Migrate WordPress to Hostinger for free (step by step, no downtime)

The short version

Hostinger migrates WordPress sites for free. Buy a plan, ask for the migration in hPanel, check the copy on a temporary address, then point your domain at Hostinger. Your old site stays live the whole time, so visitors never see downtime.

If you'd rather do it yourself, a migration plugin does the same job in about half an hour for a typical small site.

Before you start

• •Don't cancel your old hosting yet. Keep it running until the new site has been live for a few days.
• •Take a full backup at your current host: files and database. It's your safety net if anything goes wrong.
• •Write down where your email lives. If your mailboxes are on the old host, moving the domain affects them (see the email section below).
• •Update WordPress, your theme and your plugins first. Migrations go more smoothly from an up-to-date site.

Option A: Hostinger's free migration

This is the easiest route and the one most people should use.

• •Buy a hosting plan. Premium covers most sites; Business adds daily backups and more resources.
• •In hPanel, open Websites and choose to migrate a website. The exact wording moves around between hPanel updates, so search for "migrate" if you can't see it.
• •Give Hostinger access to the old site: WordPress admin login details, or a backup file from your old host. Admin access is usually the quickest.
• •Wait for the confirmation email. Small sites often finish within a few hours; large ones can take longer.

Option B: Do it yourself with a plugin

Plugins such as All-in-One WP Migration or Duplicator package the whole site (files, database, settings) into one file you can import elsewhere.

• •On the old site, install the plugin and export the site to a file.
• •In hPanel, set up a fresh WordPress install for your domain.
• •Install the same plugin on the new install and import the file. It replaces the fresh site with your copy.
• •Log in with your old site's username and password, then go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save to rebuild the URL rules.

Test before you switch

Don't point your domain at Hostinger until you've checked the copy. hPanel can give the site a temporary preview address so you can click through it before any visitor does.

• •Open the homepage, a few posts and every important page.
• •Submit your contact form and check the message arrives.
• •If you run WooCommerce, place a test order.
• •Check that images load and that the admin area works.

Switch DNS

When the copy looks right, point the domain at Hostinger. Either change the domain's nameservers to the two shown in hPanel, or keep your current DNS and change the A record to your Hostinger IP. Most visitors reach the new server within a few hours; full propagation can take up to 24.

Once DNS has updated, install the free SSL certificate in hPanel and check the site loads over https.

Don't lose your email

Website migration copies your site, not your mailboxes. If your email is hosted at the old provider and you change nameservers, mail can stop arriving.

• •Email on Google Workspace or Microsoft 365: copy the MX, SPF and DKIM records into your new DNS before switching nameservers.
• •Email at your old host: create the same mailboxes in Hostinger first, then switch, and move old messages over with your email app or an IMAP migration tool.

After the move

• •Clear any old caching plugin and turn on LiteSpeed Cache, which Hostinger servers are built for.
• •Re-check Google Search Console. Nothing changes for SEO as long as URLs stay the same.
• •After a few quiet days, download one last backup from the old host and cancel it.

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• Which Hostinger plan to move to →