How to Migrate a WordPress Website to a New Domain for Free Without Hassle

Migrating a WordPress website to a new domain is often considered a complex, risky process that requires additional costs. Many website owners worry about losing data, breaking the design, or encountering errors after the migration is completed.

However, with the right approach, proper steps, and suitable tools, WordPress migration can be done safely, quickly, and even for free.

This article will discuss complete steps to migrate a WordPress website to a new domain at no cost, without file size limitations, and without requiring advanced technical skills.

This method is ideal for online store owners, professional bloggers, and business websites that want to change domains while maintaining all content and configurations.

There are various reasons why website owners decide to migrate their WordPress sites to a new domain. One of the most common reasons is business rebranding, where the old domain name is no longer relevant to the current brand identity.

In addition, migration is often carried out due to changes in marketing strategies, the acquisition of a shorter and more professional domain, or to increase business credibility.

On the other hand, migrating to a new domain also allows website owners to develop new projects without having to build a website from scratch.

By duplicating the entire existing system, development time and costs can be significantly reduced.

Before starting the migration process, there are several important preparation steps that need to be completed. First, ensure that the existing WordPress website is functioning properly and does not have major errors. This helps ensure a stable migration result with minimal issues.

Second, prepare the new domain with a clean WordPress installation. The destination domain must already have WordPress installed so the data import process can run smoothly.

Additionally, make sure you have administrator access to both websites, the old website and the new one.

Free WordPress Migration Plugin

One of the most popular and reliable plugins for WordPress migration is All in One WP Migration.

This plugin allows users to export the entire website, including the database, media files, themes, plugins, and settings, with just a few clicks.

Its main advantage lies in the ease of creating a complete website copy without requiring server configuration or complex technical adjustments. Even large websites can be migrated using the right method.

Steps to Export the Existing WordPress Website

The first step in the migration process is exporting the existing WordPress website. After accessing the WordPress dashboard, go to the Plugins menu and select Add New Plugin.

Search for the All in One WP Migration plugin, then install and activate it. Once activated, go to All in One WP Migration → Export. Click the Export To button and select the File option.

The plugin will begin archiving all website components, including the database, images, content, themes, and plugins. This process may take some time depending on the website size.

Once the export process is complete, the backup file will automatically be saved to your computer. This file will later be used to restore the website on the new domain.

Preparing the New WordPress Website

Before importing the exported file, it is highly recommended to clean the WordPress installation on the new domain. This step helps prevent data or display conflicts.

Log in to the new WordPress dashboard, then delete all default posts and pages. After that, empty the trash.

Next, go to the Appearance menu and remove all unnecessary themes. The migration plugin only overwrites data and does not automatically delete old themes, so manual cleanup is strongly recommended.

Importing the Website to the New Domain

After the new website is clean, reinstall the All in One WP Migration plugin. This time, use the Import feature instead of Export.

If your website size is under 300MB, you can import the file directly using drag and drop. However, for larger websites, WordPress has a default upload size limitation.

To overcome this limitation, you can use an additional extension from All in One WP Migration that allows importing files up to tens of gigabytes for free.

Once the extension is installed, open the Import menu and upload the backup file from the old website. The system will display a warning that all existing website data will be overwritten. Click Proceed to continue.

Restoration Process and Final Adjustments

After the import is complete, the old website will be fully restored on the new domain. All content, images, plugins, themes, colors, logos, and favicon will appear exactly the same as before.

The next step is to resave the permalink structure. Go to Settings → Permalinks, select the Post Name option, and save the changes. Perform this step twice to ensure all URLs function properly.

If the layout appears misaligned after migration, you can open the Customizer menu of the active theme.

Simply change one display setting, save it, then revert it back. This method is usually effective for refreshing the cache and fixing layout issues.

Cleaning Up the Migration Plugin

Once the migration process is successful and the new website is running normally, the final step is to remove the migration plugin.

Go to the Plugins menu, deactivate the All in One WP Migration plugin, and then delete it. This step is important for maintaining website security and performance.

This migration method offers several key advantages. First, the process is completely free and does not depend on any specific hosting provider.

Second, all website data is transferred entirely without losing important configurations. Third, this method is very beginner-friendly, as it does not require server access or advanced technical knowledge.

In addition, this method is highly efficient for large websites, including online stores with thousands of products and media files.

Migrating a WordPress website to a new domain is no longer a daunting task. With the right plugin and systematic steps, you can move your website safely, quickly, and without additional costs.

Through this guide, you can ensure that your WordPress website continues to run optimally on the new domain, complete with all content, design, and functionality exactly as before.

However, if you are still unsure about doing it yourself, don’t worry. Indonesian WordPress Developers are ready to help you migrate your website quickly and professionally. This way, you can focus on growing your business and digital strategy without being disrupted by technical migration issues.

That concludes the article on How to Migrate a WordPress Website for Free shared by Mangcoding. Hopefully, this article is useful and provides new insights for you. If you have constructive feedback or suggestions, feel free to leave a comment or contact us via Email or Mangcoding’s social media.