What does a website transfer move?
A website transfer copies the site that already runs on the old host onto a new host, on the same domain. The job is the files, the database, and the mail. It is not a redesign, and it is not a new registrar account.
Changing website host, moving hosting, and putting the site on new website hosting are the same job when the site already exists. You are not starting from an empty account.
- Site files, usually the public folder and anything the application stores beside it.
- The database, exported and imported so it matches those files.
- Mailboxes and the messages already in them. A zip of the public folder often skips these.
- DNS, which you change last, after you have opened the new copy.
The domain can stay where it is registered. Nameservers or the A record are what send visitors to the new host.
Picking a plan, an IIS server, or a niche such as a musician site is a different decision. The steps below only move a site that already exists.
How do you transfer a website to a new host?
Build the copy while the old host is still the live site. Cancel that account only after the public domain shows the new server.
- Order the new hosting and leave the old plan running. Cancelling first deletes the files and the mail you still need.
- Save three copies off the old server: the site files, a SQL export of every database, and the mailboxes. When both hosts use cPanel, a full account backup is the shorter path. The cPanel to cPanel migration guide covers that restore.
- On the new host, upload the files, create a database, import the SQL, and recreate each mailbox. If the new username changes the database prefix, edit the site config before you decide the copy failed.
- Open the new server with its temporary URL, or add its IP to your computer's hosts file for the domain. The public website is still the old host, so that is not the test.
- When the preview shows the home page, one form, and one old email, point the domain at the new host. Lower the DNS TTL a day earlier if the old DNS still lets you.
- After a public lookup shows the new server, open the live home page and send one email from an outside mailbox. Cancel the old plan only after both work.
How do you know the new copy works?
The test passes when you can use the new server without changing public DNS. Use the temporary URL the host gives you, or map the domain to the new IP on your own computer.
- The home page and one inner page load, including images.
- A form, a login, or a test checkout submits.
- One old message opens in webmail on the new server.
- Any database error is gone after the config uses the new database name, user, and password.
A WordPress site keeps that database name in its config file. A static site has no database, so the file upload is the whole copy. Match the PHP version to the old account before you treat a plugin warning as a broken transfer.
Do you have to move the domain as well?
No. For a normal host change, leave the domain at the current registrar and point it at the new host. Use the new nameservers when the new host should publish DNS. Use the A record when DNS stays at the registrar.
On a WebJi® account the nameserver pair is often ns1.webji.in and ns2.webji.in. Type the hostnames from the welcome email. Change the website records and the MX records in the same edit when mail is moving too.
A registrar move is a different job. It needs an unlock and an authorisation code, and some domains cannot move for 60 days after registration or a contact change. Do it only when you also want a new registrar. Those steps are on the domain transfer page.
What happens to email during the move?
Email is not stored in the website folder. A zip of the public files leaves every inbox behind. A full account backup, or mailboxes you recreate and fill, is what moves the mail.
Open one old message on the new server before you change MX. New mail still arrives at the old host until that record changes, so do not delete the old mailbox on the day you upload the site. Ask for the inboxes in the same request as an email migration.
When should WebJi transfer the site?
Do the steps above yourself when the site is small and you have a backup you have already opened. Ask WebJi® when the site takes orders, holds years of mail, or you cannot get a backup. Order WebJi web hosting first so there is an account to restore into.
An approved move onto a hosting plan has no extra charge. It is subject to terms, it is not a button on the order form, and it is not instant. Email support@webji.services with a backup or the current host login, and leave the old host online until you have clicked through the copy.
A standalone data migration, without a hosting plan, is ₹700 one-time before 18% GST. That covers one domain: FTP files and up to five MySQL databases, up to 5 GB. Mail is not in that listed scope. A larger site is quoted by email before you pay.
| You move it | WebJi® after approval | |
|---|---|---|
| Old host | Stays online until you have checked the public site and mail | Stays online until you have checked the copy |
| What moves | Files, database, and mail you export | What the approval names, usually the site files and databases |
| Charge | Your time | No extra charge on an approved hosting plan |
| Without a hosting plan | You still do the export | ₹700 one-time before 18% GST, one domain, up to 5 GB |
| Not this job | A move of the registrar account | An instant switch, or a move that was not approved |
WebJi® is not the host you are leaving. We do not use another company's support line, and we do not start until the scope is approved.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I transfer my website to a new host?
Copy the files, the database, and the mail to the new host while the old host stays online. Open the new copy with a temporary URL or a hosts file. Change nameservers or the A record only after that copy works, then cancel the old plan after the public site uses the new server.
Will my website go down when I switch hosting?
It stays available when the new copy is tested first and the old host remains online while DNS updates. Some networks can show the old server for up to 48 hours. Cancelling the old plan before that check is what takes the site offline.
How long does a hosting transfer take?
Copy time depends on the size of the site and the speed of the two servers. After you change DNS, many networks update within a few hours and some take up to 48 hours. A registrar transfer is a slower, separate job. Email support@webji.services with the site size if you need a date for an approved move.
Do I have to transfer my domain too?
No. Point the domain you already have at the new host with nameservers or an A record. Move the registration only if you also want a new registrar. That uses an authorisation code and can be blocked for 60 days after registration or a contact change.
How do I move my email accounts to the new host?
Put the mailboxes in the backup, or recreate them on the new host and open one old message there before you change MX. New mail still arrives at the old host until MX changes, so leave that mailbox in place until outside mail arrives on the new server.
Does WebJi® transfer websites for free?
An approved move onto a WebJi® hosting plan has no extra charge and is subject to terms. It is not automatic and it is not instant. Email support@webji.services with a backup or the current host login. A standalone data migration is ₹700 one-time before 18% GST for one domain, FTP files, and up to five MySQL databases within 5 GB.
How much does a website migration cost?
An approved move with a WebJi® hosting plan has no extra charge. The standalone data migration service is ₹700 one-time before 18% GST for one domain within that 5 GB scope. A larger site is quoted by email at support@webji.services before you pay.