Bluehost migration guide • October 1, 2026
Bluehost website migration: choose the right route
Quick answer: Bluehost documents a self-service WordPress migration tool, eligible free assisted migrations for certain plans, and separate paid transfer services. Confirm the route for your site before buying. Website files, email accounts and domain registration require separate planning.
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Can you move a WordPress website to Bluehost for free?
Bluehost’s self-service migration guide describes a branded tool powered by InstaWP for transferring a WordPress site. This is a guided tool workflow, rather than a blanket promise that a staff member will move any website for free. Check whether the option appears for your plan and whether your source website can connect.
A separate transferability guide describes limited free assisted migrations for eligible VPS or Dedicated purchases with a 12-month term, requested within 30 days of signup. It lists a $199 fee for a one-month term in that context. These conditions should not be applied to every shared hosting purchase or every migration method.
Ask support to identify the exact service before you authorize a purchase. Explain the current platform, site size, number of websites and whether mailboxes must move. Request confirmation of what is included and what costs extra. A general free-migration headline is less useful than a clear answer about your actual website.
Compare the migration routes
| Route | Who handles the work? | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Self-service WordPress tool | You follow the guided process | Plan access, source connection, site compatibility and support scope |
| Eligible assisted migration | The provider handles the agreed transfer | Plan, term, signup window and assessed limits |
| Paid website transfer | The professional service handles its stated scope | Price per website, exclusions and completion responsibilities |
| Manual or developer-assisted move | You or your chosen specialist | Access, backups, configuration and a recovery plan |
The best route depends on how much help you need and what you are moving. A straightforward WordPress blog can have different requirements from a customized store. If you are unsure which route applies, seek an assessment. Avoid paying for a more complex service merely because its name sounds comprehensive.
Keep your hosting choice separate from the migration decision. Choose a plan that suits the website’s ongoing needs, then choose an appropriate transfer route. Our Bluehost Starter versus Business comparison can help frame the plan choice. A convenient transfer is useful only if the destination remains suitable afterward.
What does Bluehost’s paid migration cost?
The paid migration service guide reviewed October 1, 2026 lists $149.99 for one website transfer and $99 per mailbox for its listed email migration options. Website transfer covers one site’s files and databases; email and domain registration transfer are excluded. The guide describes a typical two-to-four-business-day period, with larger or complex transfers taking longer. Obtain a current quote for your exact request.
Do not combine that price with the separate VPS/Dedicated conditions as though they describe one universal offer. Different routes have different eligibility and scope. Save the quote and service description together. If the order covers several websites, identify each one by its actual address so nobody assumes a single purchase covers the whole account.
Budget a brief overlap between providers as part of your plan. You may also need developer time or separately quoted services. These expenses should be visible before you commit. A low hosting promotion does not automatically make the entire move free, especially when the project includes multiple systems.
Website, domain and email: three separate decisions
Moving the website means arranging the copy and operation of its content on another hosting environment. Domain registration concerns the name and its registrar. Email concerns your mailboxes and mail service. You can plan these together, but you should record a separate desired outcome for each.
For example, you might want to move WordPress while retaining the current registrar and email provider. That is a different objective from consolidating all services into one account. Write the intended arrangement in plain language before changing anything. It will help you explain the project to support and evaluate whether their proposed service fits.
Read our Bluehost free domain guide if a domain benefit is influencing the purchase. An existing website’s name deserves its own management decision. Keep its ownership records and renewal responsibility clear throughout the move rather than assuming a hosting transfer handles them automatically.
Prepare an inventory before migration
List the main website address, WordPress login, hosting provider, registrar, DNS manager and email provider. Add any subdomains and business tools that depend on the website. This inventory does not need to be elaborate. Its purpose is to make the project understandable and identify the accounts required for the agreed work.
Record the current PHP version, theme, plugins and any custom work in your own project notes. Ask the person who maintains the site about special configuration. A site that looks simple to a visitor can still depend on background jobs, external connections or settings that deserve review during a move.
Pick someone to coordinate the project. If several people publish content or manage orders, tell them when changes should pause and who will announce completion. A clear coordinator helps avoid conflicting edits and makes it easier to collect problem reports. Keep communication specific to the website and services being moved.
Keep a complete backup and a recovery plan
Bluehost’s downtime planning guide recommends keeping both hosting accounts active during the transition and copying website files and databases before the DNS change. It notes that DNS propagation can take up to 48 hours. Treat that as planning context, not a guarantee that every move completes on the same schedule.
Keep a recoverable copy under your control and label when it was made. Ask how to restore it if the move fails or if you discover missing content. A backup that nobody can identify or use is a weak recovery plan. Preserve the information needed to understand which version of the website it contains.
Agree on a point at which you would pause or reverse the cutover. That might be a broken key workflow or unresolved missing data. Decide who has the authority and access to act. For a business website, planning that response beforehand is more useful than improvising while customers encounter a problem.
How the self-service WordPress workflow begins
The published self-service instructions start in Bluehost Portal under Websites, then Add Website and Transfer WordPress Website. After starting the transfer, you connect the source address, sign in to its WordPress administration and authorize the application connection. Follow the current official steps and any product notices in your account.
Be clear about the source and destination. Write down which existing website you want to copy and where the new installation should be created. If the account contains multiple sites, check the names carefully. Do not start a transfer into a destination you have not identified, particularly if it already contains work you want to keep.
Use the provider’s authorized connection process and keep account secrets out of public messages. If access is unavailable, resolve that through the account owner before starting. A migration request does not remove the need to understand and authorize the connection being created.
What if your site is not a normal WordPress installation?
The transferability guide distinguishes transferable files and databases from proprietary website-builder systems. It lists Wix, Squarespace and several other builders as unsuitable for a full migration in its table. WordPress.com has a separate limited-content indication. Ask for an assessment of your particular platform rather than assuming every website can be copied like self-hosted WordPress.
