Are you looking to clone WordPress websites?
Cloning an existing WordPress website is a critical first step in moving to a new host or doing client development on a local host. It also allows you to set up a staging site.
This article will show you how to easily copy a WordPress website in just a few steps.
What is WordPress Website Cloning? Why Use It?
Cloning a WordPress site is when you create an exact copy and then apply it to another website.
This is a smart decision that makes sense for many reasons.
A site can be moved to a new host or domain. Clone the site to speed up the process and save you lots of time.
Another reason to use localhost is when you are developing a website on behalf of a client. After the project is completed, you can easily copy the site to your client’s live web server.
A live WordPress site can be cloned, and a staging site can be created to test the changes before they are published.
Let’s now see how to clone WordPress sites in just a few steps.
Step 1. Setup the Duplicator WordPress Plugin for Easy Cloning
The Duplicator plug-in will be used in this tutorial. This powerful WordPress duplication and cloning plugin is still very beginner-friendly.
The plugin backups up everything on your website and saves it in a single file that you can move to another location.
The first thing you should do is activate the plugin and install it on the domain that you wish to clone. You can find more information in our step-by-step guide to installing a WordPress plugin.
Note: Duplicator has additional features such as scheduled backups and multisite migration. However, we will use the free version to complete this tutorial.
Step 2. Create a Duplicator Package for Your WordPress Site
After activation, go to Copy>>> and click the “Create New” button at the top.
You’ll then be taken to a screen that will ask you to give your duplicate a nickname.
Next, click on the “Next” button.
Duplicator will now begin its duplication wizard. To ensure that the plugin runs smoothly, it will run some tests.
It will warn you if it discovers an issue on any portion of your website and give you steps to fix it.
Once everything looks good, click on the “Build” button below the scan to proceed.
This plugin will backup all your WordPress files, images, templates, and plugins in one downloadable package.
The process can take up to a few minutes, depending on the size of your website.
Step 3. Prepare to Clone Your WordPress Site
After the backup is complete, you can download your files.
Two files are required to be downloaded: the archive file containing the backup and the installer, which will unpack it.
To download both files, you will need to click the “One-click Download” link.
These files are crucial to properly clone WordPress sites in a new location.
Step 4. Upload Your WordPress Site Archive and Installer to a New Location
Once you have created a backup of your site as well as the installer file, it is time to upload them to your new location.
You can either create a new site from scratch or one hosted on your local server. If the site is located on your local server, you will need to create a folder in your root folder. This is where all websites are stored on your local server.
For example, if you’re using MAMP, then it will be the ‘/Applications/MAMP/htdocs/’ folder.
Alternativ, it could be “C: wamp www” if you are using .
Next, open the folder that you have created for your cloned site and copy the installer and archive file into it.
If the website is live on another WordPress hosting site, you will need to upload these files using an FTP client.
This guide will show you how to use FTP to upload files into WordPress if this is your first time.
You must ensure that the folder contains only the installer.php file and no archive zip files.
Step 5. Create a New WordPress Database for Your Website
To unpack the cloned WordPress version, create a new WordPress database.
You can skip this step if you have already created a database.
You have a few options for creating a database. It all depends on whether the new site will be live or on your local server.
Log in to your hosting account dashboard and scroll down to the “Databases” section. Click the icon for the “MySQL Databases” option if you are using a live website.
You will be taken to a screen in which you must enter a name to your database.
Next, click on the “Create Database” button.
Next, add a user to your MySQL database. Scroll down to the section titled “MySQL Users”.
Next, create a username/password for your new user by clicking the “Create user” button.
After you have done this, you can add the user to your database.
Scroll down to the section ‘Add User To a Database’, select the user that you created in the Database dropdown, and then choose the database you created using the Database dropdown.
Click the “Add” button. Note the database name, username and password. This information will be required in the next step.
If you’re using a localhost installation, simply visit ‘http://localhost/phpmyadmin/ ‘ or ‘http://localhost:8080/phpmyadmin/’ in your web browser to launch phpMyAdmin.
Next, click on the “Menu” tab and then choose the “Database” option.
Next, enter a new name to your database.
Next, click on the “Create” button.
For the next step, you will need to know the name of the database. Localhost installation will use localhost as the host. The username will be root with a blank password.
Step 6. Run the WordPress Website Importer Script
Once all files have been sorted, run the Duplicator script. The script will extract your archive file within a matter of seconds.
To begin, enter your website URL in the browser. Next, add installer.php at the end. This will look something like, ‘https://example.com/installer.php’.
Replace “example.com” with your domain name or localhost address for your new site.
The Duplicator installer script will then appear on your screen. It will first automatically search for backup files and initial settings.
If no errors are found, please check the Terms and Notices box at the bottom. Click ‘Next’ to proceed.
Next, enter your WordPress database information.
This is the data from the database that you copied.
You will find a button to test your database at the bottom of this page.
If all goes well, you can click on the “Next” button.
Duplicator will now import the WordPress database. It will detect any changes automatically and fill in the fields ‘URL’ and ‘Path’ for you. To continue, simply click on the ‘Next” button.
Duplicator will finish the installation and you’ll see the admin login link.
It will take you to the WordPress admin area of the new site.
Step 7. Test Your Cloned Website and Delete Temporary Files
Now you can test your cloned WordPress site.
We recommend that you test both the WordPress a>a>a rel=”https://www.wpbeginner.com/glossary/admin/” title=”What’s the admin area in WordPress?”>
http://www.wpbeginner.com/glossary/admin/title=”What is the admin area in WordPress?”> If you have any WordPress errors then please refer to our beginner’s guide to troubleshooting WordPress mistakes.
After you are satisfied that everything has been imported correctly, you can delete any installation files created using the Duplicator plugin.
Go to Duplicator >>, then click the “Remove Installation Files” button.
This is it! You have successfully cloned WordPress.
Closing Thoughts about WordPress Website Cloning
Cloning WordPress sites is easy, provided you are replicating your own site.
You can’t copy someone’s WordPress site unless they give you their written permission.
You can also clone WordPress sites manually. This method doesn’t require WordPress admin access. We don’t believe that there are any benefits to this unless you have a large website.
We recommend the following method for most cases where you need to clone a WordPress website. It’s the most straightforward and comprehensive.
This article will help you clone WordPress sites easily. Also, check out our guide on the differences between domain names and web hosting as well as our expert picks for the best email marketing services to small businesses.
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