{"id":2912,"date":"2023-08-28T20:24:05","date_gmt":"2023-08-28T14:54:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hostkicker.com\/blog\/?p=2912"},"modified":"2023-08-28T20:24:05","modified_gmt":"2023-08-28T14:54:05","slug":"how-to-clone-a-wordpress-website","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hostkicker.com\/blog\/how-to-clone-a-wordpress-website\/","title":{"rendered":"Easy way to clone a WordPress website: Step by Step"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you looking for an easy way to clone a WordPress website? Whether you are a skilled web developer or a beginner, the process of cloning a website can be significantly helpful for web admins.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

There could be a lot of reasons that you might need to clone a WordPress website. Whether you are willing to migrate to a new web host, looking to create a backup of your site to keep your data safe, or setting up a staging website for a development environment, whatever the reason is, in this step-wise tutorial, we will walk you through the entire process. By going through this tutorial, you’ll discover that cloning a WordPress website is not as complex as it seems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, without further ado, let’s dive into the easy process of duplicating a WordPress website.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is website cloning, and why is it necessary?<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Website cloning is the process of duplicating or copying an existing website entirely to create an identical version for any reason. It can be done for a variety of reasons, such as data security, management, and web development. Website cloning allows web admins and developers to test or accomplish their purposes without impacting the actual website and its presence on the internet.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some of the key reasons why website cloning is necessary are:<\/span><\/p>\n

i. Quick and proper Migration:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Website cloning is helpful when you want to move to a new web host or a new domain. Cloning streamlines the migration process and minimizes the risk of disruptions as it allows you to set up a new environment and ensure everything works fine before making the switch. In addition, you may be a web developer who designs a website for your clients on your local host. After completion, you can easily clone the website and move it to your client server to make it live.<\/span><\/p>\n

ii. Staging environment:\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>Website cloning helps you create a staging environment\/website where you can test the compatibility of the new updates, themes, or plugins before implementing them to your live site. Also, you can experiment with new features, design changes, or any other modifications without impacting your live site. This prevents any potential issues and disruptions and allows you to make an informed decision as needed.<\/span><\/p>\n

iii. Backup website data:<\/span><\/strong> Website cloning allows you to back up your data, which they can use to quickly restore your site in case of any data loss, hacking, or any other issue. This prevents data loss and minimizes site downtime.<\/span><\/p>\n

Steps to clone a WordPress website.<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now that you know what website cloning is and why it is necessary, here are the easy steps you need to follow to clone your WordPress website. The method is beginner-friendly and does not require any expert knowledge.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

1. Install and activate the Duplicator plugin.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

The simplest and most user-friendly method to clone a WordPress website is using a plugin. There are various plugins, but for this tutorial, we are using the\u00a0<\/span>Duplicator plugin.<\/span><\/a>\u00a0It’s an effective and user-friendly plugin that allows users to easily clone a website. The plugin lets you back up all your website data into a single file, enabling you to easily move it to a new location. So, first, install and activate the duplicator plugin on your site that you want to clone. If you are a beginner, you can refer to our easy guide on\u00a0<\/span>how to install a plugin on WordPress easily.<\/span><\/a> Once done, you can move to the next step.<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. Create your website’s Duplicator Package.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

To create a duplicator package of your site, from your admin dashboard, navigate to<\/span>\u00a0Dupliactor >> Packages.\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>After that, at the top right corner of the page, click on the ‘Create New’ option.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, on the next screen, enter a name for your duplicate file and then click on the ‘Next’ button.<\/span><\/p>\n

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After that, the plugin will start scanning your WordPress website. If it discovers an issue on your site, in any part, it will give you a warning along with the details on how you can fix the issue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Contrarily, if you see a message on your screen saying ‘Scan Complete,’ click on the ‘Build’ option on the left of your screen to continue.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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Now, the plugin will back up all your website files, including the WordPress database, templates, images, plugins, and other files in a single file in a downloadable package. The process might take time, depending on the size of your website.<\/span><\/p>\n

3. Get Ready to Clone Your WordPress Website<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

When your website’s backup is completed, you need to download your files. Note that you have to download two files, the archive file containing your backup and the installer file that will let you unpack the archive file.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For this, you are required to click on the ‘One-click Download’ link provided in the build status.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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4. Save your Archive and Installer files to a new location.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Once you have a complete backup of your site, you need to upload it to a new location to save it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You can either upload it to a local server or to a live website on a different web hosting provider. Here are both ways you can do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

If the site is on a local server, you can create a new folder in the root folder of your local server. This is where your local server stores all your website files. For instance, if you use MAMP, then it will be the ‘\/Applications\/MAMP\/htdocs\/’ folder, or if you use WAMP, then it will be the ‘C:\\wamp\\www \\’ folder.<\/span><\/p>\n

After this, go ahead and open the folder you created for your cloned website. Once there, copy both the archive and installer into the new folder.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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If you desire to upload it to a live website that is hosted on a different web hosting provider, you can use an FTP client to upload both the archive and installer files to the root directory.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Regardless of where you upload your website files, ensure that the folder is new and only contains your archive zip files and installer.php files.<\/span><\/p>\n

5. Create a new WordPress database.<\/span><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Now, in order to unpack the cloned version of your WordPress website, you need to create a new WordPress database.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Depending on whether the new location of your website files is a local server or a live website, there are different ways you can use to create a new WordPress database.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n