The free migration offer: what is included

Before you start

• An existing website, database or mailbox at another host that you control
• A FoxFolio Cloud hosting plan, or a plan you intend to buy

Applies to: Cloud Hosting, WordPress Cloud, Managed WordPress, Website migration.

What the free migration covers

• Website files from a supported source, such as a cPanel or Plesk account or a WordPress site.
• MySQL databases that belong to the website.
• Mailboxes and their messages, copied from the old mail server to new mailboxes on FoxFolio Cloud.
• A compatibility review before anything is copied, and a check of the copied site before you change DNS.

What is not included

• Redesigning the site, changing its content, or rewriting custom code.
• Repairing a site that is already broken, infected or unsupported at the old host. FoxFolio will tell you what it finds and quote any extra work before it starts.
• Moving your domain registration. A domain transfer is a separate order with its own charge; you can also keep your domain where it is.
• Changing DNS at another provider. If your DNS is hosted elsewhere, you make that change, with FoxFolio’s instructions.
• Third-party services such as payment gateways, external email providers, analytics or plugin licences.
• Automatic copying of Microsoft 365 work or school mailboxes. The mail copy tool cannot sign in to those accounts, so they need a different plan, which FoxFolio can discuss with you.

Steps

1. Check what you want to move

   List each website, database and mailbox, and note where the domain is registered and where its DNS is managed. This list is what FoxFolio reviews.

2. Ask before you buy, if you are unsure

   Use the contact form and choose Website migration as the topic. Describe the site and the current host. Do not put passwords or access details in the form.

3. Choose and buy hosting

   Pick the plan that fits the site. See Choose between Cloud Hosting, WordPress Cloud and Managed WordPress and buy through the checkout.

4. Request the migration from your account

   After the service is active, sign in to your FoxFolio Cloud account (opens in a new tab) and open a support ticket asking for the migration. FoxFolio replies in the ticket with exactly what access it needs and how to provide it securely.

5. Follow the migration through to DNS

   FoxFolio copies the site, checks it with you, and only then do you change DNS. See Prepare your website, database and email for migration.

Troubleshooting and common mistakes

You are not sure whether your site is supported.

Ask through the contact form before buying. Describe the software (for example WordPress, a custom PHP application or a site builder) and the current host.

Your current host is a site builder with no file or database access.

Many site builders do not allow their sites to be exported. FoxFolio will tell you what can be moved; content may need to be rebuilt, which is not part of the free migration.

You already changed DNS before the migration finished.

Visitors may see an empty site. Open a ticket straight away; changing DNS back to the old host’s values restores the old site while the migration completes.

Common questions

Related guides

• Prepare your website, database and email for migrationBefore a migration, list every website, database and mailbox to move, confirm your old hosting account is active and not over its storage limit, and note where your domain’s DNS is managed. Open a signed-in support ticket to start; FoxFolio tells you in the ticket what access it needs. Never send passwords through the public contact form.
• How a migration is checked before DNS changesFoxFolio copies your site to your new hosting while the old site keeps running, then checks the copy on a preview address before anything public changes. You review it too. Only after both checks pass do you change DNS. A typical website copy takes about 30 minutes and can take up to about three hours; a 1–2 GB mailbox usually takes about 30 minutes.
• After a migration: final checks and a rollback planAfter DNS points to FoxFolio Cloud, check the site, HTTPS, forms and email over the next day or two while the change spreads. Keep the old hosting account active and keep a copy of the old DNS values until everything works; changing DNS back is your rollback. Close the old account only after the final mail copy and your checks are complete.
• Move an existing WordPress site to FoxFolio CloudThe simplest way to move a WordPress site is the free migration included with FoxFolio Cloud hosting: order a WordPress plan, then open a ticket from your account with the site details. FoxFolio Cloud copies the files and database, you check the copy on a preview address, and only then do you point the domain. Keep the old hosting active until the new site is confirmed working.
• Move existing email to FoxFolio CloudCreate the destination mailbox first, then use the Email Migration tool in the control panel to copy messages from your old provider over IMAP. Your old mailbox keeps its copy, so there is no mail downtime. When the copy finishes, point your domain’s MX record to FoxFolio Cloud and run the migration once more to pick up anything that arrived in between.