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Hosting Basics

How to Move a Website to a New Host

A safe migration order that avoids downtime and lost email.

By WhichHosting Editorial Team, Hosting analystsUpdated 9 September 2026 9 min read

The order that works

  1. Back up files and database
  2. Set up the site on the new host
  3. Test with a hosts-file override
  4. Lower DNS TTL
  5. Switch DNS and keep the old host live for a week

Email

Migrate mailboxes before DNS, or you will lose messages in transit.

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