MagicMigration - FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there software to install?
No. Everything runs on our servers. You only need a web browser to run our MagicMigration wizard.
Are there advanced options? Can I customize what is migrated?
Yes, we offer several Advanced Options for customizing the migration including (but not limited to):
  • Directory & file exclusions
  • WordPress sites: Choice of base database tables to backup between all tables, tables matching the WordPress prefix (eg., wp_), or no tables by default
  • Additional database table inclusions & exclusions
  • File transfer speed throttling
  • File & database connection limits
How long does a migration take?
The duration of a migration is dependant on several factors including site size, number of files, and your servers' network speeds and connection limits. After you launch a migration the process usually begins immediately or within a few minutes. Our average customers' site completes migration within 30 minutes. If a problem is encountered preventing automated migration it will be automatically escalated to our expert team to migrate within the same or next business day.
Do you provide refunds if it doesn't work for me?
Yes, for single migrations. In the unlikely event that automated migration fails in some way our expert team will at no additional charge attempt to correct the issue or manually migrate your site. If we are still unable to migrate your site we will issue a refund (or release a hold for funds) for that migration. Plans are not charged for individual migrations. Migration count and data usage for failed migrations will not count against your plan's limits. See our Refund Policy for details.
Is there a migration size limit?
Migrations are by default capped to the first 100GB (files & database combined) of data transfer per site. If you require migrating more than that for a single site please contact support to request a limit increase.
How do I move my site without downtime or preview changes before updating DNS?
See the Hosts file documentation page.
Can I migrate sites hosted locally on my computer
MagicMigration must be able to connect to your site's files and database to migrate it. Basically to migrate a site it must be accessible via the internet. Typically sites hosted on your computer are not accessible from the internet. To allow incoming connections to a site on your computer you must configure your router to allow incoming connections from the internet to be routed to your computer. See your router or network equipment's documentation to learn how to do this. A common name for this functionality is "port forwarding".
Are WordPress URLs and file paths updated during migration?
Yes. In addition to updating configuration for the new server system, URL, and path, we also automatically update URLs and paths found in the database. This is particularly useful if absolute URLs or paths exist in WordPress posts, pages, or third party WordPress plugins. Search and replace is not performed on non-configuration files (eg., a hardcoded absolute URL in a custom theme CSS file); contact us if you'd like this feature.
Are third-party plugins migrated?
Yes. We take care of migrating configuration data for third party plugins stored within the database, including encoded data (eg., serialized or object data) which typically works fine for all plugins. In the rare event that an issue is encountered we will work to correct it for you. We rarely encounter issues with other plugins.
Can WordPress.com-hosted sites be migrated?
No. WordPress.com is a locked-down system which disallows migrating the entire site. Unfortunately tool or service can fully migrate sites hosted at WordPress.com.
Are Multisite Networks supported?
Yes, we support transferring the entire network (including all sites within the netwoirk) from one server or URL to another. The main site and subsites are copied over to the new location. However, only the main Network site's URL can be changed at this time. Subsites will retain the URL they had prior to migration. The entire migration of a Multisite Network counts as a single migration.
Can sites hosted at wordpress.com sites be migrated?
NO! Sites at wordpress.com are hosted on a proprietary system where both the files and database are locked down and inaccessible. Unfortunately no tool can fully migrate a site to or from wordpress.com because of how locked down their system is. We highly suggest not choosing wordpress.com for your hosting needs due to this lock-in.