WordPress cPanel migration checklist for India — 2026

Migrating a WordPress site between cPanel hosts is a process where every step has a failure mode. The most common migration disasters — email downtime, broken WooCommerce webhooks, SSL errors — are all preventable. This checklist is what the HostStack migration team runs through on every free migration.

Phase 1: Before you touch anything (48 hours before)

1. Lower DNS TTLs to 300 seconds — Do this at your registrar or DNS provider 48 hours before migration. This ensures that when you update A records, DNS propagates in minutes rather than hours. Check current TTLs with dig yourdomain.in A +short
2. Take a full backup from old cPanel — Go to old cPanel → Backup Wizard → Full Account Backup. Download it locally, not just to remote storage.
3. Export WordPress database separately — phpMyAdmin → Export → SQL format. Even if you have the cPanel backup, a separate DB export is a faster restore target.
4. List all active email forwards and cron jobs — These are the most forgotten items. In old cPanel, go to Email → Forwarders and note every address. In Cron Jobs, screenshot all entries.
5. Document installed SSL certificates — Note which domains have SSL and whether they are AutoSSL (Let's Encrypt) or paid certificates. Paid certs will need to be reissued or transferred.
6. List WooCommerce webhooks and payment gateway IPs — In WooCommerce → Settings → Advanced → Webhooks, note all endpoints. Payment gateways that whitelist server IPs (Razorpay, CCAvenue, PayU) need to be updated with the new server IP.

Phase 2: Setting up the new hosting account

1. Add the domain to new cPanel as an Add-On Domain — Do not point DNS yet. Use a temporary URL (e.g. your-server-ip/~cpanelusername/) to test the site first.
2. Upload WordPress files — Use cPanel File Manager or FTP to upload to the correct public_html folder.
3. Create MySQL database and import the SQL export — In new cPanel → MySQL Databases → Create database and user → phpMyAdmin → Import your SQL file.
4. Update wp-config.php — Update DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST to match the new database credentials.
5. Run a search-replace on URLs if server is different — Use WP-CLI or the Better Search Replace plugin to replace the old temp URL with the real domain in all database records. This fixes broken internal links.
6. Test on temporary URL — Verify the homepage loads, admin panel works, WooCommerce product pages load, and checkout process completes in test mode.
7. Recreate email accounts in new cPanel — Create each mailbox before MX cutover. Run IMAP migration to copy messages from old to new.

Phase 3: DNS cutover (low-traffic window)

Choose a low-traffic time — typically 2–5 AM IST for most Indian sites. Avoid Friday nights before Diwali or any sale event.

1. Update A record to new server IP — Your domain registrar or DNS provider. Set TTL to 300.
2. Wait 15 minutes then verify propagation: nslookup yourdomain.in 8.8.8.8
3. Issue AutoSSL on new cPanel — cPanel → SSL/TLS → Manage SSL Sites → Let's Encrypt. Must run after A record propagates.
4. Update MX records to new mail server — Do this only after verifying WordPress loads correctly. MX cutover is a separate step.
5. Notify payment gateway of new IP — Update IP whitelist with Razorpay/PayU/CCAvenue within the same window.

Phase 4: Go-live verification checklist

• Homepage loads with HTTPS (padlock) — no mixed content warnings
• WordPress admin panel (/wp-admin/) is accessible
• A test WooCommerce order completes in test mode (Razorpay sandbox or equivalent)
• An email sent to your domain address arrives at the new mailbox
• SPF and DKIM records are valid — check with MXToolbox or cPanel → Email Deliverability
• Cron jobs recreated and tested — check WP Cron or server cron for scheduled events
• Google Search Console shows no new crawl errors after 48 hours
• Core Web Vitals (PageSpeed Insights) score on new server matches or exceeds old server

Rollback plan

Keep the old hosting account active for at least 7 days after migration. If something breaks, change the A record back to the old server IP (propagates in minutes with TTL 300). The old account is your insurance policy — cancel it only after the new setup has run without issues for a full week.

Frequently asked questions