Overview
This article will show you how to change the domain name for a WordPress site on your GridVPS server. In this example, we will make these changes to reflect a name change from mt-domain.com to mt-website.com. However, this can be accomplished between any domain or subdomain hosted on your GridVPS server, on the same webspace or subscription.
CAUTION:
The steps in this article will NOT move your site files for you! You will need to do this manually. These instructions are designed to help you update WordPress to reflect the correct domain name after you have moved your files.
We advise keeping a copy of your WordPress installation folders while you are making this switch, so you don't accidentally lock yourself out of WordPress while attempting to make any changes.
Requirements
Before you start, you will need:
- WordPress installed on your domain.
- Your WordPress credentials (username/password)
- Both the current and new domain name have their DNS pointed to your Grid server IP. To check, you can look up your server IP address. Then run a DNS check using the dig command, or a third-party website such as: https://dnschecker.org/
- Both the current and new domain are added as a primary or alternate domains to your Grid server. If you require instructions on adding a domain to your server, you may feel free to review our article here.
READ ME FIRST
The publishing of this information does not imply support of this article. This article is provided solely as a courtesy to our customers. Please take a moment to review the Statement of Support.
Instructions
Method 1 - WordPress Dashboard
- Open a web browser, and log into your WordPress Dashboard.
(typically the WordPress Dashboard login is accessible at the URL example.com/wp-admin).
- Once you have logged in, click on Settings. Then click General.
- Once in the General Settings, locate the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL).
- Update both sections to the new domain name. Then scroll to the bottom of the General Settings menu and click Save Changes.
(If you wish to add https or www you may do so in this step.)
- Now you will want to update your website's folder/directory. This can be done through File Manager, FTP, or SSH. In this example, we will use the File Manager built-in with your Grid.
- Navigate to the File Manager. Then click on the /domains folder.
- Once in the /domains folder, locate the folder that has your website's name. Click on the "gear" icon. A pop-up menu will appear to your right. Then click Edit Name.
For legacy versions (such as the (gs) Grid Service or Grid Lite), the icon may appear as a "pencil/paper" icon instead of a "gear".
Duplicate/Pre-existing Folder Names:
In this example, we are attempting to change the name of the folder /mt-domain.com to /mt-website.com. However, suppose there is already a folder named /mt-website.com in here. We would need to rename or delete the pre-existing /mt-website.com folder first. Otherwise when you try to rename /mt-domain.com to /mt-website.com it will read as a duplicate folder and not work properly.
- Input the desired domain name.
(do NOT include http, https, or www in this step).
- That's it! Your domain name should be changed. You can open a new browser window and try visiting your site with the new URL.
Method 2 - phpMyAdmin
- Log into phpMyAdmin.
If you need to review your database credentials, those can be accessed within the wp-config.php file. The typical path for this file would be /domains/example.com/html/wp-config.php.
- Once in phpMyAdmin, locate and click on your database located in the left menu bar.
- Click on wp_options.
- Ensure you are in the Browse section.
- Locate the siteurl and home sections. To edit these you can click on the Pencil/Edit icon next to each table.
If you've installed your WordPress using Managed Apps, you might only see the siteurl option. This is normal, and you can edit just the siteurl section.
- Insert your new domain name. Then select "Go". Do this for both the siteurl and home table, if applicable.
(You can also add https or www in this step)
- Now you will want to update your website's folder/directory. This can be done through the File Manager, FTP, or SSH. For more detailed instructions on the process, you can refer to Method 1 - Steps 5-8.
Alternative methods
For the Grid, we generally recommend using the WordPress Dashboard or phpMyAdmin methods outlined above. However, additional methods do exist, should you require, such as editing your wp-config.php or functions.php file. For information regarding those methods, feel free to review some reputable third-party resources below:
Requirements
Before you start, you will need:
- WordPress installed on your domain.
- Your WordPress credentials (username/password)
- Both the current and new domain name have their DNS pointed to your server IP. To check you can look up your server IP address, and then run a DNS check using the dig command or a third-party website such as: https://dnschecker.org/
READ ME FIRST
The publishing of this information does not imply support of this article. This article is provided solely as a courtesy to our customers. Please take a moment to review the Statement of Support.
Instructions
Method 1 - WordPress Dashboard
Make sure the new domain name A-records point to your DV server.
- Open a web browser, and log into your WordPress Dashboard.
(typically the WordPress Dashboard login is accessible at the URL example.com/wp-admin).
- Once you have logged in, click on Settings. Then click on General.
- Once in the General Settings, locate the WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL).
- Update these to the new domain name. Then scroll to the bottom of the General Settings menu and click Save Changes.
(If you wish you can add https or www in this step).
Method 2 - phpMyAdmin
- Log into phpMyAdmin.
If you need to review your database credentials, those can be accessed within the wp-config.php file.
- Once in phpMyAdmin, locate and click on your database located in the left menu bar.
- Click on wp_options.
- Ensure you are in the Browse section.
- Locate the siteurl and home sections. To edit these you can click on the Pencil/Edit icon next to each table.
- Insert your new domain name. Then select "Go". Do this for both the siteurl and home table.
(You can also add https or www in this step)
Alternative methods
We generally recommend using the WordPress Dashboard or phpMyAdmin methods outlined above. However, additional methods do exist, should you require, such as editing your wp-config.php or functions.php file. For information regarding those methods, feel free to review some reputable third-party resources below:
READ ME FIRST
The publishing of this information does not imply support of this article. This article is provided solely as a courtesy to our customers. Please take a moment to review the Statement of Support.
Instructions
Method 1 - Account Center
- Log into your Media Temple Account.
- Select the ADMIN button associated with your Managed Wordpress server.
- Locate your desired site. Click the three dot icon and select Settings.
- Scroll to Domains and select Add New primary domain.
- Type your domain name do NOT add www.
- Select Add Domain.
- Ensure that you have pointed your DNS to your Managed WordPress server.
- From here, it may just take a few minutes for the domain name change to occur. You can feel free to navigate away from this page if needed.
Having trouble adding your domain?
If your domain has already been added to a GoDaddy or Media Temple account, the system may prevent your domain from being duplicate added here. If this occurs, you will want to remove the domain from the other account(s), and then re-attempt to add the domain here. If you are unsure if the domain has been added elsewhere, you can contact Support directly and we'd be happy to help confirm this for you.
The WordPress servers has an option in the Account Center that provides even non-technical customers the ability to edit their URL.
- Log into your (mt) Media Temple Account Center.
- Click on the blue Admin button next to your WordPress Server.
- Move your cursor over the site slot that you wish to edit. Then click on Manage Site.
- On the left side of your WordPress control panel, click on Domains.
- If you haven't added the desired domain name yet, click on Add Domain.
- Enter the desired domain name (it is not necessary to add www).
- If you need to register your domain name, you can also do so at this step. If you've already registered the domain either at (mt) Media Temple or with a third-party registrar, you can intead select "I already own this domain. Then select Use This Domain.
- You will be prompted to add the domain to your server/site. Select your WordPress server, then select the site slot you wish to add it to.
- Once the domain is added successfully, you will see it listed in your Domains page.
- Wait about 5 minutes. Then select the drop down menu to change your Primary Domain name to the new domain name.
- Wait another 5-10 minutes, and that's it! Your website should begin to show the new domain name. If you experience any delays in this change, you can attempt to clear your WordPress hosting cache.
Resources
For more information on managing your WordPress blogs, please start with the links listed below:
