How to Manually Change the Domain of Your WordPress Site June 16, 2025

This guide will explore the steps to manually change the domain of your WordPress site.
If you want to duplicate your WordPress site and use it on a new domain, follow these steps. This is useful when promoting the same content under different domain names.

Important: Make a full backup of your site from cPanel before starting.

Follow the steps:

1. Copy Website Files
   1. Go to cPanel > File Manager > public_html.
      
   2. Select all files except .qidb, cgi-bin, and any addon domain folders.
      
   3. Copy and paste them into your new addon domain folder (e.g., /public_html/newdomain.com).
2. Create a New Database
   1. Open cPanel > Database Wizard.
      
   2. Create a new database, user, and assign full privileges.
      
3. Update “wp-config.php”
   1. Go to the addon domain folder in File Manager.
   2. Edit wp-config.php and update:
      1.  DB_NAME
      2. DB_USER
      3. DB_PASSWORD
4. Export and Import the Database
   1. Export the original site’s database using phpMyAdmin.
   2. Import it into the new database you created.
5.  Update the Database for New Domain
   1. In phpMyAdmin, go to the new database.
   2. Open the “wp_options” table.
   3. Update the siteurl and home with the new domain.
   4. Edit other details like blog name, description, and user login if needed.
6. Replace Old Domain with New
   1. Log in to the new site’s WordPress Dashboard.
   2. Install and use the Better Search and Replace plugin.
   3. Replace all instances of the old domain with the new one.
   4. Manually check widgets or menus for hardcoded links.
7. Final WordPress Settings
   1. Go to Settings > General.
      
   2. Confirm that the WordPress Address and Site Address show the new domain.
      

Done!
You have successfully duplicated and moved your WordPress site to a new domain. If you want extra help, connect with our support specialists.

Making major site changes? Learn How to manually back up a MySQL database in cPanel