For a proprietary builder, the project may involve exporting supported content and rebuilding parts of the site. That is a different task from copying an existing installation. Create a list of pages, features and assets that must survive. Compare the proposed method with that list before agreeing that the result will be complete.
If your site uses custom development, describe it to the migration provider. Ask what is included and what needs the original developer’s involvement. Avoid treating the public homepage as the whole scope. Internal functionality, integrations and business workflows may be more important than the visible layout.
Preview the new copy before changing DNS
Bluehost’s professional migration finalization guide asks customers to review the migrated website, report problems and finalize DNS and SSL. It describes a 14-day review/reporting period for the professional service and a preview approach before public DNS changes. Use the provider’s current instructions for your route rather than assuming that period applies to every tool-assisted move.
Build a small test list around the pages and actions that matter most. Review the homepage, a typical article, an image-heavy page, navigation and the contact workflow. For a store or membership site, include the business-critical paths and ask how to test them safely without triggering unintended transactions.
Compare the copy with your recorded baseline. Note the affected address and the exact behavior if something differs. A useful problem report describes what should happen, what actually happens and when you observed it. Avoid accepting the transfer solely because the homepage appears at the new location.
For stores, plan how recent orders will stay consistent
A website with frequent changes needs a more careful handover. Ask how orders, user accounts, comments and content created during the transfer will be handled. Decide which changes should pause and whether a final synchronization is included. Record that agreement before the site is copied.
Pick a quieter period where possible and tell the relevant team what to expect. Identify the person who will confirm that recent business records match the agreed cutover point. A store owner should understand which system is authoritative at each stage rather than checking only whether the product pages display.
If the proposed process cannot explain how current data stays consistent, request clarification or specialist help. This may change which migration route is appropriate. The useful outcome is a working site with a clear data handover, not merely a transfer marked finished in a dashboard.
Email needs a separate plan
Start by deciding whether email is moving at all. If you intend to keep the existing mail provider, record that requirement in the migration request. Review the DNS settings associated with mail before changing nameservers. Ask the provider or administrator how those records will be preserved in the chosen arrangement.
The paid migration guide lists one mailbox per purchased email service and exclusions such as email rules, mailing lists and autoresponders. It warns that contacts and calendars may not be included. Review the actual mailbox scope before purchase, particularly if your working setup depends on more than stored messages.
Keep a test checklist for sending, receiving, folders and the devices your team uses. Verify the intended configuration rather than assuming a website success message confirms email. If mail stays with its current provider, include it in the final checks anyway so you can catch an accidental routing change.
DNS and SSL: use account-specific instructions
The finalization guide directs customers to use the provided migration completion values for DNS and to arrange SSL once the domain points to the destination. It also discusses checking email-related DNS and device settings when mail is moved. Do not copy generic example values into a live account.
Before changing routing, save the current records and identify who controls them. Confirm the intended change with the person responsible for the website. A website can involve separate DNS and registrar accounts, so finding the right management panel is part of preparation rather than an assumption to make at cutover.
Once the destination is serving the site, check the secure address and the pages that matter to visitors. Verify the certificate for the actual name and investigate errors using the provider’s instructions. Avoid treating the passage of a fixed number of hours as proof that the entire site is working.
Preserve the URLs readers already use
If the goal is a hosting move with the same domain and structure, keep a record of important page addresses. Compare them after the transfer. Include pages linked from customer material, email campaigns and other websites. Visitors should still reach the content you intended them to find.
If a domain or URL structure change is also planned, treat it as another project decision. Ask for a clear mapping and verification plan. Mixing several changes into one migration can make it harder to diagnose problems. Keep the scope manageable and record which changes were intentionally made.
Check page titles, canonical settings, search visibility settings, analytics and existing affiliate links as part of your handover review. These checks are an editorial verification list, not a promise of ranking preservation. Save a baseline first so you can identify an accidental difference without guessing what was there previously.
When can you cancel the old hosting?
Cancel only after you have confirmed that the required website and services work in the intended arrangement and the old account is no longer needed. Review retained backups, mailboxes and unrelated sites on that account. A multi-site account may still serve something important even after the main website has moved.
Ask the old provider what will be removed by cancellation and keep written confirmation of the scope. Distinguish the hosting subscription from domain registration. Preserve a good domain and its renewal plan if you still need it. Avoid interpreting a website migration as permission to close every related product.
Our domain renewal guide and hosting billing comparison can help with the ongoing budget. After the move, assign responsibility for each renewal. A successful transfer should leave account management clearer than it was before.
Choose the destination with the whole budget in mind
Compare the initial hosting payment, later renewal, transfer service and any overlap with the old provider. Review optional services individually using our Bluehost add-ons guide. Do not allow a migration benefit to distract from whether the selected hosting arrangement fits the website’s ongoing needs.
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Use our Bluehost 50% discount offer link to view the current promotion. Confirm plan suitability, migration eligibility and the complete checkout before paying.
Promotions change. This link does not establish a discount on paid migration, renewals or every optional service.
Frequently asked questions
Is every Bluehost migration free?
No. Check the self-service tool, eligible assisted service and paid service separately. Request confirmation for your own website.
Does website migration include email?
The published paid website-transfer scope excludes email. Decide separately whether mail stays where it is or needs its own transfer.
Do I have to transfer my domain registration?
Domain registration and website hosting are separate management decisions. Confirm how the current domain will point to the destination.
Can downtime be guaranteed to stay at zero?
Plan to reduce disruption and test the actual result. Do not treat a general migration description as a guarantee for every website.
Public documentation reviewed October 1, 2026. Availability, pricing and policies can change. Confirm current conditions and account-specific instructions before a move.
