If you have a website on one Hostinger account and want to restore it to a different user account, for example, a colleague’s or client’s, follow the steps below.
On the source account
Access the Hostinger account where your website is currently hosted and complete these steps:
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Create a backup of your website files and database. Databases are required for most CMS platforms, such as WordPress, OpenCart, or Joomla.
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Download the file and database backups to your device. If the hosting plan expired and was canceled less than 30 days ago, follow this guide instead: Generate backups of a canceled plan.
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Emails will be permanently deleted in the next step. If you want to keep them, generate an email backup before proceeding (optional).
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Once you’ve downloaded all the required data, remove the website from this account to release the domain for use in the new account.
Each domain name can only be associated with one Hostinger account at a time.
On the target account
After completing the steps above on the original account, access the target Hostinger account and follow these steps:
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Set up the new hosting plan, if it’s not yet active. You can add the domain name during the hosting setup (as an empty website), use a different domain name, or select a temporary one.
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Add the website to the hosting plan if you didn’t add it earlier. If you get a “Domain is already hosted” message, make sure the website has been deleted from the previous account. If prompted, verify the domain’s ownership.
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Upload the file backup. If the website does not require a database, skip to step 7.
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Create a new empty database where to import the website’s database into.
The new database will have a different prefix for the name and username from the previous one. This configuration cannot be changed.
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Import the database backup.
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Update the database credentials (database name, username, password) in the website’s configuration file.
- Point the domain to the new hosting plan via A record.
- Verify that the website is working properly by clearing your browser cache, or opening it in an incognito/private window.
If you get an “Error establishing a database connection“ or a similar error, check this article: How to Fix “Error Establishing a Database Connection”
NOTES
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After restoring a website from a backup, it will return to the exact state it was in at the time the backup was created. Any changes made afterward will be lost.
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If your WordPress site shows 404 errors on internal pages after restoration, recreate the permalinks.
- To transfer domain ownership to the new account (optional), follow this guide: Move the domain.