How to Migrate a WordPress Website Using SFTP

Migrating a WordPress website using SFTP is one of the safest ways to move your site files from one hosting provider to another. SFTP stands for Secure File Transfer Protocol. It allows you to securely upload and download website files between your computer and your hosting server.

A full WordPress migration usually has two main parts:

Moving the WordPress files using SFTP
Moving the WordPress database using phpMyAdmin or another database tool

This guide explains how to migrate your WordPress website using SFTP step by step.

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What You Need Before Starting

Before you begin, make sure you have the following:

SFTP login details for your old hosting account
SFTP login details for your new hosting account
Database access for the old website
Database access for the new hosting account
A file transfer app such as FileZilla, Cyberduck, or WinSCP
Access to your domain DNS settings

Your SFTP details usually include:

Hostname or server IP address
Username
Password or SSH key
Port number, usually 22

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Step 1: Connect to Your Old Hosting Account Using SFTP

Open your SFTP app and enter your old hosting account details.

Example:

Host: old-server.example.com

Username: your_username

Password: your_password

Port: 22

Protocol: SFTP

After connecting, look for your WordPress website folder. Common folder names include:

public_html

www

htdocs

domains/example.com/public_html

Inside the WordPress folder, you should see files and folders such as:

wp-admin

wp-content

wp-includes

wp-config.php

index.php

.htaccess

These are your WordPress website files.

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Step 2: Download Your WordPress Files

Download all WordPress files from the old server to your computer.

The most important folder is:

wp-content

This folder contains your themes, plugins, media uploads, and custom website content.

However, for a full migration, you should download the complete WordPress directory, including:

wp-admin

wp-content

wp-includes

wp-config.php

index.php

.htaccess

Depending on the size of your website, this may take some time.

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Step 3: Export the WordPress Database

WordPress stores posts, pages, users, settings, plugin data, and theme options in the database. The files alone are not enough to fully move the website.

Then:

Select the WordPress database
Click Export
Choose Quick export
Choose SQL format
Download the .sql file to your computer

If you are not sure which database your WordPress site uses, open the wp-config.php file and look for:

define('DB_NAME', 'database_name');

define('DB_USER', 'database_user');

define('DB_PASSWORD', 'database_password');

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

The DB_NAME value tells you which database belongs to the WordPress site.

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Step 4: Create a New Database on the New Hosting Account

You will need:

Database name
Database username
Database password
Database host

Save these details because you will need them in the next step.

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Step 5: Upload WordPress Files to the New Server Using SFTP

Now connect to your new hosting account using SFTP.

Open the website root folder on the new server. This is usually:

public_html

www

htdocs

Upload all WordPress files from your computer to the new server.

Make sure these files are directly inside the website root folder:

wp-admin

wp-content

wp-includes

wp-config.php

index.php

.htaccess

Do not accidentally upload the files inside an extra folder unless your hosting setup requires it.

For example, this is correct:

public_html/wp-admin

public_html/wp-content

public_html/wp-config.php

This is usually wrong:

public_html/wordpress/wp-admin

public_html/wordpress/wp-content

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Step 6: Import the Database on the New Server

Open phpMyAdmin or your new hosting database manager.

Then:

Select the new empty database
Click Import
Upload the .sql database file you exported earlier
Click Go or Import

After the import is complete, your WordPress database has been moved to the new hosting account.

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Step 7: Update the wp-config.php File

Open the wp-config.php file on the new server.

Update the database details to match the new database:

define('DB_NAME', 'new_database_name');

define('DB_USER', 'new_database_user');

define('DB_PASSWORD', 'new_database_password');

define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

In many cases, the database host is:

localhost

However, some hosting providers use a different database host. If your site shows a database connection error, check the correct database host in your hosting panel.

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Step 8: Update the Website URL If Needed

If your domain name is staying the same, you may not need to change anything.

If you are moving the website to a new domain, you need to update the WordPress site URL in the database.

In phpMyAdmin, open the WordPress database and find the table:

wp_options

Look for these two rows:

siteurl

home

Update both values to the new website URL.

Example:

https://newdomain.com

If your table prefix is different, the table may not be called wp_options. It could be something like:

abc_options

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Step 9: Test the Website Before Changing DNS

Before pointing the domain to the new server, test the website if your hosting provider gives you a temporary URL or preview link.

Check important pages such as:

Homepage
Blog posts
Contact page
Login page
Forms
Images
Menus
Checkout page, if using WooCommerce

Also log in to WordPress admin and check that the dashboard works.

The WordPress admin URL is usually:

https://yourdomain.com/wp-admin

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Step 10: Point the Domain to the New Hosting Server

After confirming that the website works, update your domain DNS.

You may need to update:

Nameservers, or
A record, or
CNAME record

If your new hosting provider gives you nameservers, update the domain nameservers.

Example:

ns1.examplehost.com

ns2.examplehost.com

If your hosting provider gives you an IP address, update the domain’s A record.

Example:

A record

Name: @

Value: 123.123.123.123

DNS changes can take some time to fully update.

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Step 11: Install SSL on the New Hosting Account

After DNS points to the new server, install SSL for the domain.

Most hosting providers offer free SSL through Let’s Encrypt.

After SSL is active, make sure your website loads with:

https://yourdomain.com

You should also check that the website does not show mixed content warnings. Mixed content usually happens when some images, scripts, or styles still load using http:// instead of https://.

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Step 12: Fix Permalinks

After migration, log in to WordPress admin and go to:

Settings > Permalinks

Click Save Changes without changing anything.

This refreshes WordPress rewrite rules and can fix 404 errors on pages and posts.

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Step 13: Check File Permissions

Incorrect file permissions can cause errors after migration.

Common WordPress permissions are:

Folders: 755

Files: 644

wp-config.php: 600 or 640

Avoid setting everything to 777. That is insecure and can put your website at risk.

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Step 14: Final Website Checks

After the migration is complete, test the website carefully.

Check:

Website loads correctly
WordPress admin works
Images display properly
Contact forms send emails
Plugins are active
Theme settings are correct
SSL is working
Permalinks are working
No broken links
No missing CSS or JavaScript
WooCommerce checkout works, if applicable

You should also run a backup after the migration is complete.

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Common WordPress Migration Problems

Error Establishing a Database Connection

This usually means the database details in wp-config.php are incorrect.

Check:

Database name
Database username
Database password
Database host

404 Errors on Pages

Go to:

Settings > Permalinks

Then click Save Changes.

Images Are Missing

This usually means the wp-content/uploads folder was not fully uploaded.

Reconnect using SFTP and upload the missing files again.

Website Redirects to Old Domain

Update the siteurl and home values in the database. You may also need to search and replace the old domain inside the database.

White Screen or Critical Error

This can happen because of plugin, theme, or PHP version issues.

Try renaming the plugins folder using SFTP:

wp-content/plugins

Rename it to:

plugins-disabled

Then reload the website. If the site works, one of the plugins is causing the issue.

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Is SFTP Migration Safe?

Yes, SFTP migration is safe because the file transfer is encrypted. It is much safer than regular FTP.

However, SFTP only moves the website files. For a complete WordPress migration, you must also move the database.

The best practice is to take a full backup before starting the migration.

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Conclusion

Migrating WordPress using SFTP is a reliable method when you want full control over your website files. The process involves downloading the WordPress files, exporting the database, uploading the files to the new server, importing the database, updating wp-config.php, and pointing the domain to the new hosting account.

If done carefully, SFTP migration can move your WordPress website with minimal downtime and without relying on migration plugins.