WordPress site changes can be a terrifying process. You have put much effort into creating a fantastic WordPress site; it is only natural to experience anxiety when making a significant change. However, with the help of the plugin Duplicator, it is no need to fret.
Duplicator is among the most popular WordPress Migration plugins. It is user-friendly and lets you back up, copy, or copy your entire WordPress website. It allows you to restore your WordPress site’s files to your host of choice, transfer them to a different host, or use them to set up a locally-based developing environment by creating a duplicate website. In this article, I will go into the details and guide you through the steps to use Duplicator.
Table Of Contents
- 1 How Duplicator Can Help You
- 2 How to Use Duplicator – Backup and Migration
- 2.1 Creating a Package of Your Site
- 3 Installing Your Site to a New Location
- 3.1 Running the Duplicator Installer
- 4 Wrapping Up
How Duplicator Can Help You
There are many ways Duplicator can simplify your life.
If you want to use a manual backup method, Duplicator is one of many fantastic WordPress tools for backing up, which you can use. If you buy the premium version of Duplicator, you can instantly back up external sites such as Dropbox, Google Drive, and many more.
However, Duplicator is more than simply a backup. It also allows you to transfer or clone your website to a different location, making most of the laborious process of migration. It has an installation interface that simplifies installing backup files onto the new host.
Additionally, you can use Duplicator to create your website’s localhost replica to help you develop your site. If your host does not offer integrated stages, it is a straightforward method of duplicating that function. You can experiment with modifications on a locally-hosted version of the website prior to deploying them to your live website. You can also use Duplicator to deploy your site If you wish.
How to Use Duplicator – Backup and Migration
To begin, install Duplicator as you would with similar to installing any similar WordPress plugin. Once you have activated it, you will be able to see an attractive fresh “Duplicator” option in the sidebar of your dashboard:
If you have a tremendous website, the first step is to open”Settings. “Settings” tab and change some options. If your website is not particularly big, you do not have to make any changes, and you can go into the following step.
The owners of sites with a large number of users must consider enabling two functions on this page:
- Try to keep the network alive. This will assist Duplicator in maintaining its connection if it has to create a particularly massive archive (e.g., you have many multimedia files).
- Make use of mysqldump. It is a much more reliable method to duplicate a vast database.
Creating a Package of Your Site
After that, you must develop a package for your website. This creates an archive of your website’s files and a scripted database version. To make it happen, you have to navigate to”Packages,” click on the “Packages” tab and click “Create New”:
Duplicator will now guide you through the process of setting up. If you are using the premium version of Duplicator, you can make it automatically backup your files to an external provider like Dropbox or Google Drive:
This plugin is free, but it permits the creation of a file, however.
Within the “Archive “Archive” options, you can use filters to remove specific databases or files from your application. Unless you are explicitly looking to filter something, it is lovely to use them as defaults:
The final set of settings includes “Installer.” These options are optional, but they can make a difference in time if you make an entire package to move your website. You can enter details for your new host and domain name:
This will pre-fill the fields you must fill when you move your website. Leave the fields empty and then fill them in later.
After you have completed everything you would like to After you have completed everything, then click “Next.”
The Duplicator will go through your website to verify that everything is fine. If everything is clear, all you have been doing is hit “Build”:
Depending on your website’s size, the building process could take a while. After completing the build, you will get a successful screen with two files.
It is recommended to download these two files by clicking the links. Below is the content of each file:
- An archive is a backup of your website’s database and other files.
- Installer is a PHP installation file that allows you to transfer your website.
If you are looking for an archive of your website, You are done! Keep the backups secure (ideally with multiple safe places) and relax.
If you want to migrate or copy your website to a new location, proceed to the next steps.
Installing Your Site to a New Location
In order to duplicate or migrate your website, you will require the following access rights on the new server:
- FTP access to upload installer files and archive files
- Access to create a database to allow Duplicator to utilize
In addition to those two points, Duplicator can handle everything else for you.
The first step is to utilize the FTP program to transfer your “installer.php” and archive files to the directory where you would like to host your website. Here is how it looks on my localhost server:
In order to upload your files, you will need to find your particular FTP information from your hosting provider.
The next step is to make an empty database. If you are unsure how to accomplish this, you may require instructions specific to the host you are using. If your host is using cPanel as well, you could follow these instructions for WordPress. WordPress.
Here is how databases look with the PHPMyAdmin:
Keep all critical information on hand, such as database username, database name, and password. You will require them for the next step.
Running the Duplicator Installer
Once your files have been uploaded, start your browser on the internet and navigate to the installer.php file you have uploaded. If you uploaded your files to your site’s root directory, you go to “yoursite.com/installer.php.” If you uploaded in a subfolder, go to “yoursite.com/subfoldername/installer.php.”
You will need to see an installer interface.
Input the details of the database you created, and hit “Test Connection” to make sure everything is functioning:
When the connection has been successful, select “Run Deployment” at the lower right of the screen. If it fails, ensure you have filled in the correct details for your database.
After you have clicked “Run Deployment,” verify that the updated details for your site are correct. Then click “Run Update.”
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