PHP WordPress IT Ops

Update WordPress domain links after migration

by Daniel Loureiro on 2 min read

Let's see how to update your domain links after a WordPress migration.

# Take a look at the database

Let's see how the links look on the db:

SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'home' OR option_name = 'siteurl';

Result:

+-----------+-------------+------------------------------+----------+
| option_id | option_name | option_value                 | autoload |
+-----------+-------------+------------------------------+----------+
|         2 | home        | https://myold-domain.com     | yes      |
|         1 | siteurl     | https://myold-domain.com     | yes      |
+-----------+-------------+------------------------------+----------+
2 rows in set (0.00 sec)

As you see, the links have the domain plus the protocol (http or https).

# Do the changes

Run these queries on your MySQL console.

Replace New with your new domain (ex. mynew-domain.com). Replace Old with your old domain (ex. myold-domain.com):

UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = replace(option_value, 'Old', 'New') WHERE option_name = 'home' OR option_name = 'siteurl';
UPDATE wp_posts SET post_content = replace(post_content, 'Old', 'New');
UPDATE wp_postmeta SET meta_value = replace(meta_value,'Old','New');
UPDATE wp_usermeta SET meta_value = replace(meta_value, 'Old','New');
UPDATE wp_links SET link_url = replace(link_url, 'Old','New');
UPDATE wp_comments SET comment_content = replace(comment_content , 'Old','New');

TIP

Do a backup before doing any changes. Use a WP backup plugin for this.

# HTTP vs HTTPS

Use the same queries to fix any http into https. Just re-run them replacing New with https:// and Old with http://.

# MySQL Credentials

If you don't have the credentials, they are on wp-config:

/** MySQL database username */
define('DB_USER', 'daniel');

/** MySQL database password */
define('DB_PASSWORD', '10203040');

/** MySQL hostname */
define('DB_HOST', 'localhost');

# Troubleshooting: Can't access admin dashboard

If for some reason you can't access the admin dashboard, edit wp-config.php and set your new domain:

define( 'WP_HOME', 'https://example.com' );
define( 'WP_SITEURL', 'https://example.com' );

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