In this guide, you’ll learn how to transfer a website from account A and add it as an addon domain on account B.
For clarity, account A and account B simply refer to the cPanel usernames of the two different hosting accounts involved.
Important Email Notice (Please Read First)
This migration process does not include email data. Before you begin, make sure you secure your emails using one of the methods below:
- Create a full archive of each mailbox in Outlook, or
- Configure all email accounts with IMAP so your messages remain synced and backed up locally in Outlook.
Once your emails are safe, you can proceed with the steps below.
Step 1: Back Up the Original Account (account A)
Log in to the cPanel of account A.
- Search for Backup and select Download a Full Account Backup.
- Once the backup file is created, right-click on it and download it to your local computer.
Step 2: Terminate the Original Hosting Account
To avoid conflicts when adding the domain as an addon, you’ll need to terminate the hosting for account A.
Send an email to support@whogohost.com requesting the termination of the hosting linked to account A.
Step 3: Create the Addon Domain on account B
Log in to the cPanel of account B.
- Search for Addon Domains.
- Create a new addon using the domain name that was previously attached to account A.
This will automatically generate a new directory for the addon.
Step 4: Locate the Addon Directory
On the Addon Domains page, open the newly created directory.
It will appear in this format:
/public_html/domain.com
This is where the website files will be placed.
Step 5: Upload the Backup File
Upload the backup file you downloaded from accountA into the newly created addon directory using the Upload option in cPanel.
Alternatively, you may use FileZilla beginners’ guide to transfer the file from your computer to the server.
Step 6: Extract and Move Website Files
Once the backup file is uploaded:
- Right-click on the file and select Extract.
- Open the extracted folder and navigate to:
accountA/homedir/public_html - Copy all the contents inside this folder into:
/public_html/domain.com
This places your website files in the correct addon folder.
Step 7: Restore the Database
To recover your database:
- Open the extracted accountA folder.
- Locate the mysql directory and download the .sql database file to your computer.
Now on accountB:
- Go to MySQL Databases in cPanel.
- Create a new database and database user.
- Assign the user to the database with full privileges.
Next:
- Open phpMyAdmin.
- Select the newly created database.
Click Import, upload the .sql file, and click Go.
Step 8: Verify the Database
Confirm that:
- The database name is correct
- The database user is properly assigned
- All tables have been successfully imported
Step 9: Update Website Configuration
Edit your website’s configuration file to reflect the new database name, username, and password.
Step 10: Test the Website
Load your website in a browser and confirm that it displays properly without errors.
Step 11: Recreate Email Accounts
Recreate all email accounts that previously existed on account A on account B.
After that, reconfigure your email client using IMAP and enable the option to keep messages on both the server and Outlook. This ensures that your old emails sync back into the new accounts.
