Migrate WordPress with Softaculous remote import

Pull a WordPress site from another host into your WebGee account over FTP, with the field-by-field detail the form does not explain.

Softaculous can import a WordPress installation directly from another hosting provider over FTP. Applies to shared and reseller hosting on cPanel.

It does not work for Multisite networks — use WP Toolkit or Installatron for those.

Before you start

You need working FTP credentials for the old host, and the path to the WordPress directory. Test them in an FTP client first: a wrong password or path is the usual reason an import fails, and the error is not always specific.

Open the import form

Log in to cPanel and open Softaculous.
Open the WordPress page — search for it, or select it from the top scripts.
Select the Import tab.
Select From Remote Server.

Source — where the site is now

Field	What to enter
Domain Name	The domain the site currently runs on, with no `http://` or `https://`
Server Host	Only if the domain does not resolve to the old server — for example when DNS already points at WebGee. Otherwise leave blank
Protocol	FTP by default. Choose SFTP or FTPS if the old host supports it
Port	Set by the protocol; 21 for FTP, 22 for SFTP
FTP Username	Your username at the old host. On cPanel, the cPanel username
FTP Password	The matching password
FTP Path	The path from where FTP drops you to the WordPress directory

Server Host is the field worth understanding. If you have already pointed DNS at WebGee, the domain no longer resolves to the old server, and the import will connect to the wrong place. Put the old server's hostname or IP here.

FTP Path is relative to your FTP login directory, not the server root. On most cPanel hosts, FTP drops you in the home directory, so the path is public_html.

Plain FTP sends the password unencrypted. Use SFTP or FTPS if the old host offers it, and change the FTP password at the old host once the migration is finished either way.

Destination — where it is going

Field	What to enter
Installation Directory	Where the site sits at the source. Blank if it is in `public_html`
Choose Protocol	`http://` or `https://` for the destination
Choose Domain	The domain here that will serve the site
In Directory	Where it should sit here. Blank for the domain root
Database Name	The database to import into

The two directory fields are easy to confuse: Installation Directory describes the source, In Directory describes the destination. Both are usually blank.

Select Import.

While it runs

The import continues in the background — you can close the page. You will receive email as it starts, and progress is visible under the Task List tab.

Afterwards

Load the site on the new domain and confirm it does not redirect to the old one.
Check images load. Broken images mean URLs in the database still point at the old host.
Log in to wp-admin using the original credentials.
Only then change DNS. Migrating before the cutover is the whole point of the Server Host field.

Leave the old site in place until the new one is confirmed working and DNS has propagated.