Migrating your WordPress website to Cloudways is simple, reliable, and completely free—no matter how many sites you move.
The Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin makes transferring your website from any hosting provider to Cloudways effortless, with no technical hassle or extra cost.
In this step-by-step guide, you’ll learn how to migrate your WordPress or WooCommerce site to Cloudways using the free Cloudways Migrator Plugin.
Whether you’re on Cloudways Flexible or Cloudways Autoscale, this tutorial will help you move your website quickly and securely.
Let’s get started with your hassle-free migration to Cloudways.
Table of Contents:
How to Use Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin?
The Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin offers a simple, automated way to move your site to Cloudways. It ensures a smooth, worry-free transfer of your WordPress or WooCommerce website from any hosting provider.
Video Tutorial
Prerequisites:
Before you start migrating your website to Cloudways, make sure you have the following:
An active Cloudways account.
Administrator access to your existing WordPress website on your current hosting provider.
First of all, please select your platform:
Note:
WordPress Multisite is currently supported only on Cloudways Flexible. It is not available on Cloudways Autonomous.
Cloudways Flexible
Step #1 — Launch a WordPress Application on Cloudways:
Create a WordPress application on the Cloudways Platform. This will act as the destination for your migrated website.
You can deploy the new application on a new server or an existing server, depending on your setup.
Step #2 — Access Your Destination Application’s Admin Panel:
Once your destination WordPress application is set up on Cloudways, you’ll need to access its admin panel to verify that it’s ready for migration and to retrieve any credentials you might need for the plugin.
Here’s how to do it:
Go to your Cloudways Platform and select the server where your destination application is deployed.
Click on the Applications tab to view your list of applications.
Choose the destination application you created for the migration (in this example, it’s named “Destination”).
In the Access Details section, locate the Admin Panel URL.
This is the direct link to your WordPress dashboard on Cloudways.
Click the external link icon next to the Admin Panel URL to open your WordPress login page. (As shown in the screenshot above.)
Use the provided Username and Password to log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
Once logged in, make sure your site is ready to receive the migration and confirm that the WordPress installation is working properly.
Step #3 — Install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin:
Now you’ll install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin on your existing WordPress site (the one hosted with your current provider). This plugin will handle the entire migration process for you.
Access your source WordPress site’s admin panel (the site you want to migrate).
If needed, refer back to Step #2 for guidance on accessing the WordPress dashboard.
Log in using your administrator credentials (Image 1).
From the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins > Add New (Image 2).
Search for Cloudways WordPress Migrator in the plugin repository (Image 3).
Click Install Now (Image 3), and then Activate the plugin once the installation is complete (Image 4).
Step #4 — Initiate the Migration:
Now it’s time to start the migration using the plugin’s wizard.
Fill in the required details to begin:
Email Address: Enter your email to receive migration updates.
Agree to Terms: Check the box to accept the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.
Once everything is filled in, click Migrate to start the transfer to Cloudways.
Platform: Select Cloudways Flexible or Cloudways Autonomous, depending on your plan. (In this case, we will select Cloudways Flexible)
Destination Site URL: Enter the URL of the application you created on Cloudways in Step #1.
SFTP Host/Server Address: Use your Cloudways server’s IP address.
Database Name: Enter the database name for your Cloudways application.
Tip:
You can review this section to get application information.
SFTP Username: Enter your Master Username from Cloudways.
SFTP Password: Enter your Master User Password.
HTTP Auth Enabled?
Select No if your Cloudways application isn’t password-protected.
Select Yes if it is restricted, and enter the required username and password.
Any Root Directories You Want to Migrate?
Choose Yes to include any custom, non-WordPress directories in public_html.
Choose No to exclude them.
Migrate Additional Database Tables
Select Yes if you want to include extra database tables and mark them as needed.
Select No if you don’t.
Is This Site Protected?
Select No if your current (source) WordPress site isn’t password-protected.
Select Yes if it is, and provide the necessary credentials.
Once all fields are complete, click Migrate to start the process.
Tip: You can find your SFTP credentials in the Access Details section of your Cloudways dashboard.
How to Find Application Information?
To find your application information, follow these steps:
From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Then, choose the server where your desired application is deployed.
Next, click www.
Choose your application’s name. (In this case ‘Blog’ previously ‘Test Server’)
Under Application Details, you will find your (4) Destination Application URL.
Under SSH/SFTP, you will find your (5) SFTP Host/Server Address (IP address).
