How to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger in 2026: Step-by-Step Guide

If your WordPress website is hosted with another provider, you can move it to Hostinger without rebuilding the entire website. WordPress migration involves transferring your website files and database to the new hosting server, checking that everything works, and connecting your domain to the new location.

Hostinger offers a website migration service for eligible websites. You can also migrate WordPress using a plugin or transfer the files and database manually if you prefer more control over the process.

1. What Is WordPress Migration?

WordPress migration is the process of moving a WordPress website from one hosting provider or server to another. For example, if your website currently runs on Bluehost, SiteGround, or another hosting provider, you can transfer it to Hostinger.

A complete WordPress website contains files and a database. Both need to be transferred correctly for the website to work on the new server.

After transferring these components, you need to check the new website, update domain settings, configure SSL if required, and verify that important features are working.

2. Things to Check Before Migrating WordPress to Hostinger

Preparing your website before migration helps reduce errors and makes it easier to recover if something goes wrong.

Back up your existing website

Create a complete backup of your WordPress files and database using your current hosting provider or a suitable backup plugin. Keep a copy on your computer or another safe storage location.

Check your Hostinger hosting plan

Make sure your new hosting plan has enough storage and resources for your website. Check your website's current size, traffic requirements, and database size before selecting a plan.

Keep access to your existing hosting account

You may need access to your current hosting dashboard, WordPress Admin, database tools, or backup files during the transfer.

Review plugins and themes

Remove unnecessary plugins and check whether your theme and important plugins are compatible with the destination hosting environment. Avoid making major website changes during migration.

Record important website settings

Make a note of important configurations, including email accounts, scheduled tasks, DNS records, redirects, API integrations, and any custom server settings. Some of these items are not transferred automatically by Hostinger's migration service.

3. Different Ways to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger

There is more than one way to move a WordPress website. The best method depends on your website's current hosting provider, technical experience, and whether you want Hostinger to handle the transfer.

4. Is Your Website Eligible for Hostinger's Free Migration Service?

Hostinger offers a free migration service for eligible websites hosted by another provider. Before submitting a request, check the current requirements.

Hostinger's free migration offer does not cover every website or hosting product. VPS hosting is not included in this free migration offer.

Which websites are not supported by the standard migration process?

Websites built with proprietary website builders such as Shopify, Squarespace, Blogger, Canva, Google Sites, and GoDaddy Website Builder cannot be transferred through the same standard open-source CMS migration workflow. These websites may need to be recreated or moved using a different process.

Hostinger also does not support WordPress Multisite through its standard migration service. Multisite installations require a suitable manual migration approach.

5. How to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger Using Its Migration Service

This is generally the easiest option if your website is hosted elsewhere and meets Hostinger's migration requirements. Hostinger's migration team handles the transfer after you submit the required information.

Step 1: Purchase a Hostinger hosting plan

Visit the Hostinger website and choose a hosting plan suitable for your WordPress website.

Complete the purchase and log in to your Hostinger account. Make sure your hosting plan is active and has at least one domain added.

Step 2: Open the Websites section

Log in to Hostinger hPanel and open Websites.

Find the hosting plan where you want to move your WordPress website. Select Import site to begin the migration process.

Depending on the dashboard version, you may also find migration options under the Home → Migrations section.

Step 3: Choose Migrate from another host

On the Import site screen, select Migrate from another host.

Enter the address of your existing WordPress website and continue to the next step.

Step 4: Select WordPress as the website platform

Choose WordPress as the platform currently used by your website. Hostinger will display the migration form for WordPress administrator access.

Step 5: Enter your WordPress login details

Provide the requested information, which may include:

• Your existing WordPress website URL.
• WordPress administrator username or email address.
• WordPress administrator password.
• Custom WordPress login URL, if your website uses one.

Make sure the login account has the required administrator permissions and that Hostinger can access the login page.

Step 6: Review and submit the migration request

Check the migration summary carefully. Confirm the source website, destination hosting plan, and other details before submitting the request.

