Clone a website

Cloning makes a complete, independent copy of a website under a new domain. Use it to start a new site from a finished one, or to hand a copy to someone else. The original is not changed.

Cloning is available for WordPress websites. To test changes before publishing them on the same website, use staging instead.

Before you start

• The website must be active and not busy with a move, a delete or another copy.
• The destination server must be ready, and must have the website’s PHP version installed.
• The new domain can’t be used by any other website.

Clone the website

1. Open the website and click Clone website (on the overview, or in the More menu).
2. Under New domain, type the copy’s domain, for example new-example.com.
3. Under Destination server, choose any of your servers, including the one the website is on now.
4. Click Clone website.

Cloning runs in the background. Follow it in the activity panel. The copy appears in your website list straight away and becomes active when it is done.

What the copy gets

• All files and databases.
• WordPress users and their passwords, so you sign in to the copy with the same logins.
• The original’s PHP settings, password protection and web server settings.
• The original’s backup schedule. If the original had none, the copy gets daily backups, keeping 7.

What the copy doesn’t get

SMTP email settings aren’t copied, so the copy can’t send mail with the original’s email account. If the copy should send email, set it up under Hosting › SMTP on the new website. See Email (SMTP).

After cloning

1. Point the new domain’s DNS to the destination server’s address.
2. Request a trusted SSL certificate for the new domain under Domains & SSL. See Domains and SSL.

Tip

Moving a website to a different server rather than copying it? Use Move to another server. It keeps the same domain and removes the old copy when you finish.