How to Migrate Your Website to Bluehost in 2026 (Step by Step)

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links; we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you.

The safest way to migrate a normal WordPress website to Bluehost in 2026 is to copy and test it before changing DNS. Bluehost’s current self-service migration tool, powered by InstaWP, moves eligible WordPress files and database content without requiring beginners to use FTP or phpMyAdmin.

This guide covers that recommended route, explains when to request professional help, and includes the checks that prevent broken forms, missing email, and accidental downtime. Do not cancel your old hosting until the Bluehost copy is public and proven.

Before you begin

Collect access to WordPress, the current host, Bluehost, the domain registrar, DNS, email, CDN, and firewall providers.

Create a full backup containing the WordPress database and all files, including wp-content/uploads, themes, and plugins. Download it outside the old hosting account. An automated migration is a copy process, not a substitute for a recovery point.

Record PHP version, DNS, redirects, cron jobs, email routing, and active plugins. Stores and memberships need a quiet window and a defined content freeze.

Step 1: Choose and activate Bluehost hosting

Select a Bluehost WordPress plan with enough storage and resources for the existing site. Check the source account’s actual disk usage rather than estimating from the media library alone. Confirm the initial term, renewal, backup features, and email arrangement.

Create the account and secure it with a unique password and multifactor authentication. Do not point the domain yet. The existing site should remain live while the destination is prepared.

If you register a new domain during purchase but intend to use an existing domain for the migrated site, make sure you know which name will be primary and which is temporary.

Step 2: Open the migration workflow

Log in to the Bluehost Portal and go to the Websites area. Choose the option to migrate an existing WordPress website. Bluehost may also let you create a new WordPress installation first and then select “Import an Existing WordPress Site.”

Follow the current portal prompts. If no migration option appears, check eligibility with support.

Step 3: Connect the source WordPress site

The workflow supplies instructions for connecting the existing site, commonly through Bluehost’s branded migration plugin. Log in to the source WordPress dashboard, install and activate the specified tool, then authorize the connection.

Install only from the official repository, portal, or documented Bluehost link. Security plugins, authentication, IP blocks, or source restrictions can interrupt access; relax only documented controls temporarily.

Step 4: Start the copy

Confirm the source and destination, then start migration. Bluehost’s current documentation says the process can continue in the background if the browser is closed. Email notifications report when it starts, completes, or fails.

Duration depends on site size, file count, source speed, and restrictions. Avoid site and DNS changes during copying.

For an editorial site, pause publishing. For WooCommerce or memberships, a first copy may need a final database synchronization so orders and accounts created afterward are not lost.

Step 5: Review the completion status

When the portal reports completion, open the migrated site using the provided preview or destination URL. Do not assume success from the progress bar alone.

If it fails, save the error and investigate storage, firewalls, large archives, timeouts, or incompatible configuration. Complex, multisite, and business-critical installations deserve an assessed plan.

Step 6: Test the destination

Check more than the homepage:

1. Open posts, pages, category archives, and search
2. Confirm images, PDFs, and downloadable files
3. Test menus, internal links, and pagination
4. Log into WordPress and save a harmless change
5. Submit every contact and lead form
6. Test account, cart, checkout, and payment sandbox flows
7. Check mobile and desktop layouts
8. Inspect redirects and custom error pages
9. Run scheduled tasks where practical
10. Review server and WordPress logs

Clear page, object, plugin, browser, and CDN caches before treating an old copy as a migration error. Compare key database counts such as posts, users, products, and orders.

Step 7: Protect SEO settings

Keep the same URLs whenever possible. A host change does not require changing permalink structure. If the domain or paths also change, create one-to-one permanent redirects rather than sending everything to the homepage.

Inspect Reading settings, SEO controls, robots.txt, canonicals, sitemap, analytics, and search verification. Remove temporary noindex rules only at launch, then crawl for broken links and 404s.

Step 8: Prepare DNS

Determine where authoritative DNS is managed: the registrar, old host, Cloudflare, or another provider. Export or screenshot the existing zone, especially MX, SPF, DKIM, DMARC, verification, and subdomain records.

Bluehost will provide the nameservers or destination records required for the hosting product. Changing nameservers replaces responsibility for the entire DNS zone; changing only web records leaves mail and other services where they are. Copy every necessary record before a nameserver switch.

Lowering DNS TTL in advance can reduce caching but does not make propagation instant.

Step 9: Point the domain

After the destination passes testing, update the required DNS. Avoid editing the live site during the transition. Some visitors may temporarily reach the source while others reach Bluehost.

Keep the old server available and do not delete its files. Dynamic sites may need maintenance mode and a final database sync at this point. Follow the migration team’s instructions precisely because two writable copies can produce conflicting orders or accounts.

Once the domain resolves to Bluehost, activate or confirm SSL. Certificate issuance may wait for public DNS. Test both http and https, with and without www, and ensure they redirect to one preferred HTTPS address.

Step 10: Verify email separately

Website migration does not automatically move mailboxes. Preserve existing MX and authentication records, or create destination mailboxes and plan historical-message transfer before changing MX.

Send tests both directions using external accounts. Verify SPF, DKIM, and DMARC. Test WordPress forms through a transactional SMTP service because a visually successful form submission does not prove message delivery.

Step 11: Monitor after launch

Monitor uptime, 404s, PHP errors, forms, orders, and scheduled jobs for several days. Keep the source active until DNS and email are stable, observe any review deadline, then create a fresh Bluehost backup.

Step 12: Retire the old account safely

Download final backups, mailbox archives, DNS exports, and needed records. Confirm domain registration will remain active. Remove temporary users, rotate shared credentials, restore firewall rules, and uninstall migration tools before canceling. Domain and email subscriptions may require separate cancellation.

Final checklist

• Independent files-and-database backup exists
• Bluehost copy matches the source
• Forms, login, and transactions work
• URLs and SEO settings are correct
• DNS points to Bluehost
• SSL is valid
• Email works in both directions
• Monitoring shows no new errors
• Old hosting remains available during verification
• Temporary access has been removed

Final verdict

Bluehost’s self-service migration tool makes a normal WordPress move manageable for a beginner in 2026. The tool handles the copy, but the owner still controls preparation, testing, DNS, email, and final approval.

The rule that prevents most serious mistakes is simple: copy first, test second, switch DNS third, and cancel last.

Frequently asked questions

Is Bluehost WordPress migration free?
The self-service tool is free for eligible sites. Professional and unusual migrations may have separate terms or fees.

Will it migrate my email?
Do not assume so. Treat mailboxes and mail DNS as a separate workstream.

How long does migration take?
It varies with site size, file count, source restrictions, and service queues. Plan time for testing and DNS beyond the copy.

Can I keep my domain registrar?
Yes. Change DNS without transferring domain registration.