How to Transfer a Domain and Move Your Website to Hostking

To use a domain and website with Hostking, you move the domain registration and the website files separately. This article explains both steps. It also covers the email move.

Before you start

Check these points before you request a domain transfer. They are the most common reasons a transfer fails.

• The domain was not registered or transferred in the last 60 days. ICANN rules block transfers during this period.
• The domain is unlocked at your current registrar.
• You have the domain's EPP code (also called the authorisation code). This is a per-domain password. Codes are case-sensitive, so copy it exactly and avoid extra spaces.
• The admin email address at your current registrar is up to date and you can access it.
• Your current registrar account has no unpaid balance.

Transfer the domain

Transfers typically finish in 1 to 7 days. A transfer adds one year to the domain for .com and most other endings.

1. Log in to your current registrar and unlock the domain.
2. Request the EPP code. Your registrar must provide it within 5 calendar days of your request. Request it close to the transfer date.
3. Log in to the Hostking client area at https://my.hostking.host.
4. Start the domain transfer and enter the domain name and EPP code.
5. Confirm the transfer when your current registrar or the approval email asks you to.
6. Wait for the transfer to complete. You can manage the domain from the client area once it has finished.

Point the domain to your Hostking hosting

If you keep the domain at another registrar, you can point it to your Hostking hosting by changing its nameservers. Your nameserver details are in your welcome email or in the client area at https://my.hostking.host.

1. Log in to your current registrar's domain settings.
2. Find the nameserver settings for the domain.
3. Replace the existing nameservers with the two Hostking nameservers from your welcome email or client area.
4. Save the change. It can take up to 48 hours to take effect.

Move your website files and databases

A website move is a copy. You download your files and databases from your current host and upload them to your Hostking account. This does not move the domain.

Back up your files and database

1. Log in to your current host's control panel.
2. Compress the files in your web root folder. This is usually called public_html, httpdocs, www or wwwroot.
3. Download the compressed file to your computer.
4. Export each database. You can use phpMyAdmin or the database tool in your control panel.

Restore them on Hostking

1. Log in to your Hostking control panel. Your control panel is cPanel or DirectAdmin, depending on your plan.
2. Create the databases and database users. Use the same names and passwords as before, or update your site's configuration files afterwards.
3. Upload the compressed file using File Manager or FTP, then extract it in your web root folder.
4. Import the database into the new database using phpMyAdmin.
5. If you changed the database name, user or password, update them in your site's configuration file. For WordPress, this is wp-config.php.

WordPress sites

For WordPress, copy the files and export the database in the same way. The database details in wp-config.php must match the new database.

Move your email

Email moves separately from the website. You can copy messages with an email client that supports IMAP, such as Thunderbird.

1. Create the same email accounts in your Hostking control panel.
2. Add both the old and new accounts to your email client.
3. Drag the messages from the old account folders to the new account folders.

For Hostking's mail server settings, see your welcome email or the client area at https://my.hostking.host.

Troubleshooting

• Transfer rejected: check the domain is unlocked, the EPP code is correct and the domain is outside the 60-day period.
• Site not loading after the move: check the database details in your configuration file and check file permissions.
• Still stuck? Contact support with live chat on the website or open a ticket from the client area at https://my.hostking.host.

For prices, see the Hostking pricing page.