After the migration: what changed, cancelling, retrying and error messages

This article covers what the new host looks like after a migration, the states a migration can be in, how to cancel or retry, and what the wizard's error messages mean. The steps themselves are in the step-by-step guide.

What is on the new host after the copy

• Files — your site's files from the backup: themes, plugins, uploads. Server-specific files on the new host (.htaccess created by the host, php.ini, .user.ini) are kept as they are; in an empty folder a default WordPress .htaccess is written.
• wp-config.php — in scenario A the new host's own file stays (its database, its prefix); in scenario B a new one is written with the database you entered and fresh security keys. Your old file is not copied over the new host's settings.
• Database — your tables under the new host's prefix (scenario A) or your current prefix (scenario B). Other tables in the same database are untouched. Addresses and file paths are rewritten, including inside serialized settings; post GUIDs are intentionally left alone, as WordPress requires.
• WP Safer plugin — active on the new site with its own key. Same-domain migrations keep the site's entry in your list (with its backup history and schedule); new-domain migrations add a second entry for the new address.
• Undo copy — in scenario A the replaced files and tables are kept for 24 hours; if you cancel within that window the new host is rolled back.
• Helper script — removed when the migration is finalized or cancelled, and it expires by itself after 48 hours.

Not carried over: e-mail accounts, DNS, SSL certificates, cron jobs defined at the host, and — for WooCommerce — orders, customers and stock changes made after the backup unless you ran a final sync.

Recommended after completion

1. Open the site on the new host and click through the pages that matter to you (checkout, forms, logged-in areas).
2. Take a full backup from the WP Safer dashboard so the new host has a first restore point.
3. Set up SSL on the new host if the host did not do it automatically.
4. Keep the old host for a few days as a safety net, then cancel it. WP Safer reminds you by e-mail seven days after completion.

States you will see

• Not started — the connection was tested but the migration was not started.
• Queued — started, waiting for the background worker (within two minutes).
• Migrating — files and database are being transferred and rewritten on the new host.
• Migrated — checking — the copy is complete; ten pages are being compared, or the check did not pass and waits for your decision.
• Waiting for DNS — finalized on the new host; change the DNS record (and run a final sync first if needed).
• Completed — the domain reaches the new server; WP Safer manages the site there.
• Failed — something stopped the copy; the reason is shown. Your current site was not changed.
• Cancelled — you stopped it. Files already copied stay on the new host; the current site is not affected.

A migration that makes no progress for an hour is marked failed automatically so it does not block the site forever.

Cancel, retry, start again

• Cancel migration is available until the migration is completed. It tells the helper to stop and, within the 24-hour undo window of scenario A, restores the folder's previous state. Files already copied stay on the new host; nothing changes on the current site; the stored credentials are deleted.
• Retry appears only on a failed migration and re-queues it with the same host details and backup. It needs the stored credentials, which expire 7 days after the connection test — after that, cancel and start a new migration.
• Start a new migration appears on completed, cancelled and non-retryable failed migrations and takes you back to step 1. Only one migration can be open per site at a time.
• Finalize anyway appears when the automatic check did not pass. Use it after looking at the new site yourself.

Messages and what to do

Plan and site

• "Self-service migration is included with annual Starter, Pro and Agency plans…" — your plan is monthly or free. Switch to an annual plan, or order the concierge service.
• "This site is not connected to WP Safer yet, so it cannot be migrated." — install and connect the WP Safer plugin on the site and let a backup run first.
• "A restore is running for this site; start the migration once it finishes." — wait for the restore in the Backups tab.
• "A migration is already in progress for this site." — open the wizard from the Backups tab; cancel the open migration if you want to start over.

Connecting

• "The connection test failed." — check protocol, host, port, user name and password. Plain FTP is refused; if the host only offers FTP, ask them for SFTP or FTPS, or use the concierge service.
• "The folder is not writable with this account…" — the account has no write permission on that folder, or the path is wrong. Check the folder path and the account's permissions in the hosting panel.
• "The folder already holds files that are not a WordPress installation (…)" — scenario C. Choose an empty folder, clean this one, or use the concierge service.
• "This folder holds your current site itself…" — you entered the old server. Enter the new host's server address.
• "The folder you entered does not seem to be the web root of the new site address…" — a test file uploaded to the folder is not reachable over the web. Either the folder is not the web root, or the new host does not serve your domain yet: add the domain to the hosting account (most hosts allow this before DNS changes) or correct the folder.
• "The new server (IP) did not answer over HTTP for domain…" — same cause as above: the host does not accept requests for your domain yet. Ask the host to add the domain to the account, then Inspect again.
• "The new server did not answer." — the helper could not be reached (firewall, maintenance page, a security plugin blocking scripts). Try again in a minute; if it persists, ask the host whether PHP scripts in that folder can be called from the internet.

Pre-flight checks

• "Not enough free disk space on the new host…" — free up space or ask the host for more; you need roughly twice the backup size.
• "PHP x.y on the new host is too old; PHP 7.4 or newer is required." — change the PHP version in the hosting panel, then inspect again.
• "PHP extension … is missing on the new host" — enable zip, pdo_mysql or curl in the hosting panel's PHP settings.
• "Your current site is a WordPress multisite network…" — not supported by the wizard; the concierge service can move it.
• "The database configured in the new host's wp-config.php cannot be reached…" — the one-click install's database details no longer work. Fix them on the new host, or choose an empty folder and enter a database yourself.
• "Type the name of the site currently in that folder ("…") to confirm it will be replaced." — scenario A needs the confirmation; type the name exactly as shown.
• "Enter and test the database details of the new host first." — scenario B needs a tested database; click Test database.
• "The database test failed." — the details are wrong, or the database user has no rights on that database, or the DB host must be localhost on that server. Fix in the hosting panel and test again.
• "Enter the table prefix of the current site (for example wp_)." — the backup has no manifest; copy $table_prefix from your current site's wp-config.php.
• "Please confirm the WooCommerce notice to continue." — tick the acknowledgement in step 4.

During and after the copy

• "The automatic check did not pass — your decision" — some of the ten sampled pages answered differently on the new host (often a caching plugin, a security plugin that blocks unknown IPs, or PHP differences). Open the new host directly, and either finalize anyway or cancel.
• "The host credentials have expired…" — more than 7 days passed since the connection test. Switch DNS to finish if the copy is already verified; otherwise cancel and start a new migration.
• "A final sync is only possible while the migration waits for DNS." / "A final sync is already waiting for the fresh backup." — the button is only meaningful in the DNS step and only once at a time.
• "The receiver on the new host is already gone; cancel and start over." — the helper script expired (48 hours) before you decided. Cancel and start a new migration.
• Waiting for DNS for a long time — the domain still reaches the old host. Check the A record and its TTL, and, if the site is behind Cloudflare or another proxy, the origin setting. The card shows when the last check ran and what it saw.

Need help? Concierge migration

If the wizard refuses your target, the site is a multisite, is larger than the wizard is comfortable with, or you simply prefer not to do it yourself, our team moves the site for a fixed price with a written check report. See the migration service page; the wizard links to it under every blocking message.