In this article, we will show you how you can easily migrate your website from one cPanel account to another cPanel account yourself. The most common case in which you will need to perform this process is when transferring your website from one hosting provider to another.
We offer you a free migration of your website and compensation for the remaining prepaid time.
Step 1: Backup the Website Files
When you transfer a website, you can transfer an identical copy of the files and the database of the current Control Panel (cPanel) to the new one. This is easily done via the cPanel, File Manager menu, by archiving the main directory of the website (Document Root). If you do not know what this directory is, you can find it out under cPanel → Domains.
After you have selected the name of the directory in the "Root directory" column, your file manager is opened and the document root directory is loaded.
Watch our video to see how you can back up files.
Step 2: Back up the Website Database.
A backup (also known as a "dump" of databases) is created via phpMyAdmin. phpMyAdmin is a separate application specifically designed to make working with databases easier.
To create a backup, you first need to be sure which database your website is using. The easiest way to check this is to open the configuration file where this information is stored from the root directory of the website (we explained how to get there above).
The file itself may have a different name and be in a different location, depending on how your website is structured and which system it uses. In our video, we used the WordPress CMS system to demonstrate database archiving, one of the most commonly used content management systems on a website. Its configuration file is called wp-config.php.
Once you know which database your website uses, go to cPanel → phpMyAdmin to perform a database dump. Select from the list of databases:
the instance you want → Export → Quick - display only the minimal options → Go and choose where you want to save the database archive on your computer.
Watch the step in our video
Step 3: Upload the Website to the New Location.
To upload your website to the new server, you need to log in to your new cPanel account. You can do this using your hosting account details when activating the order or by logging in:
Your customer area → Services → My Services → select your hosting → select the “Login to cPanel" option in the "Quick Links" menu
Video: Uploading the website to a new location
From the cPanel, call up the file manager or open the main directory of the website via the Domains menu and upload the archive that you have previously created with the website files. Files are uploaded to the cPanel file manager using the “Upload” button in the top toolbar of the file manager.
Once you have uploaded the archive, search for it in the list of files and directories and extract it by right-clicking on the file and selecting Extract. The archive will be expanded in the form of a directory.
It is important to note that if the archive directory already exists on the hosting, this directory will be overwritten with the new archive information.
Step 4: Create, Populate, and Configure the New Cpanel Database for the Website.
The next step is to create a database to be used by the website. Note that the database name in cPanel consists of 2 parts in the following format: “username_dbname”.
The first part “username_” - is called the prefix and consists of the username of the cPanel user and cannot be changed in the cPanel account.
The second part “dbname” - is the name of the database and must comply with the standards for MySQL database names integrated in cPanel.
Usernames for the database are also divided into 2 parts - “username_username”. The rules for them are identical to those for the databases themselves.
In our practice, during such a migration, we create the database with the name, user, and password for the user and then only change the prefix in the website configuration file.
The database is created by:
cPanel → MYSQL Databases.
On this page, a database is created, users for the database are created and users are assigned who give the attached database the corresponding authorizations.
Watch our video to see how to make the final changes
After you have performed these actions, you need to update the data for the new database in the site configuration file and save the changes with the "SAVE CHANGES" button in the upper right corner of the screen.
Then we return to cPanel and open:
phpMyAdmin → select the newly created database → select “Import” → select the database archive we downloaded earlier → Go
Watch the specific action in the video
If you receive an error message that the file you are uploading is too large, we recommend that you upload it to the root directory of your hosting via the file manager. You can then contact us at support@jump.bg and specify in which database you would like to store this archive. We will take care of this part for you.
Step 5: Use the Hosts File to Check Whether the Website Is Working Correctly.
