How to Duplicate or Migrate a WordPress Website Using the All-in-One WP Migration Plugin

Migrating a WordPress website can feel like a complex and risky task, especially for those who aren’t developers. Whether you’re moving your website to a new host, changing domains, or creating a clone for staging or development purposes, the process can seem intimidating. Fortunately, there’s an easy and reliable way to handle this — the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

This powerful WordPress plugin allows users to duplicate or migrate a full WordPress website, including the database, media files, plugins, and themes, with just a few clicks — no coding required. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know to successfully duplicate or migrate your WordPress website using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

Why Use All-in-One WP Migration?

Before diving into the how-to, let’s look at why All-in-One WP Migration is so widely recommended.

Benefits:

• No technical skills required: Perfect for beginners and non-developers.
• Complete backup and restore: Exports everything — database, media, plugins, and themes.
• Bypasses upload size limits (with premium extension).
• Compatible with most hosts.
• Supports find-and-replace for URLs and paths.
• Cloud storage options (e.g., Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive).

All-in-One WP Migration has over 5 million active installations and glowing reviews—and for good reason. It simplifies a typically stressful process into less than an hour.

Prerequisites for Migration

Before we begin, here’s what you’ll need:

• Access to the WordPress admin dashboard for both your old (source) and new (destination) site.
• Installed WordPress on the new site.
• The All-in-One WP Migration plugin is installed on both sites.
• Optional: FTP access or cPanel, especially for upload limit increases.

Step 1: Install All-in-One WP Migration on the Source Website

The source site is the website you want to duplicate or move.

• Log in to your WordPress admin dashboard.
• Go to Plugins > Add New.
• Search for “All-in-One WP Migration“.
• Click Install Now, then click Activate.

Once activated, you’ll see a new menu item called All-in-One WP Migration in the sidebar.

Step 2: Export the Website from the Source

• Navigate to All-in-One WP Migration > Export.
• Click on the “Export To” dropdown.

Choose File.

You can also choose other destinations such as:

• FTP
• Dropbox
• Google Drive
• OneDrive (with premium extensions
• Wait as the plugin compiles your website into a single .wpress file.
• When the export is finished, click Download to save the file to your computer.

Optional: You can exclude files or replace URLs during this process if you’re changing domains or want to reduce file size.

Step 3: Prepare the New (Destination) Website

This is where you will import your duplicated website.

1. Install a fresh version of WordPress on your new host or domain.
2. Log in to the admin dashboard.
3. Install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin the same way as on the source site:
   a. Go to Plugins > Add New
   b. Search and install All-in-One WP Migration
   c. Click Activate

Step 4: Import the Website to the Destination Site

• Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import.
• Click the Import From dropdown, and choose File.
• Select the .wpress file you downloaded earlier.
• The plugin will upload and extract the file. This may take a while, depending on file size and server speed.

If your file is larger than the default 512MB limit:

• You can buy the Unlimited Extension from ServMask.
• Or increase the upload size limit by editing:
  a. .htaccess
  b. php.ini
  c. wp-config.php

We’ll explain how to do this below.

• Once uploaded, you’ll see a warning saying “This action will overwrite your website…” — click Proceed.
• Let the tool complete the process (it will update the database, media, plugins, and themes).

Step 5: Log In to the New Website

Once the import is finished, the system logs you out.

• Use the original admin credentials from the source website to log in.
• If you forget them, you can use phpMyAdmin to reset the admin password or contact your host.

Step 6: Final Cleanup and Post-Migration Steps

After migration, you need to finalize your setup:

1. Reset Permalinks

• Go to Settings > Permalinks
• Click Save Changes (no need to modify anything)
• This regenerates the .htaccess file for correct URL routing

2. Test Everything

• Browse your site to ensure images load, links work, and the design is intact.
• Check contact forms, login pages, and any dynamic content.
• Verify that plugins are functioning properly.

3. Update Site URL (If Domain Has Changed)

If you’re changing the domain:

• Use a plugin like Better Search Replace to update old URLs in the database.
• Alternatively, use the find/replace feature during export or import in All-in-One WP Migration.

How to Increase the Upload Limit (Optional)

If your export file is larger than the allowed size, you have a few options:

Option 1: Edit .htaccess

Option 2: Edit php.ini

Option 3: Edit wp-config.php

Add this before the /* That's all, stop editing! */ line:

@ini_set('upload_max_size', '512M');
@ini_set('post_max_size', '512M');
@ini_set('memory_limit', '512M');

If these options don’t work, contact your hosting provider or use the plugin’s Unlimited Extension.

Use Cases for Duplicating or Migrating Your WordPress Site

• Changing Hosting Providers
• Switching Domains
• Moving from a Localhost to Live Server
• Creating a Staging Environment
• Backing up a Site Before Redesign
• Duplicating a Template for Reuse

All-in-One WP Migration is flexible enough to handle all of these scenarios without needing technical know-how.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Conclusion

Duplicating or migrating a WordPress website doesn’t have to be overwhelming. With the All-in-One WP Migration plugin, the process becomes simple, fast, and safe. Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced user, this tool streamlines everything — from backups to full site transfers — without the need for FTP, MySQL, or code.

Just follow the steps in this guide:

1. Install the plugin on both sites
2. Export from the old site
3. Import to the new site
4. Finalize and test

In just a few clicks, you’ll have a fully functional duplicate of your site — ready to go live, test, or develop further