How to Migrate a WordPress Site to InMotion Hosting (Website Transfer Request)
How to prepare your site and submit a Website Transfer Request in InMotion's AMP, what the transfer team needs, how testing works, and when to switch DNS.
- inmotion-hosting
- migration
InMotion moves sites for you through a Website Transfer Request (WTR) submitted in its Account Management Panel (AMP). On shared WordPress plans, the transfer is free with one cPanel or WordPress backup.
Step 1: Prepare your site
- Work out where your site's files and databases live at your current host.
- Create backups (cPanel backup, FTP, or another method), including the database SQL files, and download them to your computer.
- Check that the backups work.
- Decide whether to put the site in maintenance mode during the move. Online stores should, so no orders are lost.
Plan the move well before your old hosting expires. New to InMotion? See how to sign up for InMotion Hosting.
Step 2: Submit a Website Transfer Request
- Log in to AMP.
- Click the Website Transfer Request icon in the subscription you want to move the site into.
- Click Submit A Transfer Request.
- Fill in the form:
- Previous Host: whether the site is coming from another provider or another InMotion account - Is this hosting account managed with cPanel? - Login credentials: the old host's login URL, username, and password - Is 2FA enabled on this account? Turn two-factor authentication off temporarily so technicians can log in. - Websites being transferred: one domain per line, using Add Another Website for more - Preferred contact method
- Choose regular or paid expedited priority, click Continue, review the details, and click Submit.
Step 3: Follow the transfer by email
A transfer specialist reviews your details first and emails you about any access problems or charges; you must acknowledge charges before work starts. You get emails when the migration starts and when the first copy is ready for testing. Check progress any time from the Website Transfer Request icon in AMP.
Step 4: Test before switching DNS
InMotion recommends testing by editing your hosts file, using the details the transfer team sends. A temporary URL also works, though some parts of the site may not display correctly that way. Check links, forms, the admin area, custom DNS records, and email.
Email is moved only when it lives in the same cPanel account as the website. Mail hosted elsewhere needs separate steps.
Step 5: Update DNS
When testing is done, point your domain to InMotion. Keep your old hosting until the switch has spread and email works.
What is not included
Domain registrations are not transferred, and the team does not support in-depth programming or site dependencies that are not server-related.
See what InMotion costs after the intro term on the InMotion renewal price page.
Source: Ensure a Successful Website Transfer (InMotion Hosting Support, updated April 2026).
