# Migrating Your Website to KapsuleHost

Source: https://support.kapsulehost.com/en-us/migrating-to-kapsule

Moving your website to KapsuleHost is straightforward, and the migration tools are free for every site you move onto a KapsuleHost plan. This guide explains both the assisted migration process and how to complete a self-service migration.

### Free Automated Migration

KapsuleHost includes [free website migration](https://kapsulehost.com/en-us/migrate) for customers moving from another hosting provider. The only thing a migration needs is somewhere to land: a KapsuleHost plan with a free site slot, or an existing site on your account for the same domain. The fastest way to move is our automated self-serve migration:

1. In KPanel, open [Start a migration](https://kpanel.kapsulehost.com/migrate/new)
2. Choose what you are moving (website, email, or domain)
3. For a website, enter your current site's address and your FTP/SFTP and database details, or upload a backup
4. KapsuleHost automatically copies your files and database, rewrites your site URLs, and stages the site so you can test it before you switch your DNS

You can watch live progress in KPanel and get email updates as each step completes. Most migrations finish in well under an hour, though larger sites (big media libraries or WooCommerce stores) can take a couple of hours. If something cannot be moved automatically, our team is notified and finishes it for you, free.

Email is copied separately from the website. When your domain's mail is hosted somewhere else, the website wizard adds a **Your email** step: choose to move it, enter each mailbox's login, and your mailboxes are copied across alongside the site. Your mail keeps arriving at your old provider until you point your MX records at KapsuleHost, which is a separate step you take once the copy has finished. If you skip the email step, the go-live screen offers **Move my email too** afterwards. See [Email Migration](https://support.kapsulehost.com/en-us/email-migration).

Would you rather a person helped? On the same [migration page](https://kpanel.kapsulehost.com/migrate/new) you can request white-glove assistance, and our team will help you move it, free.

> **Note:** This free automated migration is separate from our paid, done-for-you Pro Services Website Migration. There, one of our engineers runs the whole move for you: the copy, the checks, and a switch-over timed and watched by a person. Your current site keeps serving visitors until the switch, and we switch over only when you say so (available under [Pro Services](https://support.kapsulehost.com/en-us/pro-services) in KPanel).

### Self-Service Migration: WordPress Sites

#### Step 1: Export Your Current Site

Install the **Duplicator** or **All-in-One WP Migration** plugin on your existing site. Create a full backup package (files + database).

#### Step 2: Create a New Website in KPanel

1. Log in to KPanel and go to **Websites**
2. Click **Add Website**
3. Enter your domain name
4. Click **Create Site**

#### Step 3: Upload Your Files

Connect to your new KapsuleHost website via SFTP (see [SFTP Access](https://support.kapsulehost.com/en-us/sftp-access)) and upload your files to the site root directory.

#### Step 4: Import Your Database

1. Go to **Websites** in KPanel, select your site, and click **Database**
2. Create a new database and note the credentials
3. Import your `.sql` file using the database import tool in KPanel
4. Update `wp-config.php` with the new database credentials

#### Step 5: Test Before Going Live

Visit your site using the temporary KapsuleHost URL to check all pages, images, forms, and functionality before updating DNS.

#### Step 6: Update Your DNS

Once the site works correctly on KapsuleHost, update your domain's [nameservers](https://support.kapsulehost.com/en-us/nameservers) to KapsuleHost's nameservers (shown in KPanel under **Domains**), or update the A record to point to your new KapsuleHost server IP.

> **Tip:** DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. During this window, some visitors may still see your old site. This is normal and resolves automatically.