How Do I Move with Less Downtime?
Switching to a new host can be a complicated process. Follow the steps below to move with less downtime as you transition to your new hosting provider.
Move with Less Downtime
Step 1: Sign up with your new hosting company
Join your new host. Do NOT cancel with your old hosting provider or notify them yet, as this could prematurely terminate your website and cause unnecessary downtime during the hosting migration process.
Step 2: Make a backup of your files
At this point, you should have hosting accounts with both your old and new hosting providers. To move your website to a new server, connect to the old host via FTP, download all files, then upload them to your new host using the same file and folder structure. More information on FTP can be found in our FTP Getting Started article.
Step 3: Back up the databases
Back up any databases on your old host (contact them if needed) and upload the backup files to your new host via FTP. Then restore the databases using SSH or cPanel’s phpMyAdmin.
Emails typically do not automatically migrate. To preserve old emails before your website migration, archive them by making a POP3 connection to each address. The new host will not have your old messages, but will receive new ones normally.
Step 4: Update the DNS
After your files and databases are on the new host, update your domain’s DNS settings. Your new hosting provider will supply the correct name servers for your hosting migration setup.
Example DNS format (replace yourhostname.com with your host's actual domain name):
- ns1.yourhostname.com
- ns2.yourhostname.com
Once you have the correct DNS, go to the registrar, the company where you purchased your domain name, to make the change. If you bought your domain name from your host, you must ask them to make the DNS changes. If you bought your domain name from HostGator, we are happy to help you or even make the DNS changes.
If you want to point your DNS to your HostGator account, you can do the update through your Customer Portal.
Please note that due to the upgrade done on the Customer Portal in November 2023, all new customer signups will be moving to the new DNS setup.
The name servers of new customers will look like the following:
- hgns1.hostgator.com
- hgns2.hostgator.com
Customers who signed up before November 2023 will have the following format for their name servers:
- ns0000.hostgator.com
- ns1111.hostgator.com
Step 5: Wait to propagate
Once your DNS changes have been made, you will need to wait 48 hours from the time of the change before your site will load from the new host. During these 48 hours, your DNS propagates worldwide, and your site will randomly load from old or unknown hosts. Once the two days are complete, your site will only load from the new host.
Step 6: Cancel hosting with the old host
After 48 hours, your updated DNS will be fully functional. You will now contact your old host and cancel your hosting account with them. Do not cancel your domain registration if you originally bought your domain name from the old host.
By following and completing the steps above, you will have successfully switched hosts with no downtime! For advanced techniques, please refer to the following article: