Migrate WordPress to Hostinger (2026)

Moving a WordPress site to a new host sounds risky — one wrong step and your site shows a white screen right when customers are trying to buy. The good news: moving to Hostinger is one of the smoothest migrations in shared hosting, because you get two solid paths. You can let Hostinger’s team move the site for you for free, or do it yourself in about an hour with a migration plugin. Done right, visitors never notice a thing.

This guide covers both methods end to end: the prep work that prevents 90% of problems, the free automatic migration, the do-it-yourself plugin method, the DNS cutover that keeps you at zero downtime, and the checklist to run after the move.

Before you start: 10 minutes of prep

Every failed migration I have seen in forum threads traces back to skipped prep. Do these four things before touching anything:

1. Back up the old site. Export a full backup (files + database) from your current host and download it. If anything goes sideways, this is your rewind button.
2. Lower your DNS TTL. In your DNS settings, set the TTL (time to live) on your A record to 300–600 seconds, 24–48 hours before the move. A low TTL means the DNS switch propagates in minutes instead of hours.
3. List what else lives on the old account. Email accounts, subdomains, cron jobs, staging sites — migrations copy the WordPress site, not necessarily everything around it. Email especially needs a separate plan (see below).
4. Note your PHP version and must-have plugins. If the old site runs an ancient PHP version, some plugins may behave differently on Hostinger’s newer PHP. Nothing usually breaks, but it is worth knowing.

Method 1: Free automatic migration (easiest)

Hostinger offers a free website migration service: their team copies your WordPress site — files, database, themes, plugins — onto your new hosting account. Here is how it works:

1. Get a Hostinger plan and add your domain. Any shared plan works for a standard WordPress site — the Unlimited plan suits larger sites and stores. In hPanel, go to Websites and add the domain you are migrating. Do not change your DNS yet.
2. Request the migration. In hPanel, look for Websites → Migrate Website (wording can vary slightly). You will be asked for access to the old site — typically your old WordPress admin login or hosting/FTP credentials.
3. Wait for the copy. Simple sites are usually copied within 24 hours; large or complex ones can take up to 48. You will be notified when it is done.
4. Review on a temporary URL. Before switching DNS, open the migrated copy and click through it: homepage, a few posts, contact forms, checkout if you run a store. Report anything broken before you point the domain at it.
5. Switch your DNS. Only when the copy looks right, point your domain to Hostinger (covered in the DNS section below).

The number of free migrations and exactly what is included can change, so confirm the current terms in hPanel when you request it. If you would rather keep full control — or you are migrating several sites — Method 2 is for you.

Method 2: Manual migration with a plugin (full control)

The All-in-One WP Migration plugin (free tier handles most small-to-medium sites) moves a WordPress site as a single file. The process:

1. On the OLD site: install All-in-One WP Migration, go to Export, and export the site to a file. Download the file to your computer.
2. On Hostinger: use hPanel’s auto-installer to create a fresh WordPress install on your domain (or a temporary domain if you have not switched DNS yet).
3. On the NEW site: install the same plugin, go to Import, and upload the file from step 1. Large sites may need the import-size extension — the plugin will tell you if the file is too big.
4. Fix permalinks. Go to Settings → Permalinks and click Save twice. This rebuilds rewrite rules and fixes most “page not found” errors after a move.
5. Check uploads and links. Open the Media Library and a few pages. If images are missing, the import likely hit a size limit — re-export with the file-size extension.
6. Switch DNS (next section), then delete the fresh-install content you no longer need.

Want this method in finer detail, plugin screen by plugin screen? Our companion walkthrough covers it: How to Migrate WordPress to Hostinger.

The DNS cutover: how to get zero downtime

DNS is what points your domain name at a server. The trick to zero downtime is simple: keep the old site live until the new one is verified, then switch.

1. Find where your DNS lives. It is either at your domain registrar (Namecheap, Cloudflare, etc.) or at your old host. Change it wherever it currently lives — changing it in the wrong place does nothing.
2. Option A — change nameservers to Hostinger’s (shown in hPanel under DNS/Nameservers). This hands all DNS management to Hostinger.
3. Option B — change the A record to Hostinger’s server IP (found in hPanel → Websites → Dashboard → server details). Use this if you prefer to keep DNS at your registrar or Cloudflare.
4. Wait for propagation. With the lowered TTL from your prep, most visitors switch within minutes to a few hours; stragglers can take up to 24–48 hours. Do not cancel the old hosting until at least 72 hours after the switch.
5. SSL. Hostinger installs a free SSL certificate automatically once the domain points to them. Give it a few hours after the DNS switch, then enable “Force HTTPS” in hPanel so every page serves over https.

Post-migration checklist

• Homepage, 5 random posts/pages, and all forms load correctly
• Permalinks re-saved; no 404s on old URLs (spot-check with a broken-link checker)
• SSL active and forced to HTTPS (no “not secure” warnings)
• Contact forms actually send email (submit a test)
• WooCommerce: place a test order through checkout if you run a store
• Media Library images all present
• Scheduled posts and cron-driven features (backups, newsletters) still run
• Analytics and Search Console still collecting (re-verify the property if needed)
• Email: if your old host handled email, set up mailboxes or forwarding on the new side BEFORE cancelling — email does not migrate with the website
• Update any hardcoded URLs (some themes/plugins store the old domain; a search-and-replace fixes mixed content warnings)
• Keep the old hosting active for at least a week as a fallback

Common problems and quick fixes

• White screen: usually a plugin conflict with the new PHP version. Rename the plugins folder via File Manager to disable all plugins, then reactivate one by one.
• 404s on posts: re-save permalinks (Settings → Permalinks → Save).
• Mixed content warnings: some http:// URLs survived. Run a search-and-replace of the old URL to the new one, or enable Force HTTPS.
• Forms not sending: shared hosts often need SMTP. Install an SMTP plugin and route mail through your mailbox provider.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to migrate WordPress to Hostinger?

The free automatic migration typically completes within 24–48 hours depending on site size. The manual plugin method takes 30–90 minutes of your time, plus DNS propagation of a few hours. Neither requires your site to go offline if you switch DNS last.

Will my website go down during migration?

Not if you follow the order in this guide: copy the site first, verify the copy, then switch DNS. Visitors keep hitting the old server until DNS propagates, and the old server keeps serving them until it does. Downtime only happens when people switch DNS before the new copy is ready.

Is Hostinger’s migration service really free?

Hostinger offers free website migration done by their team — you provide access credentials and they copy the site. Confirm the current terms and limits in hPanel when you request it, since the details can change.

Do I need to transfer my domain to Hostinger too?

No. You only need to point the domain’s DNS at Hostinger (nameservers or A record). You can keep the domain registered wherever it is. A domain transfer is optional and separate from the website migration.