Under Database, you will find your (6) Database Name.
How to Find SFTP-Related Information?
To find SFTP username and password, follow these steps:
From the top menu bar, open Servers.
Then, choose and click the server where your desired application is deployed.
That’s it! The migration has successfully begun. The time required depends on the size of the data being migrated.
Step #5 — Test Your Migrated Site
Test Your Site: Click Go to Cloudways in the plugin, or visit your Cloudways-hosted application directly to review your migrated site.
WP-Admin Credentials: Your new WordPress admin credentials will be generated automatically and can be found in the Cloudways Platform under Access Details.
More Information: Learn more about accessing your Cloudways admin credentials here.
Tips:
Having trouble viewing your site? Try purging the Varnish cache from your Cloudways Platform to see the latest version.
Prefer not to handle the migration yourself? You can request a Managed Application Migration. Our cloud experts will move your site for you. Every Cloudways account includes one free managed migration.
You can follow this checklist to take your website online from Cloudways.
Instructions for WordPress Multisite Migration
If the website you are migrating is a WordPress Multisite Network, please perform the following additional steps on your Cloudways destination application before starting the migration in Step # 4.
Step #1 - Enable Multisite Mode on Cloudways
Before Cloudways can accept a network of sites, the destination application must be configured to match your source site's structure.
Log in to the Cloudways Platform.
Go to Applications and select your destination application.
Under Application Management, click on Application Settings.
In the WordPress tab, locate WordPress Multisite and enable it.
A pop-up will appear (as seen in the screenshot). Choose the configuration that matches your source site:
Subdomain: Choose this if your sites look like site1.yourdomain.com.
Subdirectory: Choose this if your sites look like yourdomain.com/site1.
Click Proceed.
Important:
Enabling WordPress Multisite is a permanent action on this application. Ensure you select the correct structure (Subdomain vs. Subdirectory) before clicking Proceed, as this cannot be reverted later.
Step #2 - Configure the Primary Domain
Configuring the Primary Domain of your WordPress Multisite Network as the primary under Domain Management ensures that the migration plugin does not update other domains within the network during the transfer.
In the same Application menu, go to Domain Management.
Click Add Domain and enter the Primary Domain of your Multisite network (e.g., yourdomain.com).
Once added, click the three dots (...) next to the domain and select Make Primary.
You may also follow our comprehensive step-by-step guide to add your Domain Name to the application here.
Updated Details for Step #4 (Multisite)
When you reach Step #4 (Initiate the Migration) in the plugin wizard, ensure you use the following values:
Destination Site URL: Enter the Primary Domain you just set in Step B (e.g., https://yourdomain.com), rather than the temporary Cloudways URL.
SFTP/Database Details: These remain the same as a standard migration.
Migrate additional database tables: Set this option to Yes to ensure that all tables within your WordPress Multisite Network are transferred correctly.
Note: Once this option is set to Yes, please make sure to select all the tables so the Migrator plugin includes everything during the migration.
Step #5 - Testing Your Site via Localhost (Hosts File)
Once the migration is done, test your site locally using your hosts file. This lets you check everything works before you change your live DNS settings. You can find a simple guide on how to do this here.
Which Stack to choose?
Cloudways supports two web stacks:
Hybrid Stack
The Hybrid Stack uses NGINX and Apache together. This stack supports .htaccess files, which are commonly used by WordPress websites to manage redirects, permalink rules, access restrictions, security rules, caching behavior, and some plugin-based configurations.
Lightning Stack
The Lightning Stack uses NGINX only. It is designed for better performance, but it does not support .htaccess files. If your website depends on .htaccess rules, some features may not work as expected after migration.
This is especially important for WordPress Multisite migrations. Some multisite setups, particularly subdirectory-based networks, rely on .htaccess rules to route subsites correctly. If you migrate this type of website to the Lightning Stack, the multisite may not work as expected unless the required rules are configured another way.
Single WordPress sites can also be affected if they use .htaccess for custom redirects, rewrite rules, plugin settings, security restrictions, or other custom functionality.
Recommendation:
If your existing WordPress site or multisite uses .htaccess rules, choose the Hybrid Stack before starting the migration. If your site does not depend on .htaccess and you want a performance-focused setup, you can use the Lightning Stack.
Cloudways Autonomous
Step #1 — Launch an Application on Cloudways:
You’ll need to launch a WordPress application on the Cloudways Platform, which will serve as the destination for your migrated website.
