How to Migrate Your Website to Hostinger for Free

Last updated: October 2026

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Moving your website to a new host feels risky because the failure modes are obvious: a broken live site, lost files, or downtime that costs sales. That fear keeps many site owners on underperforming servers for years. The good news in 2026 is that migrating to Hostinger is largely an automated, free process — and if you sequence the steps correctly, visitors never notice the switch.

Hostinger includes unlimited free website migrations with its hosting plans, handles WordPress and other platforms, and states that its AI-assisted migration runs "without hassle or downtime," backed by 24/7 support and a 30-day money-back guarantee. In this guide you get the full picture: what to prepare before you touch anything, how the automated tool works, what actually happens with WooCommerce and email, how to cut DNS over with zero downtime, and how to verify — and roll back — after the move.

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What Is the Hostinger Migration Tool?

The Hostinger migration tool is an automated feature built into the hPanel dashboard. It securely copies your entire website — files, database, and plugins — from your old host (Bluehost, SiteGround, GoDaddy, or any cPanel provider) to Hostinger's servers without you downloading zip archives or configuring FTP.

Three things changed for the better in 2026:

1. Migrations are unlimited and free — not one complimentary migration per account, but as many sites as your plan covers.
2. AI assists the process — Hostinger's on-page promise is that AI automates the migration with no downtime, and hPanel now includes an AI agent that can help diagnose issues mid-move.
3. Realistic published timings — Hostinger states a simple automatic WordPress migration is typically done in under two hours, while cPanel-based sites on other open-source CMSs (Laravel, PrestaShop, and similar) usually take more than 20 hours because they require manual handling.

That timing gap matters for planning: if you run a standard WordPress site, you can realistically start and finish the move in an afternoon. If you run a custom CMS, budget a full day of buffer and keep your old host active until you've verified everything.

The official migration page lists the current scope of the service: Hostinger website migration.

Pre-Migration Checklist: Do This Before Anything Moves

Every migration failure story starts with a skipped preparation step. Before you request the migration, spend 30 minutes here:

1. Take your own full backup

Even though the migration copies your site, never rely on someone else's copy of your only asset:

• Files: use your old host's backup tool or download everything via FTP/SFTP.
• Database: export via phpMyAdmin or your host's backup feature. For WordPress, the WordPress moving documentation describes the export/import process step by step.
• Store the backup somewhere unrelated to either host (your computer or cloud storage).

2. Inventory what your site actually uses

List your plugins and themes, note which ones are licensed (license keys often deactivate when the domain's hosting changes IP), and screenshot your old host's PHP version. Matching the PHP version on the new host prevents the most common post-migration error.

3. Lower your DNS TTL now

Find your domain's current TTL (time to live) at your registrar and drop it to 300 seconds (5 minutes) at least 24 hours before migration. When TTL is low, the later DNS cutover propagates in minutes instead of up to 48 hours — this single step is the biggest lever for zero-downtime migration.

4. Know your email situation

If your email lives on the old host, plan the mailbox move in parallel (full checklist below). Email is the thing people forget until messages stop arriving.

5. Keep the old host alive

Do not cancel your old hosting yet. You want it as a fallback for at least a week after the move.

Step-by-Step: Requesting the Free Migration

If you want to move your website without paying a developer, follow these steps:

1. Create your Hostinger account — choose a plan that fits your site (shared hosting covers most WordPress sites; cloud plans fit WooCommerce stores).
2. Open the migration dashboard — in hPanel, go to Websites → Migrate Website (during onboarding the same option appears in the setup flow).
3. Select the migration method — choose WordPress for WP sites, or the cPanel/other-host option for everything else.
4. Enter your old-host details — for WordPress: site URL plus admin username and password. For cPanel transfers: the cPanel login URL, username, and password, or a full cPanel backup link.
5. Submit the request — Hostinger's migration team and automation start the transfer, and you can track progress in the dashboard.
6. Wait for the completion email — standard WordPress moves typically finish in under two hours; complex cPanel CMS moves can take more than 20 hours. Don't touch DNS until the migration is confirmed complete.

Migration Methods Comparison

Manual migration still has a place: developers moving staging setups or micro-sites often prefer exporting the database, uploading files via SFTP, and importing on the new side. For everyone else, the automated path exists precisely to remove that work.

