How to Back Up and Restore a WordPress Installation on a New Server Make it Rain Paper

If you're migrating to a new server and your server admin is unable to move all your applications successfully, this tutorial will guide you on how to back up and restore your WordPress installation (or any other supported application) using Softaculous.

Pre-requirements

• Access to both the old and new servers (cPanel or SSH)
• Administrator login credentials for both servers
• Softaculous installed on both the old and new servers
• Ensure the domain name and the path on the new server match the old server

Steps to Back Up and Restore Your WordPress Installation

1. Back Up the WordPress Installation

   Log in to the old server's cPanel and navigate to Softaculous. Find your WordPress installation and click on the Backup Installation icon as shown in Softaculous.

2. Download the Backup

   Once the backup is completed, go to the Backups Page in Softaculous, and download the backup file to your local machine.

3. Transfer the Backup to the New Server

   Using FTP, SFTP, or SSH, upload the backup file to the new server. Place the backup file in the following path:

   /home/$username/softaculous_backups/

   Replace $username with your actual cPanel username on the new server.

4. Restore the Backup on the New Server

   Log in to the cPanel of the new server, go to Softaculous, and navigate to the Backups Page. You should see the backup you uploaded listed here.

   Click on the Restore button to restore the backup. Once the process completes, your old installation will be restored and ready to use on the new server.

Important Notes

• Matching Domain and Path: The backup restoration will only work correctly if the domain name and directory path on the new server are identical to those on the old server.
• Backup All Files: Ensure that the entire installation (including database and files) is backed up, or the restoration may be incomplete.
• Permissions: After restoring, check the file permissions to ensure that everything is set correctly for your web server to function properly.

By following these steps, you can successfully back up your WordPress installation on the old server and restore it on the new server using Softaculous. This process ensures that your site is restored in its entirety, provided the domain name and path are consistent between the old and new servers.