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Fixing WordPress Migration Issues: A Guide to Updating URLs and Resolving 404 Errors

18 threads Sep 16, 2025 Core → Localhost installs

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Migrating a WordPress site to a new server or domain is a common task, but it often comes with a frustrating set of challenges. One of the most frequent issues users encounter after a move is broken links, 404 errors, and images that fail to load. This happens because WordPress stores absolute URLs in its database, and these old addresses remain even after the site has been physically moved to a new location.

Based on community discussions, the core of the problem is almost always the same: the site's URL needs to be updated throughout the database. When you move a site, the old domain name or IP address (e.g., http://olddomain.com or http://192.168.1.10) is still hardcoded in numerous database tables. Until these references are systematically changed to the new address, your site will experience critical failures.

Why This Happens

WordPress uses absolute URLs to ensure content is linked correctly, but this makes migrations tricky. Key places where the old URL is stored include:

  • The wp_options table (for the WordPress Address and Site Address)
  • The wp_posts table (for page, post, and image content)
  • The wp_postmeta table (for various post metadata)

Simply changing the addresses in the WordPress admin dashboard under Settings > General is often not enough, as it only updates the two primary settings in the wp_options table. The many other references throughout the database remain unchanged, leading to partial functionality and broken elements.

How to Fix It: The Most Common Solutions

1. Use a Search and Replace Tool (Recommended)

The safest and most thorough method is to use a dedicated database search and replace script. Manually editing the database is error-prone and not recommended. A popular and trusted tool in the community is the Interconnect IT Search and Replace script.

Steps:

  1. Download the script and upload it to your server's root directory.
  2. Navigate to the script's URL in your browser (e.g., http://yournewsite.com/searchreplacedb2.php).
  3. Enter your database details.
  4. In the Search for field, enter your old site URL (e.g., http://olddomain.com).
  5. In the Replace with field, enter your new site URL (e.g., http://newdomain.com).
  6. Run the script. It will carefully replace all instances of the old URL with the new one.
  7. Crucially, delete the script from your server immediately after use for security reasons.

2. Use WP-CLI (For Advanced Users)

If you have command-line access to your server and WP-CLI installed, this is a powerful and quick alternative.

Command:

wp search-replace 'http://olddomain.com' 'http://newdomain.com' --all-tables --dry-run

Run the command with --dry-run first to see what changes will be made. If the preview looks correct, run it again without the --dry-run flag to execute the changes.

3. Update .htaccess and Web Server Configuration

Sometimes, the issue is not just the database but also the server's rewrite rules. After a migration, ensure your .htaccess file (for Apache) or server block (for Nginx) is correctly configured for your new site's path.

For Apache, a standard WordPress .htaccess file looks like this:

# BEGIN WordPress
<IfModule mod_rewrite.c>
RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]
</IfModule>
# END WordPress

For Nginx, a common location block for handling permalinks is:

location / {
    try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}

If you moved your WordPress installation to a subdirectory, you will need to update the RewriteBase rule in your .htaccess file accordingly (e.g., RewriteBase /subdirectory/).

Important Considerations

  • Always Backup First: Before performing any search and replace operation on your database, create a complete backup. This cannot be overstated.
  • Use HTTPS Correctly: If your new site uses SSL/HTTPS, make sure to search and replace for both the http:// and https:// versions of your old URL, and replace them with https://yournewsite.com.
  • Serialized Data: The recommended tools handle serialized data in the database correctly. Manual SQL queries can break this data, so it's best to avoid them.

By methodically updating all instances of your old URL in the database and ensuring your server configuration is correct, you can resolve the majority of post-migration issues and get your WordPress site running smoothly in its new home.

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