Move your website to new hosting without losing your domain

Your domain and your hosting are separate things

Many owners worry that a new host means losing the domain. It does not. The domain is a name registered to its owner. Hosting is the computer that serves your pages. DNS is the set of records that connects the two.

So moving hosts means changing DNS records, not transferring the domain. If you are unsure who holds your domain or where its DNS is managed, find that out first. Our /guides/ pages explain the basics, and /domain-name-rules/ covers how names work.

If you want a second name for the new project, you can search any extension at /domains/ before you start.

Back up before you touch anything

A backup is your safety net. Do not skip it, even if the old host seems fine.

Take a full copy of three things and store them somewhere other than the old host, such as your laptop and a cloud drive.

• All site files, including images and uploads.
• The database, if your site uses one, such as WordPress.
• Your current DNS records and email settings. Take screenshots or copy them into a text file.

Copy the site and test it first

Upload your files and import the database on the new host. Many hosts give you a temporary address. You can also edit your computer's hosts file so only you see the new copy under your real domain name.

Click through every page. Test forms, logins and checkout, and check that images load.

If the test copy sits on a public temporary hostname, Google advises blocking it from indexing with a noindex rule, then removing that rule when you launch. Do not forget to remove it.

Also check that your SSL certificate will work on the new host. Fix problems now, while visitors still see the old site.

Switch DNS at the right moment

Google suggests lowering your DNS TTL to a few hours, at least a week before the move, so caches refresh faster. TTL is simply how long other servers remember your old records.

When testing is done, change the records at your DNS provider. Usually that means the A record, or the nameservers if your new host asks for them. Do one method, not both.

If you change nameservers, the new DNS zone starts empty. Recreate every record you need, including email, before you switch.

Pick a quiet time for your business. Some visitors will see the new server sooner than others, which is normal.

Keep the old host until traffic stops

Do not cancel the old plan on switch day. Until DNS has settled everywhere, some visitors and search crawlers still reach the old server.

Google advises checking the logs on the old server and shutting it down only once its traffic reaches zero. If you cannot read logs, keep the old plan for a comfortable extra period after the switch.

During this time, avoid editing content on either server, or new orders and comments may land on the wrong copy. Check Search Console for crawl problems in the days afterwards. Google says a temporary drop in crawling right after a move is normal.

Do not forget email records

Email often breaks quietly. If your mail ran on the old host, your MX records point there. Decide where mail will live after the move before you change anything.

Copy these records exactly, or recreate them for the new setup. Then send and receive a test email in both directions.

If your mail runs at a separate provider, leave its records alone. If you want a second pair of eyes on your records before you switch, message us on WhatsApp via /order/.

• MX records, which say where mail is delivered.
• SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, which help your mail avoid spam folders.
• Any verification records for services like Google Search Console.

Common questions