Migrating a WooCommerce Store: Extra Care Required

WooCommerce stores can use the automated tool, but a store carries live order data and payment webhooks, so add these safeguards:

• Migrate during your lowest-traffic window and put a brief maintenance notice up only during final DNS cutover (minutes, not hours).
• Deactivate payment gateways before the move and reactivate after — you don't want webhooks firing at two hosts simultaneously and double-processing events.
• Never search-replace the bare domain with a plain text editor on the database dump. Serialized PHP data (order meta, plugin settings) breaks when string lengths change. Use a tool built for serialized data, such as the interconnect/IT search-replace script or the Better Search Replace plugin.
• Test a full checkout on the new server via the hosts-file trick (below) before switching DNS — place a test order with a sandbox payment method and refund it after.
• Keep order emails flowing — SMTP plugins with external credentials (any SMTP provider) survive migrations cleanly; server-local mail (mail() via PHP) often silently breaks on a new host.

Manual migration still has a place: developers moving staging setups or micro-sites often prefer exporting the database, uploading files via SFTP, and importing on the new side. For everyone else, the automated path exists precisely to remove that work.

The DIY Path: Manual Migration in Eight Steps

If you'd rather move the site yourself — full control, no credentials shared with anyone — here is the professional sequence:

1. Export the database from your old host via phpMyAdmin (Export → Quick → SQL).
2. Download all files via SFTP (FileZilla or rsync if you have shell access), including wp-content, .htaccess, and wp-config.php.
3. Create the destination in hPanel: add the site, create a database and user, and note the credentials hPanel shows you.
4. Upload the files to the new site's directory via hPanel's File Manager or SFTP.
5. Import the database using phpMyAdmin on the new host.
6. Edit wp-config.php with the new database name, username, password, and host — and set WP_HOME/WP_SITEURL only if you're changing the domain.
7. Fix serialized URLs with Better Search Replace or the interconnect/IT script — never a plain text replace (WooCommerce stores: this is mandatory, see the store section).
8. Test via the hosts-file trick, then cut DNS as described below.

Budget 1–3 hours for a typical WordPress site the first time you do this. The payoff of manual migration is knowledge: after one full move you understand exactly what your site consists of, which makes every future migration — and every debugging session — faster.

Email Migration Checklist

Don't lose business email during the transfer:

1. Audit existing mailboxes — list every active address on the old server, including aliases and forwarders.
2. Recreate the accounts — in Hostinger's Email dashboard, create exact matches for each address before pulling messages.
3. Import via IMAP — Hostinger includes an IMAP import tool; enter the old server's IMAP host, the email address, and its password to sync old messages into the new inbox.
4. Update MX and SPF/DKIM records — if your domain's DNS is managed outside Hostinger, update the MX records and re-create SPF/DKIM/DMARC so outbound mail doesn't land in spam.
5. Reconfigure devices — point Outlook, Apple Mail, and phone clients at Hostinger's incoming/outgoing servers.

Zero-Downtime DNS Propagation Guide

The critical cutover: repointing your domain without anyone noticing. DNS changes can take up to 48 hours to propagate globally — but that only matters for the change, not your uptime, if the old and new servers both serve the site during the window.

1. Do not change DNS yet. The domain keeps pointing at the old host while files and database are copied.
2. Find your new IP — locate the Hostinger server IP in hPanel.
3. Use the hosts-file trick — edit your local computer's hosts file to map your domain to the Hostinger IP. Only you see the new server; the world still sees the old one. Browse the entire site, test forms, checkout, and search.
4. Flip the nameservers — when satisfied, update the nameservers at your registrar (or the A record if you keep external DNS). Because you lowered TTL earlier, most visitors switch within minutes.
5. Reissue SSL — activate the free SSL/Let's Encrypt certificate in hPanel immediately after cutover; HTTPS is part of the migration, not an optional extra.

When to Schedule Your Migration

Timing doesn't affect the mechanics, but it affects the blast radius if something needs attention:

• Weekdays, morning in your support region's timezone — if the migration team needs input, humans are on shift, not a chatbot queue at 2 AM.
• Avoid peak sales windows — Black Friday week, Ramadan promotions, launch days. A migration during peak traffic amplifies every cache and DNS hiccup.
• Not Friday evening — a 48-hour propagation window that starts Friday spans the weekend, when the slowest possible support response meets your site's busiest browsing days.
• After a full backup, always — the checklist above is not optional no matter how calm the calendar looks.

