Moving a website to Domain India from another host comes down to three jobs: copy the files, copy the database, then point the domain at the new server. Done in the right order, your visitors never see a broken site. This guide walks you through a self-migration to Domain India shared hosting, step by step.
Set up your Domain India hosting first. Then download your files and export your database from the old host, upload the files and import the database into the new account, and update your site's config file with the new database details. Test on the new server before you change DNS, then point the domain at your hosting with the nameservers or A record shown in your client area. Keep the old hosting running until everything, including email, works. If you would like our team to help with the move, ask support.
1. Before you start
.htaccess rules or redirects.2. Set up your Domain India hosting
Order the plan that fits your site (see section 8), with the same domain name. Most accounts are created automatically within a couple of minutes of payment. Then open your hosting services, click Manage and open the Access tab: it shows your control panel username, server IP address and panel URL. You will need the server IP to test the site before switching DNS.
In your new control panel, set the PHP version to the one your site used on the old host, or a newer one your site supports. Check your control panel for the versions available.
3. Copy your files
- Download from the old host.Compress your website folder in the old host's file manager and download the archive, or download the folder with an FTP client such as FileZilla. Include hidden files such as
.htaccess. - Upload to Domain India.For your main domain, the files go in
public_html. Upload the archive with the File Manager and use Extract, which is much faster than uploading thousands of small files. See how to use the File Manager and FTP settings. - Delete the archivefrom the server once it is extracted.
4. Copy your database
- Export from the old host.In phpMyAdmin, select the database, choose Export, and save the
.sqlfile. See how to back up a MySQL database using phpMyAdmin. - Create a new database and user.In your Domain India control panel, create a database and a database user, and give the user all privileges on the database. On cPanel and DirectAdmin, the names start with your account username and an underscore.
- Import.Open phpMyAdmin in your new control panel, select the new database, choose Import and upload the
.sqlfile. On our cPanel servers phpMyAdmin accepts files up to 50 MB; compress a larger export to.sql.gz, and if it is still too large, ask support. - Update your config file.Put the new database name, user, password and host into your application's settings, for example
DB_NAME,DB_USER,DB_PASSWORDandDB_HOSTin WordPress'swp-config.php. The host is normallylocalhost.
Details and connection examples are in how to connect to the MySQL database.
5. Test before you change DNS
Your domain still points to the old host, so test the new copy directly. Add one line to your computer's hosts file, using the server IP from your Access tab:
203.0.113.10 yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.comThe file is C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts on Windows (edit it as administrator) and /etc/hosts on macOS and Linux. Replace the example IP with yours. Now your browser opens the site from Domain India while everyone else still sees the old host.
Check the home page, a few inner pages, forms, logins, images and any shop checkout. Browsers may warn about the certificate at this stage, because the free SSL certificate is issued only once the domain points to the new server. When you are done, remove the line from the hosts file.
6. Point your domain at Domain India
When the site works, change the domain's DNS where it is registered:
- Nameservers: set the domain to the hosting nameservers shown on your hosting service in the client area. This moves the whole DNS zone, including email, to Domain India.
- A record: if you want to keep DNS where it is, change the domain's A record (and
www) to your server IP instead.
The full method is in how do I change my nameservers. DNS changes can take several hours to reach every network, so leave the old hosting running meanwhile. Moving the domain registration itself to Domain India is a separate, optional step; see transferring a domain to Domain India.
Keep the old account until the site and email have worked from Domain India for a few days. It is your fallback, and it still holds any email that arrived before DNS changed.
7. After the move
- Email: create the same mailboxes and forwarders in your new control panel. To bring old messages across, add both the old and new accounts to an email program over IMAP and drag the folders across. Webmail addresses are in how to log in to webmail.
- SSL: once DNS points to the new server, open
https://yourdomain.comand check there is no certificate warning. - Cron jobs: recreate any scheduled tasks from the old host.
- A changed address: if the site's URL is also changing, follow moving a WordPress site from one URL to another.
- Backups: once live, your site is covered by the weekly backups on your plan; keep your own copy of the migrated site too.
8. Where Domain India fits
cPanel and DirectAdmin shared hosting suit most WordPress and PHP sites being moved from another host. Prices on the cards are live and exclude 18% GST.
- 25 GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 1 Website
- 10 Email Accounts
- 10 GB NVMe SSD Storage
- 50 GB Monthly Bandwidth
- 1 Website
- 5 Email Accounts
Not sure whether your site fits, or want our team to help with the move? Ask support before you order.
Frequently asked questions
How do I move my website to Domain India?
Set up your Domain India hosting, download your files and export your database from the old host, upload the files and import the database into the new account, and update the database details in your site's config file. Test the site through your hosts file, then point your domain at the new hosting.
Will my website go down during the migration?
It should not, if you keep the old hosting running until DNS has changed everywhere. Visitors keep seeing the old copy until their network picks up the new DNS, then they see the new one.
My database export is too large for phpMyAdmin. What can I do?
On Domain India cPanel servers, phpMyAdmin imports files up to 50 MB. Compress the export to .sql.gz to make it smaller, and if it is still too large, ask support for help with the import.
How do I test my site before changing DNS?
Add a line to your computer's hosts file with your Domain India server IP followed by your domain name. Your browser then loads the site from the new server while everyone else still sees the old host. Remove the line when you have finished testing.
Does Domain India migrate websites for me?
Ask support before you order. Tell them your current host, control panel and site size, and they will tell you what help is available for your move.
Do I need to transfer my domain to Domain India too?
No. You can keep the domain where it is registered and just point it at your Domain India hosting with nameservers or an A record. Transferring the registration is a separate, optional step.
Ready to move? Compare cPanel hosting and DirectAdmin hosting, or open a support ticket with your questions before you start.
Tell us your current host, control panel and site size, and we will help you plan the migration.
Ask support