After you have uploaded the files and the database to the new cPanel, you must check that everything is working correctly. The quickest and easiest way to do this is to redirect the domain name to the new IP address that is only local to your device. This is done by adding a new line in the host file of your operating system. The entry itself looks like this:
<IP address of server> <domainname.tld> <www.domainname.tld>
79.98.104.180 jumptestsite.com www.jumptestsite.com
This file is located in a different location in different operating systems:
- Under Windows:
Open a text editor of your choice (e.g. NotePad, NotePad++, or other) as administrator (right-click on the application icon and select Run as administrator). Once you have opened the editor, select the option Files → Open → Open the hosts file located in the following directory
C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\
In the last line, add the desired entry and save the changes (separate video)
- Under Linux/MacOS:
On Linux/MacOS:
Commence a terminal session → Access the /etc/hosts file as a privileged user via a preferred text editor (vi, vim, nano, etc.) → Append the required entry to the final line of the document.
For a step-by-step guide, refer to the video.
Once you have made the correct entries in the host file, you can open your website in the browser and ensure that the website is loaded from the new location. You can open the developer tool (press the F12 key on your keyboard) and reload the page by pressing the F5 key. Next, open the Network tab of the developer tool and select the first query, which is usually your domain name.
In the field
Headers → General → Remote Address
you can see from which IP address the page itself is loaded. If the address matches the one you specified in the host file, you can proceed with the check by testing all functionalities and internal pages of your website to see if they load correctly. If the address does not match, you can test whether the page is loaded via your browser's incognito mode to avoid the accumulated browser cache.
See the video on how to do all this on Linux/MacOS
Step 6: Change the NS Servers for the Domain.
Once you have made sure that everything is working correctly on the new server, you need to redirect the domain name to the new cPanel account. This is done by placing the NS servers that we sent you when you activated the hosting account for your domain. If your domain name was registered/transferred with us, you can change the NS servers from here:
Your customer area → Domains → My domains → Select the desired domain → Select “DNS server" in the administration area
On the new page, you can enter the relevant NS entries in the appropriate places and select "Change DNS server".
Watch the video on how to change the NS servers of domains
If your domain name is not with us, you can place these NS records with your registry.
After you have successfully changed the NS entries, the DNS propagation of the new entries begins. This process takes between a few hours and 72 hours on a global level. You can monitor the DNS propagation history of the records with an online tool by typing DNS checker into Google and selecting one of the suggestions.
Initially, you will see that some locations show the new address and the new NS records, while others still have the old records. If only the new entries are visible everywhere, this means that the DNS propagation is complete and you can remove the entry in the host file.
If your topic is interesting, we may consider other methods of transferring websites and email accounts in the future. You can also contact us to transfer your account. For transfers we perform, we can provide you with a report on how your website performed before and how it performed after the transfer.
Learn how to uninstall WordPress from cPanel in our detailed tutorial.
Frequent Cases After Migration:
- Invalid SSL Certificate - The solution is to remove the current certificate from the old hosting and transfer it to the new one. You can find the certificate under cPanel → SSL/TLS → Manage SSL for a site → Search for the corresponding domain and select "Use the certificate for another domain". This will load the certificate, the private key, and the CA bundle certificate in text form. Copy each part and paste it in the same menu and the same place in the new cPanel and select “Install SSL certificate”. Here's a guide on enabling SSL on WordPress.
- Wrong PHP Version - You log in to the old cPanel and look for one of the menus MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version, depending on how your cPanel is set up. Then switch from the new cPanel → Select the PHP version to the version specified in the old account.
- Deactivated PHP Modules - You log in to the old cPanel and search for one of the menus MultiPHP Manager or Select PHP Version, depending on how the respective cPanel is set up, and see which modules are activated. Then activate these modules on the new server via cPanel → Select PHP version.
- Different PHP.INI Limits - you go into the old cPanel and find one of the following menus MultiPHP INI Editor / Select PHP Version → Options, depending on how the particular cPanel is set up, and see what values are set for the different directives for your PHP. Then enter the same values for the corresponding directives under cPanel → Select PHP version → Options on the new server.
If you have any other problems that you cannot solve yourself, you can contact us at any time!
We offer our customers a free migration of their website to Hostingjump.com.
