Migrate a Website from Bluehost

What a move off Bluehost has to carry

Moving a site off Bluehost means downloading the files and MySQL database from its cPanel, syncing mailboxes over IMAP, testing on the new server's IP, then switching nameservers. The domain can stay at Bluehost. WebJi® is not Bluehost and does not use their migration tool, which moves sites the other way.

Bluehost's paid migration service covers one website and explicitly leaves email out. So the site and the mail are two jobs, with two tests, and they can finish on different days.

Copy the site files out of Bluehost cPanel

Open the Bluehost portal, choose the site under Websites, then open cPanel for File Manager, phpMyAdmin and Backups. The document root is public_html, or a subfolder if the site was installed under one.

1. In cPanel open Files, then File Manager, and go to public_html.
2. Select all files, choose Compress, and create public_html.zip in the same folder.
3. Download the archive with the File Manager download option, not an FTP client that may time out mid-file.
4. If the archive is over about 500 MB, split the job: take wp-content first, then the rest of the files.

cPanel's Full Account Backup is faster when the plan offers it, because it includes the databases. Download it, then check the file size against the disk usage figure in cPanel before you trust it.

Export the database and import it on WebJi

Export the database while the site is still live, then import it into a database created on WebJi. The table prefix and the wp-config.php values have to match at the end, or WordPress shows a database connection error.

1. In cPanel open phpMyAdmin, select the database named in wp-config.php, and use Export with the SQL format.
2. Or dump it over SSH: mysqldump --single-transaction --routines --triggers -u USER -p DBNAME > DBNAME.sql
3. On WebJi open MySQL Databases, create the database and a user, and grant all privileges on that database.
4. Import through phpMyAdmin, or run mysql -u USER -p DBNAME < DBNAME.sql.
5. Edit wp-config.php with the new DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD and DB_HOST, then load the site.

Keep the domain the same during the test and no search-replace is needed. That is one common WordPress failure removed before it starts.

Move the mailboxes before MX changes

Bluehost may host the mail itself or hand it to Google Workspace. Check the MX records first: if they point at Google, mail is not on Bluehost and does not move with the website.

1. On WebJi open Email Accounts and create each address, alias and forwarder with the same spelling.
2. Copy the old mail over IMAP, dry run first: imapsync --host1 mail.bluehost --user1 you@domain --password1 OLD --host2 mail.webji --user2 you@domain --password2 NEW --automap --dry
3. Run it without --dry, then again. The second pass picks up mail that arrived during the first.
4. Compare folder counts, send an outside test message, and only then change MX and the SPF record.

Bluehost sells mailbox migration at $99 per mailbox, read on 29 October 2026. An IMAP copy does the same job for the price of your time, if the mailbox is under a few gigabytes.

What changes for WordPress after the move

WordPress itself moves cleanly; the host-specific parts do not. Expect to touch four things after the files and database land, before you call the move finished.

• Permalinks: open Settings, then Permalinks, and save once, or run wp rewrite flush. Rewrite rules are rebuilt, so /about/ resolves again.
• Cache: delete the old host's caching plugin and any mu-plugin it left in wp-content/mu-plugins, then install WebJi's LiteSpeed cache.
• Cron: check WP-Cron entries and any real cron job in cPanel. Paths that named the old home directory have to change.
• Mail plugins: an SMTP plugin still points at the old mail server. Update the host, port and credentials, then send a test.

If the site used Bluehost's staging or a page builder with licence checks, re-save those settings too. Licences often bind to the domain, so they survive the move, but the cached validation does not.

Test the copy before the nameservers move

Test with the real domain pointed at the new IP from one machine. The hosts file does that without changing public DNS, and the SSL certificate can be issued before the switch.

• macOS or Linux: add 203.0.113.10 example.com www.example.com to /etc/hosts.
• Windows: the same line in C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts, saved as administrator.
• One-off check: curl -I --resolve example.com:443:203.0.113.10 https://example.com/

Walk the site as a visitor, then as the editor: home page, an inner permalink, an image, the stylesheet, a form submission, and a wp-admin login that saves a draft. You know it worked when every item passes over HTTPS and the response headers come from the new server.

Remove the hosts entry after the test. Leaving it in place hides DNS problems from your own browser for as long as it stays there.

Cut DNS over and keep Bluehost paid for a week

Lower the TTL on the A record to 300 seconds a day before the switch. Then change the nameservers, or just the A record, and keep the old account live until the new one has served a full week.

1. Write down the current values: dig +short NS example.com and dig +short A example.com.
2. If the domain is registered at Bluehost, open Domains, then Manage, then Nameservers. Otherwise make the change at your registrar.
3. Verify from two resolvers: dig +short example.com @1.1.1.1 and dig +short example.com @8.8.8.8.
4. Rollback is the old value copied back. Bluehost is still paid, so the site returns as soon as the TTL expires.
5. Cancel after a week, and download a final backup before the account closes.

The nameserver guide covers registrars other than Bluehost. Cached resolvers follow the old TTL, so some visitors reach Bluehost after the change; that gap is the reason for the week.

Bluehost's price and WebJi's price for the same move

Bluehost's migration page, read on 29 October 2026, lists $149.99 per website for a 2–4 business day move with email excluded, and $99 per mailbox. WebJi® charges ₹700 one-time for one domain with FTP files and up to five MySQL databases under 5 GB, before 18% GST.

Shared hosting is the usual landing point for a Bluehost shared site. A WordPress or WooCommerce store with heavier traffic belongs on WordPress hosting, and the migration service page explains what the paid move covers. Free migration is subject to terms and approval.