How to Migrate a WordPress Site to GreenGeeks (Free Migration Request)
How to request GreenGeeks' free site migration, what details to provide, the limits on free migrations and the 30-day window, and when to switch DNS.
- greengeeks
- migration
GreenGeeks' migration team moves sites for you through a Migration Request in your GreenGeeks dashboard. It is free, but with limits that the "Free Unlimited Migration" banner on its WordPress page does not mention.
Know the limits first
- 30-day window: GreenGeeks' Terms of Service say the free transfer service is available for 30 days from your initial sign-up date. Later migrations are charged.
- How many: GreenGeeks' migration policy lists one free migration for shared hosting. Extra manual migrations cost $15 per website; extra cPanel migrations are not available on shared hosting.
- cPanel vs manual: A cPanel-to-cPanel migration moves all domains, subdomains, cPanel settings, and email accounts, but your old host's cPanel backup generator must be active. From a host without cPanel, GreenGeeks moves files and databases manually over FTP.
- Ticket only: Migrations are handled through the request ticket, not phone or live chat. Open one request per website.
No account yet? See how to sign up for GreenGeeks.
Step 1: Open the Migration Request
Log in to GreenGeeks. In the left-hand panel, click Support and select Migration Request. Use the drop-down to choose the hosting account the site should move to.
Step 2: Enter your old host's details
GreenGeeks asks for:
- Previous hosting provider
- Control panel URL and control panel type
- FTP hostname
- Control panel/FTP username and password
- Additional instructions, such as a specific folder or database to move
Click Submit. If the team needs more information, it asks by email, and it emails you again when the migration is complete. Slow connections at your old host can delay things.
Step 3: Switch DNS only after the move
Do not change your nameservers or DNS to GreenGeeks until your files and email have been moved. Changing DNS too early makes the site unavailable and disrupts email. GreenGeeks cannot change DNS at your old provider, so update it at your domain registrar.
After the move
Check the site, then cancel your old hosting so it does not renew. See what GreenGeeks costs over five years on the GreenGeeks renewal price page.
Sources: Site Migration Instructions for Shared Hosting, GreenGeeks Migration Policy, Scope of Migration Support, and Terms of Service (GreenGeeks).
