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Site-Backup & Restore

Move Your WordPress Site Easily with UpdraftPlus.

So you’re shifting your WordPress site — maybe from a test domain like mywordpress.test.learn.ac.lk to a new server or IP address like 192.###.##.###. Whether you're changing hosts or just switching IPs, UpdraftPlus makes the move smooth.

What You Need Before You Start

  • Access to both the old site (source) and new site (destination)
  • UpdraftPlus plugin installed on both sites

First: Install UpdraftPlus Plugin

You’ll need this plugin on both the old site and the new one.

On Both Old and New WordPress Sites:

  1. Log in to your WordPress Dashboard Example: http://your-site/wp-admin

  2. Go to: Plugins [1] → Add New [2]

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  1. In the search bar, type [3]: UpdraftPlus

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  1. Find “UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin” and click: Install Now [5]

  2. Once installed, click: Activate[6]

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You’re now ready to start the backup and migration process!

Step 1: Pack Up Your Old Site (Create a Backup)

  1. Go to: Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups

  2. Click Backup Now [2]

    image 3. In the popup, check [3]:

  3. Include your database

  4. Include your files

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  1. Click Backup Now again and wait

When it’s done, you’ll see your backup listed under Existing Backups.

  1. Click on each item to download [4]:

  2. Database

  3. Plugins
  4. Themes
  5. Uploads

  6. Others

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Save these files to your computer — they are your complete website.

Step 2: Prepare the New Site

Now let’s get your new WordPress site ready.

  1. Install WordPress on your new server or IP address Example: http://192.248.##.###

  2. Log in to your new site’s dashboard

  3. Just like before, install the UpdraftPlus plugin:

  4. Go to: Plugins → Add New

  5. Search for UpdraftPlus

  6. Click Install Now, then Activate

  7. Once activated, go to: Settings → UpdraftPlus Backups

Step 3: Bring In the Backup

Now it’s time to “unpack” your old site.

  1. In UpdraftPlus, scroll down to the section labeled “Upload backup files”

  2. Drag and drop the five backup files you downloaded earlier (from Step 1)

  3. Once uploaded, they will show up under Existing Backups

Step 4: Restore the Site on the New Server

  1. Click the Restore button next to the uploaded backup

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  2. Choose what to restore:

  3. Plugins

  4. Themes
  5. Uploads
  6. Others

  7. Database

  8. Click Next, then click Restore again

It's Take a short tike — UpdraftPlus will rebuild your entire site exactly as it was.

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Step 5: Update the Website Address (If It Changed)

  1. Log in to the new site admin (after the restore): Example: http://192.248.4.55/wp-admin

  2. Go to: Settings → General

  3. Update these two fields:

  4. WordPress Address (URL)

  5. Site Address (URL) Change them to:

http://192.248.##.###

  1. Click Save Changes

You may get logged out — that’s normal. Just log back in using the new address.

This fixes any 404 “Page Not Found” issues that might show up after the move.

  1. Go to: Settings → Permalinks

  2. Without changing anything, scroll down and click Save Changes

Done! Your site’s internal links and navigation should now work properly.

Now that you’ve installed UpdraftPlus, you can:

  • Set up automatic weekly or daily backups
  • Save backups to Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive, etc.
  • Be prepared in case something ever goes wrong