To do this, make sure you’re subscribed to a Cloudways Autonomous plan. In this example, we created a WordPress application called “Destination” to receive and test the migrated site.
Step #2 — Install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin:
Now, install the Cloudways WordPress Migrator Plugin on your existing WordPress site (the one hosted with your current provider).
Go to your WordPress admin panel and log in with your credentials. (Image 1)
Navigate to Plugins > Add New. (Image 2)
Search for Cloudways WordPress Migrator. (Image 3)
Click Install Now, then Activate the plugin. (Image 3 and 4)
After activating the plugin, the migration wizard will automatically open so you can enter the required details to begin the migration.
If you close it or don’t fill it out immediately, you can easily access it later by clicking Cloudways Migrate in your WordPress admin sidebar.
Step #3 — Initiate Migration:
Next, you will initiate the migration process after entering the following details:
Enter your email address.
Next, agree to the terms & conditions and privacy policy.
Click Migrate.
Here, fill in the following details in the migration form to start the process:
Platform: Choose either Cloudways Flexible or Cloudways Autonomous, depending on your plan. (In this case, we will choose Cloudways Autonomous)
Destination Site URL: Enter the URL of the Cloudways application you created in Step #1.
Next, complete these fields in the migration form:
SFTP Username: Enter your default Cloudways username.
SFTP Password: Enter your default user password.
HTTP Auth Enabled?
Select No if your Cloudways application doesn’t require a password to view.
Select Yes if it’s password-protected, and provide the username and password.
Any Root Directories You Want to Migrate?
Choose Yes if you want to include custom, non-WordPress directories from public_html.
Choose No if you only want to migrate the WordPress site itself.
Migrate Additional Database Tables
Select Yes if you need to include extra database tables and mark them as needed.
Select No to exclude them.
Is This Site Protected?
Select No if your current WordPress site (on your existing host) isn’t password-protected.
Select Yes if it is, and enter the required username and password.
When all fields are complete, click Migrate to start the transfer.
That’s it! The migration has successfully begun. The time required depends on the size of the data being migrated.
Step #4 — Test Your Migrated Site:
After the migration is complete:
Click Go to Cloudways in the plugin, or directly visit your Cloudways-hosted application to review your migrated site.
Note that your new WordPress admin credentials will be automatically generated. You can find these details in the Access Details section of your Cloudways Platform.
For more information on accessing your new admin credentials, click here.
Tips:
Having trouble viewing your site? Try purging the Varnish cache from your Cloudways Platform to see the latest changes.
Prefer a hands-off approach? You can request a Managed Application Migration and let our cloud experts handle the entire process for you. Every Cloudways account includes one free managed migration.
You can use this checklist to get your website live on Cloudways quickly and smoothly.
With Cloudways’ optimized configurations and proactive server management, you can eliminate common issues like the 413 error for good. Enjoy a seamless, fully managed WordPress hosting experience.
Looking for a reliable alternative to Kinsta? Sign up to Cloudways today and discover the difference
Handling Password Protection During Migration
When migrating a WordPress site using the Cloudways Migrator plugin, understanding and correctly configuring password protection settings is crucial to ensure a smooth migration process.
What Does Password Protection Mean in Migration?
In the context of the Cloudways Migrator plugin, "password protection" refers to frontend access restrictions on your website. This includes:
HTTP Authentication: A server-level password prompt required to access the site.
Frontend Password Protection Plugins: Plugins that restrict access to the site’s frontend.
Maintenance Mode: Temporary restrictions that block access to the site.
It does not refer to the standard WordPress admin login credentials (username and password). If your site does not have any frontend protection, you can safely leave the password protection option unchecked during migration.
Troubleshooting Migration Issues Related to Password Protection
If your migration is blocked due to password protection, follow these steps:
Disable HTTP Authentication:
Turn off HTTP authentication on both the source and destination sites before running the migration.
Disable Frontend Password Protection Plugins:
Temporarily deactivate any plugins that restrict frontend access. Re-enable them after the migration is complete.
Retry the Migration:
Once all protections are disabled, run the migration again.
By following these guidelines, you can ensure a seamless migration process while addressing any password protection-related challenges.
That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.
Need Help?
If you need assistance, feel free to:
Visit the Cloudways Support Center
Chat with us: Need a Hand > Send us a Message
Or create a support ticket anytime.
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