How to Use Plesk Migrator to Move from cPanel to Plesk July 10, 2025

This guide outlines how to migrate your hosting environment from cPanel to Plesk using the Plesk Migrator tool, covering two available methods.

Let us discover the two methods:

1. Using the Plesk panel: This is the simplest and easiest method.
   1. Log in to Plesk.
   2. Click on the “Extension” option on the left-hand side of the screen.
      
   3. Install the “Plesk Migrator” extension. Head to the “Extensions” section, locate “Plesk Migrator” under “Server Tools,” and click “Install” to begin the setup.
      
   4. Once installed, navigate to “Extensions > My Extensions > Go to Extension” and follow Plesk Migrator.
   5. Click “Start a New Migration” to initiate the process.
   6. Select cPanel as the source. Enter the actual IP address of the source server, define the SSH port (22 by default), and input the root user’s login credentials.
   7. Click “Prepare Migration” and continue following the instructions outlined in the Plesk Migration Guide.
      
2. Using the Command Line (CLI through SSH)
   To perform the migration through the terminal, follow these steps:
   1. Log in to Plesk.
   2. Install the Plesk Migrator extension following the steps outlined earlier.
   3. Access the Server through SSH.
   4. Generate the “conf” directory if it hasn’t been created yet by running the following command to confirm the necessary path exists:

      mkdir /usr/local/psa/var/modules/panel-migrator/conf

   5. Modify the current directory:

      cd /usr/local/psa/var/modules/panel-migrator/conf/

   6. Create a “config.ini” file in the present folder and populate it with the following details:

      # cat /usr/local/psa/var/modules/panel-migrator/conf/config.ini
      
      [GLOBAL]
      source-type: cpanel
      source-servers: cpanel
      target-type: plesk
      
      [plesk]
      ip: <destination_server_IP_address>
      os: unix
      
      [cpanel]
      ip: <source_server_IP_address>
      os: unix
      ssh-password: <source_server_root_password>
      # Uncomment ssh-port string below if the SSH port is not 22
      # ssh-port: <custom_ssh_port_if_not_22>

      Important: If your cPanel server includes any PostgreSQL databases, be sure to include the PostgreSQL admin password in the “config.ini” file as shown below:

      [optional]
      postgres-password: <password>

   7. Create a list of accounts to migrate using the subsequent command:

      /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/modules/panel-migrator/plesk-migrator generate-migration-list

      This list can be edited to eliminate specific domains or give them to service plans:

      vi /usr/local/psa/var/modules/panel-migrator/sessions/migration-session/migration-list

   8. Initiate the Migration to start transferring accounts from the source server using the following command:

      /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/modules/panel-migrator/plesk-migrator transfer-accounts

   9. Resync data to confirm all recent changes are copied:

      /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/modules/panel-migrator/plesk-migrator copy-content

      This uses rsync and skips files that are unchanged.

   10. Finally, verify that all migrated data and services are working correctly using the following command:

       /usr/local/psa/admin/sbin/modules/panel-migrator/plesk-migrator test-all

In such a manner, you can migrate from cPanel to Plesk using Plesk Migrator. Hope you liked our article; however, if you require additional assistance, feel free to contact our support specialists.

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