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Last Reviewed: June 15, 2021

Migrate

Learn how to use the WP Engine migration path.

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Pantheon provides a WP Engine path for migrating existing sites to the platform. This process begins by clicking the Migrate Existing Site button on either the workspace Home Page or Sites tab.

The recommended way to migrate WordPress sites from another host is to use the Pantheon Migration plugin, developed by BlogVault.

Watch: Guided WordPress Migrations

  1. Open your Personal or Professional Workspace dashboard and select the Migrate Existing Site button on the lower right side of the page.

    Migrate site button

  2. Enter your current website URL, select WordPress, and click Continue.

    Enter URL and select CMS

  3. Enter the name of your new Pantheon site, select a workspace for the site (optional), and click Create Site.

    Install Plugin

  4. Select Generate Machine Token and re-authenticate if prompted.

    Begin process of installing plugin

  5. Select Install on /wp-admin. A new tab will open with your WordPress CMS for your existing site. Keep the Pantheon tab open in your browser. Install on /wp-admin

  6. Search for and install the plugin.

    Searching for plugin on WordPress

  7. Click Activate.

    Copying and pasting info

  8. Go back to the browser tab containing your Pantheon dashboard, copy the machine token from the Pantheon Dashboard, then go back to the WordPress Dashboard on your existing site. Paste the machine token and the site name, and click Migrate.

    Copying and pasting info

    When the migration is complete, the Migration completed successfully page appears.

    Migration successful

    You will also receive an email when the migration completes.

  9. Go back to the Pantheon tab and click Confirm migration progress. Your site's dashboard appears.

Note

The WordPress Native PHP Sessions plugin is automatically installed during the migration process. For more details on this plugin, see WordPress and PHP Sessions.

Review Troubleshooting or contact Support if the migration is unsuccessful. Include a link to the Site Dashboard and any details you can provide, such as where you are migrating the site from.