Migrate Website

Move an existing website to Hostinger by submitting a migration request in hPanel with credentials or a backup, plus supported formats and next steps.

Move an existing site to Hostinger. You submit a migration request from hPanel — with credentials or a backup — and the transfer runs from there.

Before you start

• The source site must be self-hosted on an open-source CMS or a compatible platform. WordPress.com and WordPress multisite are not supported by the automated flow — those need a manual export.

• On the source account, disable two-factor authentication and any anti-bot verification before submitting. The migration team can't sign in past those.

• Make sure your destination plan has enough resources (storage, databases) for the source site.

Where to start in hPanel

Two equivalent entry points:

• Websites → Add Website → Migrate Website

• Home → dropdown under Websites → Migrations

Both lead to the same flow. Track in-flight requests under Migrations.

Pick your path

Source	Method	What you provide
WordPress (online, self-hosted, single-site)	WordPress admin login	Source domain + WordPress admin username and password
WordPress (offline, or you'd rather upload)	Upload backup	Site files archive + .sql database export
cPanel / WHM	cPanel and WHM	cPanel login URL + admin credentials
Anything else (non-WordPress, non-cPanel)	Upload backup	Site files archive + .sql database export
Node.js application	Node.js Application	App source as a .zip archive

The flow also asks where the site should land — the target website slot and datacenter — and runs a requirements check before submitting. After you submit, the request enters the migration queue and Hostinger's migration team handles the transfer. You'll be notified once it's ready for DNS switchover.

Note: A small number of source platforms can't be migrated automatically and are rejected at submission — upload a backup instead for those.

Supported backup formats

• Website files: .zip, .tar, .tar.gz, .tgz, .7z, .gz

• Database: .sql export

For databases, the .sql file should be a full export — schema and data — produced by mysqldump, phpMyAdmin Export → Quick → SQL, or your CMS's built-in export tool.

After migration completes

1. Test the site on Hostinger before pointing DNS. Use the temporary preview URL Hostinger assigns, or the SkipDNS tool against your hosting IP, to confirm the site loads correctly.

2. Point your domain to Hostinger — see Connecting a Domain.

3. Wait for DNS to propagate (usually a few hours, up to 24–48).

4. Enable SSL on the connected domain.

5. Some hPanel WordPress tools are temporarily disabled during migration and re-enable automatically once the transfer finishes — no action needed.

Troubleshooting

Site loads but internal links still point to the old domain For WordPress, run a search-and-replace against the database: wp search-replace 'old-domain.com' 'new-domain.com'. For other apps, update the relevant value in the config file or settings table.

Emails not migrating Email is not part of website migration. Set up mailboxes separately on Hostinger, then use Email Import to copy mailbox contents from your previous provider over IMAP.

Migration request rejected or stuck Check that 2FA and anti-bot verification are off on the source, and that the credentials you provided still work. If the issue persists, reply on the migration request in hPanel to reach the team.

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Last updated: July 22, 2026