Confirm that you will not change the domain's DNS settings until the migration is complete.

Step 7: Track the migration status

After submitting the request, open the Websites → Migrations section to check its status.

Hostinger will process the request and notify you when the migration is complete. The actual duration depends on website size, complexity, and the migration queue. Do not assume that every transfer will finish within the same amount of time.

Step 8: Preview the migrated website

After Hostinger completes the transfer, review the available website preview or use the provided verification method to check the migrated copy.

Do not point your domain to Hostinger until you have confirmed that the migration has finished and the new website is ready.

6. How to Migrate WordPress Using Backup Files

If your website is offline, you cannot provide WordPress login access, or you already have a complete backup, Hostinger provides a backup-upload migration route.

Step 1: Create or download a website backup

From your old hosting provider, download a compressed archive containing the website's root files and folders. Also export the WordPress database separately as an SQL file.

Hostinger accepts website archive formats such as:

• .zip
• .tar
• .tar.gz
• .tgz
• .7z
• .gz

The database should be provided as an .sql export.

Step 2: Open Import site

Log in to Hostinger hPanel, open Websites, and select Import site for your hosting plan.

Step 3: Select Upload your website files

Choose the option to upload your website backup files. Enter the website address and select the appropriate destination domain.

Step 4: Upload the website archive and SQL database

Upload the compressed website files and the separate SQL database export.

Step 5: Review and submit the request

Check the migration summary and confirm that the correct source and destination details are selected. Submit the request so Hostinger's migration team can process the backup.

7. How to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger Using a Plugin

If you prefer to handle the transfer yourself, you can use a WordPress migration plugin. Plugins can package your website files and database and guide you through the import process.

Examples include:

• Duplicator
• All-in-One WP Migration

General plugin migration process

Plugin features and import limits depend on the plugin version, hosting configuration, and available server resources. Some plugins offer different migration features in their paid versions.

8. How to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger Manually

Manual migration gives you control over the website transfer, but it requires working with website files, databases, and configuration settings. Choose this method if you understand how WordPress is structured or need to migrate a website that cannot use the standard migration workflow.

Step 1: Download your WordPress files

Log in to your old hosting account and open its File Manager or connect through FTP.

Find the WordPress installation directory and download the website files. The directory normally contains:

• wp-admin
• wp-content
• wp-includes
• wp-config.php
• Other WordPress root files

Make sure your backup includes the entire WordPress installation, including themes, plugins, and uploads.

Step 2: Export the WordPress database

Open phpMyAdmin through your old hosting account. Select the database used by WordPress and click Export.

Choose an appropriate SQL export format and download the database backup to your computer.

Step 3: Add your domain to Hostinger

Log in to Hostinger hPanel and make sure your destination domain has been added to the hosting plan.

Open File Manager and identify the document root for that domain. For many primary websites, the directory is public_html, but addon domains and subdomains may use different folders.

Step 4: Upload the WordPress files

Upload your downloaded WordPress archive to the correct destination directory using Hostinger File Manager or FTP.

If you uploaded a compressed archive, extract it in the destination directory. Check that the WordPress files are placed directly in the intended website root rather than inside an unnecessary extra folder.

Step 5: Create a new database in Hostinger

In hPanel, open Databases → Management. Create a new MySQL database and database user for the migrated website.

Save the following details:

• Database name
• Database username
• Database password
• Database host

Step 6: Import the database backup

Open phpMyAdmin from Hostinger's database management section. Select the newly created database and open the Import tab.

Choose the SQL file exported from your old hosting provider and start the import. Wait until phpMyAdmin confirms that the import has completed.

Step 7: Update the wp-config.php file

Open the wp-config.php file in the destination WordPress root directory. Update the database settings to match the new Hostinger database.

The relevant configuration lines look like this:

define('DB_NAME', 'your_new_database');
define('DB_USER', 'your_new_username');
define('DB_PASSWORD', 'your_new_password');
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

Use the actual database name, username, password, and host shown in your Hostinger account. Do not assume the example values are correct for your setup.

