While using WordPress, you’ll probably encounter a situation in which you need to duplicate or clone a WordPress site. In this article, you’ll find a comprehensive guide on how to duplicate or clone a WordPress website easily to copy the entire page.
See how to do it. You might need a safe environment to test new features in, or perhaps you’re planning to move your website to a new host. The question then becomes…how do you ensure the cloning process goes off without a hitch?
Why Duplicate a WordPress Website?
When you need a staging website. Testing major updates live is a risky business. Besides, having a clone of your site enables you to ensure any changes run smoothly. Before updating your live site. For migration purposes.
If you want to change web hosts, you can set your WordPress site up exactly as it was before on a new server. Changing your domain name: Changing your domain name involves, partially, “cloning” your site to a new location on your server
- Staging: Test changes without affecting the live site.
- Migration: Move your site to a new host with ease.
- Development: Experiment with design and functionality without risk.
Best Plugins to Cline WordPress Website
Cloning a WordPress website involves backing it up and restoring it at the new location and properly duplicating your WordPress. In this article, you’ll find a comprehensive guide on how to duplicate or clone a WordPress website easily to copy the entire page.
Duplicator Clone WordPress Plugin to Copy Entire Page
Duplicator is a popular WordPress plugin that helps you to move and clone WordPress websites. Within the plugin, backups are referred to as packages, and, when you’re creating a new package, you can choose to exclude files and database tables from being backed up.
There’s also an option for you to pre-fill the destination MySQL server information into the backup file. Duplicator completes a scan of your website to ensure everything is okay, highlighting large files that can be excluded from the backup.
This may be necessary when using the free version, as it only supports backups up to 500MB in size.
Additionally, it only allows you to back up files to your website server, so you’ll need to upgrade to Duplicator Pro if you want to back up using FTP, or to a cloud storage service such as Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive or Amazon S3.
Download the archive backup file if you want to restore or duplicate the WordPress website. The corresponding installer.php file, and upload them to the new location.
WordPress doesn’t need to be installed at the new location. The installer handles this, but you will need to create the database if you haven’t already done so. Duplicator’s free version is a good solution for those with a small website under 500MB, but established websites should upgrade.
All-in-One WP Migration To Duplicate and Clone WordPress
All-in-One WP Migration is a user-friendly duplicate and clone WordPress plugin that bypasses the maximum file upload restrictions many website hosting companies enforce. It does this by uploading in chunks.
When you’re creating a backup of your website to copy over to another location, you can find and replace text. This is useful for changing the website URLs in the backup file to the new location.
You can also exclude spam comments, media files, and post revisions from the backup. There isn’t, however, any way to exclude specific database tables or files.
To restore a website, you must activate All-in-One WP Migration on the other WordPress website. Select to import the backup file from the method you chose to back up. In conclusion, you have your WordPress website duplicate and clone tool.
Step-by-Step Comprehensive Guide
Step 1: Backup Your WordPress Site
Always start with a complete backup of your site. Tools like UpdraftPlus or All-in-One WP Migration can be helpful. This ensures that you have a safety net in case anything goes wrong.
Step 2: Choose a Cloning Method
- Manual Cloning: This includes copying files and databases manually.
- Using a Plugin: Plugins like Duplicator and WP Clone simplify the process.
- Through Hosting: Some hosting providers offer one-click solutions to clone your site. so a good way to duplicate a WordPress website.
Step 3: Create a New Database (If Required)
You’ll need a new database if you’re duplicating the site to a new location. You can create one through your hosting control panel.
Step 4: Use a Plugin to Clone Your Site (Recommended)
- Install a Cloning Plugin: Duplicator is a popular choice.
- Follow the Wizard: Most plugins will guide you through the cloning process with easy-to-follow steps.
Step 5: Configure Your New Site
After duplication, you may need to update URLs, permalinks, and other settings to match your new location.
Step 6: Test Your Cloned Site
Ensure all features, plugins, and themes work correctly on the duplicated site.