You migrate a website from HostGator by copying the files and the database while that account is still paid, testing the copy, and only then changing DNS. The domain registration can stay where it is. Keep the old account up until the new host is serving the pages and the mail. WebJi® is not HostGator.
What do you copy before you cancel HostGator?
WebJi® wrote this checklist. WebJi® is not HostGator, and this is not their support desk. Their phone numbers and support addresses are not listed here.
Copy the site while the live account is still paid. A public HostGator hosting page, read on 29 October 2026, advertises a free tool that moves WordPress sites onto HostGator. That tool is the wrong direction for this job.
Moving from their shared plan to their own VPS keeps the site at HostGator. To leave, pick a host that can take the files, including shared hosting at WebJi®.
| Piece | What you do | Done when |
|---|---|---|
| Site files | Copy them while the account is paid | The archive contains the site, not an empty folder |
| Database | Export it from the panel you have | The new host imports it and your pages show |
| Mailboxes | Copy them with IMAP before MX changes | A test message sends and a reply arrives |
| Domain registration | Leave it, unless you want a new registrar | The name still exists after the DNS edit |
| Certificate | Issue a new one on the new host | The address you test shows a lock |
A website backup does not include the mailbox. DNS records are not inside the file archive either. Write those down before you change anything. A domain transfer is only for a new registrar, and a name registered in the last 60 days often cannot move yet.
How do you move the site, step by step?
Take the files and the database before you cancel, and before you change DNS. Do these steps in order. Stop if a check fails.
- Write down the current nameservers and the A, MX, and TXT records. Lower the TTL a day ahead if the DNS host allows it.
- Download the site files and export the database while HostGator still serves the live site. If the panel is cPanel, use its full backup. If it is not, take the site folder and a database export. The menu names are not guessed here, because a HostGator panel was not opened for this article.
- Restore into an empty account on the new host. Open the copy on a temporary hostname, or with a hosts-file override. Click the home page, one inner page, a form, and a login.
- If people post or pay during the copy, export the database again immediately before DNS, or pause new writes on the old site for that window. A site that changes only when you edit it does not need the second export.
- Create the same mailboxes on the new host and copy the old mail with an IMAP program. Send a test from outside and reply to it before you change MX.
- Point the A record at the new host, or switch to the nameservers the new host gave you. Changing nameservers is the same job at any registrar.
- When the public name answers, repeat the page and mailbox checks. If one fails, put the DNS values from the first step back.
A WordPress site is still those files plus one database. The database name sits in wp-config.php. A plugin that packs the site is optional. It does not change DNS, and it does not move the mailbox.
Changing the domain name at the same time is a different job. This checklist keeps the same domain and only changes the host.
How do you keep the old mail?
A file backup of the website does not bring the inbox. Copy the mail with an IMAP program while the HostGator account is still up. Create the same addresses on the new host first.
Leave MX on the old host until a message from outside arrives and a reply goes back. Changing the website A record and changing MX are two edits. You can do them on different days.
You know the mail worked when that send and that reply both land in the new mailbox, not when the website home page loads.
How do you change DNS without a long outage?
The copy already runs on the new host before anyone's DNS changes. Visitors move when the A record or the nameservers change, and only for as long as the old TTL lasts. That is why the old account stays paid.
Use the nameservers the new host gave you, or change only the A record if DNS stays at the current host. After the public name answers, check the home page, one inner page, a form, and a mailbox.
If any of those checks fail, put the previous DNS values back. They are the ones you wrote down before the copy.
A HostGator help page, read on 29 October 2026, says their migration requests need 72 hours or longer, and that the free move does not change nameservers. That is their service. This checklist does not wait on it, and WebJi® is not that company.
When can you cancel the HostGator plan?
Cancel only after the new host has served the site and the mail for a few days. Cancelling on the same day as the DNS change leaves no way back if a mailbox or a page was missed.
If you cancel hosting before the copy is tested, the live site and the files you still need can go offline together. Keep the account paid through the checks above.
Can WebJi move the site?
Yes, if you want that, and only after terms are approved. It is not instant, and it is not automatic on every order. The migration service is the request. Email support@webji.services in Hindi or English. The average first reply is under 60 minutes.
Do not call the office number for the move. The steps above are enough for any host that can take the files and the database. A hosting plan is a separate bill, priced before 18% GST on the shared hosting page. The move itself is free only when the terms are approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to transfer my domain away from HostGator?
No. Moving the website is a DNS change. The registration can stay at HostGator if they are the registrar, or wherever it is now. Transfer only if you want a different registrar. A name registered in the last 60 days often cannot move yet, and the transfer needs an authorization code.
Will the site go down while I copy it?
The copy happens while the old site is still live. Visitors switch when DNS changes, and only for as long as the old TTL lasts. Keeping the old account up covers that window. Test the copy on a temporary address before you change DNS.
How do I keep the old email?
Copy it with an IMAP mail program before you change MX. Create the same addresses on the new host first. Test a send and a reply. Then change MX. A file backup of the website does not include the mailbox.
Where is the backup if I do not see a cPanel button?
Use the panel you already have. If that panel is cPanel, use its full backup. If it is not, download the site files and export the database. No support number is published here to ask HostGator for the file.
When can I cancel the HostGator plan?
After the new host has served the site and the mail for a few days. Cancelling on the same day as the DNS change leaves no way back if a mailbox was missed. Cancelling before the copy is tested can take the live site offline.
Can WebJi do the move?
A move onto WebJi® is optional and only happens after terms are approved. It is not an instant button. Email support@webji.services in Hindi or English. The checklist above is enough for any new host that can take the files and the database.