Step 8: Update WordPress URLs if required

If your website is moving to a different domain, update its site URL and internal references. WordPress may still contain links to the old domain in its database.

Use a WordPress-aware migration or search-and-replace tool that supports serialized data. Avoid performing a simple text replacement directly in the SQL file because it can damage serialized WordPress settings.

Advanced users with WP-CLI access can preview a replacement using:

wp search-replace 'https://old-domain.com' 'https://new-domain.com' --skip-columns=guid --dry-run

Replace the sample domains with your actual addresses. Review the preview before running the command without --dry-run. Back up the database first.

Step 9: Test the website before changing DNS

Check the migrated website using an appropriate preview method, such as Hostinger's migration preview or a controlled local hosts-file test. Confirm that the homepage, pages, images, and WordPress Admin work correctly.

Only after the migrated copy is ready should you point your domain to Hostinger.

9. How to Point Your Domain to Hostinger After Migration

After the website migration is complete and you have checked the new copy, connect your domain to Hostinger. This step directs visitors to the new hosting server.

You can generally connect your domain using Hostinger nameservers or by updating the required DNS records at your current DNS provider.

Option 1: Change nameservers

If you want Hostinger to manage your domain's DNS zone, update the nameservers at your domain registrar to the nameservers provided in your Hostinger account.

1. Log in to the account where your domain is registered.
2. Open its nameserver or DNS settings.
3. Replace the current nameservers with the exact Hostinger nameservers shown in hPanel.
4. Save the changes.
5. Wait for DNS propagation and check the website again.

Option 2: Update the A record

If you want to keep DNS management with your current provider, you may be able to update the domain's A record to point to the IP address of your Hostinger hosting plan.

1. Open the active DNS management panel for your domain.
2. Find the A record for the root domain.
3. Update its value to the Hostinger hosting IP address shown in hPanel.
4. Check the www record and other relevant DNS records.
5. Save the changes and allow time for DNS propagation.

DNS changes can take up to 24 hours to propagate, although the actual time varies by DNS provider, caching, and record settings.

10. What to Do After Migrating WordPress to Hostinger

Once your domain points to Hostinger, perform a final check to make sure your website is working correctly.

Enable and verify SSL

Open Hostinger hPanel and check the SSL section for your domain. Activate an eligible SSL certificate and confirm that your website loads over HTTPS.

Check WordPress site addresses

In WordPress Admin, open Settings → General and confirm that the WordPress Address and Site Address use the correct domain and protocol.

Refresh permalinks

Open Settings → Permalinks and save the current settings. This can help refresh WordPress rewrite rules after migration.

Test important website features

Check the homepage, blog posts, navigation, contact forms, login, search, images, and any e-commerce or membership features.

Reconnect external services

Review analytics, email delivery, payment gateways, API integrations, plugin licenses, and other services that may be linked to your old hosting environment or domain configuration.

Recreate services that were not transferred

Hostinger's migration service transfers website files and databases, but it does not automatically migrate every server-level service.

11. Common WordPress Migration Problems

Migration errors can happen because of incorrect login credentials, backup problems, database settings, DNS configuration, or compatibility issues.

What if Hostinger cannot access your WordPress website?

Check whether your WordPress login page is accessible and whether the supplied account has administrator permissions. Security plugins, CAPTCHA challenges, two-factor authentication, and custom login URLs can interfere with automated migration access.

Hostinger recommends temporarily disabling two-factor authentication and anti-bot verification where possible before submitting a migration request. If automated access is still blocked, consider the backup-upload migration method.

12. Frequently Asked Questions

Editorial note: Hostinger's migration eligibility, dashboard labels, and supported workflows can change. Confirm the current requirements in your hPanel account before submitting a request. Email, DNS, cron jobs, FTP accounts, and custom SSL settings may require separate configuration.