How to Transfer a WordPress Blog to Another Host & Domain

There are two different incarnations of the popular WordPress blogging platform. WordPress.com offers free blogging service. WordPress.org offers the software necessary to install the platform on your own site. Moving your existing WordPress.com blog to your own server with a personalized domain name takes a bit of doing, but it is not a complicated process. As long as you pay close attention to what files you are importing and where you are importing them to, you can have your blog successfully transferred in less than fifteen minutes.

Instructions

1. Login to your WordPress.com blog. Open the "Tools" menu. Click "Export." Save the XML (WXR) file to your computer.

2. Download the latest WordPress platform package from WordPress.org. Extract the files to your computer. Login to your web hosting account. Create a new database and associated MySQL user (the steps for this will vary depending on your hosting account's control panel).

3. Open the "wp-config-sample.php" file in a text editor. Enter your database and MySQL user details into their associated sections. Save the file and rename it "wp-config.php."

4. Upload all of the files from the WordPress package into your website's root directory on your hosting server. Using an FTP client for this task is highly recommended.

5. Type the following URL into your web browser to install WordPress on your website:

   http://yourwebsite.com/wp-admin/install.php

   Edit the URL to include your domain name. Follow the login instructions within your browser to access your WordPress dashboard.

6. Open the "Tools" menu. Click "Import." Select "WordPress." Upload the XML file from Step one. Select the "Download & import file attachments" option. Your WordPress.com blog will now be transferred to your new host.

References

• WordPress Support: Moving a Blog

Resources

• WordPress.org: Editing wp-config.php