files and database until logs show normal traffic and all important workflows have succeeded. Do not delete the old installation immediately after DNS changes; it is the fastest rollback option if an overlooked dependency fails.
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Only siteurl was changed
Symptom: The dashboard opens at the new address, but content links, images, widgets, or plugin settings still use the old host. Fix: Set both home and siteurl, then run a dry-run and a full serialization-aware replacement across the destination database.
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A text-based SQL replacement damaged settings
Symptom: Theme customizer values disappear, widgets reset, or a plugin throws errors after the replacement. Fix: Restore the pre-replacement database backup and rerun the change with WP-CLI or another serialization-aware tool. Do not attempt to repair serialized length fields by hand unless you fully understand the stored structure.
Pages work, but pretty permalinks return 404
Symptom: The front page loads while posts and pages fail. Fix: Verify the document root and web-server rewrite configuration, then run wp rewrite flush. Confirm that the destination can write its rewrite rules or that equivalent server rules have been installed.
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The database is correct, but visitors see old content
Symptom: A private test shows the new URL, while public requests return old pages or old assets. Fix: Purge page, object, CDN, reverse-proxy, and opcode caches; check DNS and proxy routing; then test again in a clean browser session.
Staging pages appear in search results
Symptom: Search engines discover duplicate URLs before launch. Fix: Restore access control, use an appropriate no-index strategy while private, remove accidental sitemap exposure, and request removal only after the clone is secured. Do not rely on robots rules alone to protect sensitive staging content.
Forms or webhooks still use production
Symptom: A staging form sends real email, creates production records, or receives callbacks at the old host. Fix: Audit hard-coded endpoints and external services separately from the WordPress URL replacement. Use test credentials and test destinations on staging, and switch to production endpoints only during the approved cutover.
Choose a workflow you can repeat
WP-CLI for scripted migrations
WP-CLI is the most transparent option when you have shell access. Its documented database export/import commands and search-and-replace operation can be placed in a runbook or deployment script, with a dry run required before every replacement. Record the source URL, destination URL, table scope, GUID policy, backup filename, and validation results for each move.
A migration plugin for teams without shell access
A reputable WordPress migration plugin can package files, export the database, and perform a find-and-replace through an administrative interface. Confirm that the current version handles serialized data, multisite if needed, large uploads, and destination authentication. Still keep an independent database and file backup; a plugin does not remove the need for rollback.
Managed WordPress staging
Managed hosting can bundle staging environments, backups, access control, and migration assistance. Verify the provider’s current limits, PHP versions, database size limits, cache behavior, and whether staging can be kept private. Features and terms change, so confirm them for the specific account and date of the move rather than assuming every plan behaves alike.
A compact pre-cutover checklist
- Source files,
wp-content, and database exported and stored safely. - Destination PHP, database, document root, and permissions verified.
- Staging protected from public access and search indexing.
homeandsiteurlset to the exact destination URL.- WP-CLI dry run reviewed, then serialization-safe replacement completed.
- GUID policy and multisite scope explicitly chosen.
- Rewrite rules and object/page caches flushed.
- Representative content, media, CSS/JS, forms, search, login, redirects, canonicals, sitemaps, and robots behavior tested.
- DNS, CDN, web-server rules, cron, email, analytics, and webhooks reviewed.
- Final backup retained and rollback owner identified before DNS changes.
The WP-CLI common-tasks documentation lists its page as first published March 17, 2026, and last updated October 14, 2026; command behavior and options can change, so check the installed WP-CLI version and its current command help before automating a production move.
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