Migrate with Migrate Guru Plugin

Migrate Guru copies the old site to their servers and rebuilds it on the destination from there. Almost none of the work happens on your old host, which is what makes it the reliable choice for a large site or a host that times out on everything else.

It is free with no size limit, and nothing is downloaded to your computer.

Consideration	Detail
Requires	Migrate Guru on the old site; an email address
Destination	A new site - Migrate Guru expects a working WordPress install to overwrite
Good for	Large sites, slow hosts, anything that has already failed once
Not for	A site that can't run plugins - use manual migration

1. Create the destination site

Create a new site with WordPress installed. Migrate Guru replaces its contents, so the sample content it ships with doesn't matter - but it does need a real install to push into, which is why an empty environment is the wrong choice here.

Set the storage limit to more than the old site's size, and note the free *.magicwp.net address - that's the destination URL.

2. Collect the SFTP details

Open the new site's SFTP page and note the host, port, username and password. Migrate Guru uses these to write the site into place.

If you don't know the password, set a new one from that page first - it applies immediately.

3. Install Migrate Guru on the old site

Install and activate Migrate Guru on the old site and open it from the admin sidebar. Enter your email address when it asks; that's all the registration it needs.

4. Start the migration

Choose to migrate to another host, and give it:

It asks for	Give it
Destination site URL	Your `https://yoursite.magicwp.net` address
FTP/SFTP host	From the SFTP page
Protocol and port	SFTP, port from the same page
Username and password	From the same page
Destination directory	The web root - the directory containing `wp-config.php`

Start it. Migrate Guru copies the site to their servers, then writes it into the new one, rewriting URLs as it goes. You can close the tab; it emails you when it finishes.

Use SFTP, not FTP

MagicWP sites accept SFTP only. If the plugin defaults to plain FTP the connection test will fail - switch the protocol before starting.

This overwrites the destination

Everything on the new site is replaced by the incoming one. Point it only at the site you mean to overwrite, and check the destination URL before starting - it is the field most often pasted wrong.

5. Finish up

When the completion email arrives, log in to the new site and work through After the move: Fix Site first, then verify the URLs, test on the temporary domain, flush both caches, and point your domain across.

Common problems

Symptom	Cause and fix
Connection test fails	Protocol set to FTP. MagicWP is SFTP-only - switch it and re-check the port.
"Permission denied"	Wrong username or password. Reset it on the SFTP page and try again.
Files land in the wrong place	The destination directory pointed at a subdirectory. It should be the web root holding `wp-config.php`.
Migration stops part-way	The new site hit its storage limit. Raise it under Settings → Storage Limit and restart.
Site loads with the old domain's URLs	Re-run Search & Replace for the old URL.