How to Migrate WordPress to Cloudways Without Losing Data

Moving your WordPress site to Cloudways can give you faster load times, better scalability, and a simpler hosting experience. This guide walks you through a safe migration that preserves every post, page, media file, plugin setting, and user account. You’ll use a plugin to automate the heavy lifting, then verify your data before switching your domain.

What You’ll Need

Access to your current WordPress admin dashboard (wp-admin).
Your current hosting control panel or FTP credentials (for backups, if needed).
A Cloudways account with a new server and a fresh WordPress application already installed.
The ability to change DNS nameservers at your domain registrar (for the final cutover).

Step-by-Step

Prepare your Cloudways server. Log into Cloudways, create a new server (choose your preferred provider and location), then launch a WordPress application on it. Note the public IP address and the temporary application URL (e.g., http://your-app-ip).
Install a migration plugin on both sites. In your old site’s admin, go to Plugins â†’ Add New and search for “All-in-One WP Migration”. Install and activate it. Repeat the same on your new Cloudways WordPress site.
Export your old site. On the old site, go to All-in-One WP Migration â†’ Export. Choose “Export to File”. The plugin will package your database, media, plugins, and themes into a single file. If your site is large, the plugin may split it into multiple files (e.g., .part1, .part2). Download all parts to your computer.
Import the file into Cloudways. On the new site, go to All-in-One WP Migration â†’ Import. Upload the file you just downloaded. If you have multiple parts, upload the first one; the plugin will automatically ask for the next parts. Wait for the import to complete. This may take a few minutes.
Update the site URL (if needed). After import, the plugin will usually update the URLs to match the new domain. If not, go to Settings â†’ General and ensure both “WordPress Address” and “Site Address” are set to your final domain (e.g., https://www.yourdomain.com). Do not save yet if you’re not ready to go live.
Test the new site. Before changing DNS, you can preview the migrated site by using the temporary URL provided by Cloudways. Log in to the new site’s admin (your old login credentials should work) and check a few pages, posts, images, and plugins. If something is missing, you can re-import or fix it now.
Point your domain to Cloudways. In Cloudways, go to your application’s Domain Management section and add your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com and www.yourdomain.com). Then, at your domain registrar, change the nameservers to the ones provided by Cloudways (or update the A record to your server’s IP). DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate.
Update the site URL (final). Once DNS has propagated, visit your domain. If the site loads correctly, go to Settings â†’ General and confirm the URLs are correct. Save the changes. Log out and log back in.
Verify everything. Check your site thoroughly: click through pages, test forms, check images, and log in to the admin. Also verify that your old hosting is still working (don’t cancel it yet) and that no data is missing.
Cancel old hosting (optional). After a few days of stable operation, you can cancel your old hosting plan. Keep a backup of the old site just in case.

Common Mistakes

Not updating the site URL after import. This can cause the site to redirect to the old domain, making it appear broken. Always check the General Settings.
Changing DNS before testing. If you switch your domain before verifying the new site works, you risk downtime. Always test via the temporary URL first.
Forgetting to add the domain in Cloudways. If you don’t add your domain to the application, Cloudways won’t serve it correctly.
Using an outdated migration plugin. Ensure you have the latest version of the plugin on both sites to avoid compatibility issues.
Skipping the backup. Always have a full backup of your old site before starting. The migration plugin can fail, and you need a fallback.

Tips

If your site is very large (over 2 GB), consider using the “All-in-One WP Migration” premium extension that supports larger uploads, or use a different method like a manual migration via phpMyAdmin and FTP.
During the import, do not close the browser tab. Interrupting the process can corrupt the new site.
After migration, clear any caching plugins (like WP Super Cache or W3 Total Cache) on the new site to avoid serving stale data.
If you use a custom domain for email (e.g., mail.yourdomain.com), update the MX records at your registrar to point to your email provider, not Cloudways.
Consider using Cloudways’ staging environment to test the migrated site before making it live.

Troubleshooting

Import fails with a timeout or memory error. Increase the PHP memory limit in Cloudways (Platform â†’ Settings â†’ PHP Settings) to at least 256M. Also, try increasing the max execution time to 300 seconds.

The site loads but shows the old domain. This usually means the URL is still hardcoded in the database. Use a plugin like “Better Search Replace” to replace all instances of the old domain with the new one. Be careful to include both http:// and https:// versions.

After DNS change, the site doesn’t load. Wait a few hours for propagation. If it still doesn’t load, check that you added the domain in Cloudways and that your nameservers are correct. You can use a tool like whatsmydns.net to see the global propagation status.

Login redirects back to the old site. This is a URL issue. Access the new site’s admin via the temporary URL, then update the site URL in the database using phpMyAdmin (Cloudways provides phpMyAdmin access). Look in the wp_options table for siteurl and home.

Images are broken after import. This often happens if the file permissions are wrong. In Cloudways, go to the application’s Settings â†’ General and ensure the file permissions are set to 644 for files and 755 for directories. You can also re-upload the media via the Media Library.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Do I need to manually move my database?
A: No, the All-in-One WP Migration plugin handles both the database and files automatically. You just export and import.

Q: Will my login credentials work on the new site?
A: Yes, the migration copies all user accounts and passwords. You can log in with your existing username and password.

Q: How long does the migration take?
A: It depends on your site’s size and server speed. A typical site (under 1 GB) can be migrated in 10-30 minutes, not counting DNS propagation.

Q: Can I migrate from a localhost (like XAMPP) to Cloudways?
A: Yes, the same plugin works. Just export from your local WordPress and import to Cloudways. Ensure your local site is accessible (e.g., via localhost).

Q: What if my site is larger than the plugin’s free upload limit?
A: The free version has a 512 MB upload limit. You can either purchase the paid extension or use a different method like a manual migration with FTP and phpMyAdmin.

Q: Do I need to keep my old hosting after migration?
A: It’s recommended to keep it for at least a week after the DNS switch. This gives you time to verify everything and provides a fallback.

Method: the standard formula for this calculation, rounded as each result states. See how the calculators work or report an error.

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