None of these are hard blockers; they just turn a "probably fine" move into a boring, uneventful one — which is exactly what every good migration should feel like when it is done right.

Post-Migration Verification Checklist

Run through this before you consider the move done:

If you measure before and after (you should), our Hostinger speed test for MENA-facing sites shows the realistic load-time improvements you can expect from regions like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and the UAE — and what to tune in hPanel to get them.

Rollback Plan: When Something Goes Wrong

Rollback is why you kept the old host alive:

1. DNS is the switch. Point the domain back at the old host (with a 5-minute TTL, this takes minutes).
2. The old site is still intact — nothing was deleted there, so traffic resumes as before.
3. Diagnose on the new server using the hosts-file trick, fix, and cut over again.

The only irreversible part is email: messages that arrived at Hostinger's mailboxes during the test window stay there, so complete email cutover last, after everything else is verified.

Common Migration Errors and Real-World Fixes

• Error 500 (internal server error): usually a corrupted .htaccess or mismatched PHP version. Regenerate .htaccess from hPanel's file manager and match the PHP version to your old host.
• Database connection error: wp-config.php still points at the old database. Update the database name, username, and password shown in your Hostinger dashboard.
• Missing images: media URLs still reference a temporary address. Run Better Search Replace across the database to repoint them to your live domain.
• White screen after enabling a cache plugin: the plugin cached paths from the old server. Clear its cache, or delete its cache folder via File Manager, then reconfigure.

If you are planning to grow after the move, see our guide on building an online store step by step.

Ready to make the switch? Get started with Hostinger and claim your discount →

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Hostinger migrate websites for free?

Yes. Migrations are free and unlimited on Hostinger's hosting plans — you can use the automated hPanel tool for WordPress or request support-assisted migration for cPanel and custom setups at no extra cost.

How long does Hostinger migration take?

Hostinger states a typical automatic WordPress migration completes in under two hours. Support-assisted migrations of cPanel sites usually finish within 24–48 hours, and complex open-source CMS platforms (Laravel, PrestaShop) can take more than 20 hours of manual handling.

How do I transfer my domain to Hostinger?

You don't need to transfer registration. To point the domain at Hostinger, change the nameservers at your current registrar to Hostinger's nameservers (shown in hPanel), or update the A record if you prefer keeping external DNS.

Will my website go down during migration?

No — if you follow the correct order. Migrate files and database first, test the new server via the hosts-file trick, and update DNS only afterward. Both servers serve your site during the propagation window, so visitors never hit a blank page.

How do I use the Hostinger migration tool?

Log into hPanel, open Websites → Migrate Website, pick your platform, enter your old host's credentials (WordPress admin, or cPanel login), and submit. Track progress in the dashboard until the completion email arrives.

Can I migrate emails to Hostinger?

Yes. Create matching mailboxes in Hostinger's Email dashboard, then use the built-in IMAP import tool with your old server's mail settings to pull existing messages across. Update MX, SPF, and DKIM records as the final step.

What details are needed for Hostinger migration?

For automated WordPress migration: your site URL plus WordPress admin username and password. For a cPanel transfer: the cPanel login URL, username, and password from your old host, or a full cPanel backup file.

How do I move from Bluehost to Hostinger?

Create a Hostinger account, request a cPanel or WordPress migration in hPanel, provide your Bluehost credentials, wait for the copy to complete, test via the hosts-file trick, then update DNS. Bluehost's cPanel layout is directly supported by the migration tool.

Your Next Step

Learning how to migrate your website to Hostinger does not require a computer science degree. The tooling is automated, the migration is free and unlimited, and the zero-downtime sequence — migrate, test via hosts file, cut DNS — keeps your site live the entire time. The entire risk profile reduces to one discipline: prepare a backup, keep the old host alive, and verify before you switch.

Start your free Hostinger migration →

Sources

• Hostinger — Free website migration — official scope, timings, and guarantee
• WordPress.org — Moving WordPress documentation — export/import and URL-change procedures
• PageSpeed Insights — post-migration performance verification
• Hostinger — How to point a domain to your hosting — nameserver and DNS cutover walkthrough
• MDN — DNS glossary — how DNS resolution and caching work