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Troubleshooting Common URL and Path Issues After a Duplicator Migration

81 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → Duplicator

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Migrating a WordPress site with the Duplicator plugin is a powerful process, but sometimes things don't go perfectly. A frequent issue users encounter involves incorrect URLs or file paths after a successful migration. This can manifest as broken links, missing CSS, 404 errors for fonts, or even login problems. This guide will help you understand why these issues happen and how to resolve them.

Why Do URL and Path Problems Occur?

During a migration, Duplicator performs a search-and-replace operation on your database. It replaces all instances of your old site URL and server file paths with the new ones. However, some scenarios can prevent this from working perfectly:

  • Serialized Data: Some plugins and themes store URL and path data in a serialized format. The search-and-replace process must account for the character count in this data, or it can break.
  • Hardcoded URLs: URLs written directly into post/page content or theme/plugin files may not be updated if they don't match the old site URL exactly.
  • Plugin/Theme Conflicts: Certain plugins (like security or caching plugins) can interfere with the migration process or the final result.
  • Manual Path Input: During installation, manually entering an incorrect path (e.g., "mysite.com" instead of leaving it blank for the root) can create double paths.
  • Server Configuration: The new server might not have mod_rewrite enabled for Apache or correct permissions for Nginx, causing permalink issues that look like missing pages or CSS.

Common Symptoms and Their Solutions

1. Text Links or Images Still Point to the Old (localhost) URL

Problem: After migrating from a local server to a live host, some links in your page content still contain "localhost."

Solution: This is often caused by serialized data. You can use a standalone database search-and-replace tool (always backup first!) to carefully perform the replacement. Alternatively, some users have success with plugins like "Better Search Replace" after the migration is complete.

2. Missing CSS or Styles on the Frontend

Problem: Your site loads but looks unstyled, as if the CSS is missing. The backend (wp-admin) may work fine.

Solution:

  1. Check Permalinks: Go to Settings > Permalinks and simply click "Save Changes" to flush the rewrite rules. This often fixes the issue.
  2. Clear Caching: Deactivate any caching or optimization plugins (e.g., Smush, SG Optimizer) and clear all server and browser caches.
  3. Check Paths: If the browser's console shows 404 errors for resources with a double path (e.g., mydomain.com/mydomain.com/wp-content/...), the site or home URL in the database might be incorrect. Check the wp_options table for the siteurl and home values.

3. Login Page Redirects or White Screen

Problem: You cannot access wp-admin; you get a white screen, a redirect loop, or are sent to the original site.

Solution:

  1. Rename Plugins Folder: Use FTP or your host's file manager to rename the /wp-content/plugins folder to /wp-content/plugins.old. This deactivates all plugins. Try to log in again. If successful, rename the folder back and reactivate plugins one-by-one to find the culprit. Common conflicts are security plugins (e.g., iThemes Security) or plugins that change the login URL (e.g., WPS Hide Login).
  2. Check .htaccess: Rename your .htaccess file to .htaccess.old. Try to log in. If it works, go to Permalinks to generate a new, clean file.
  3. Server Configuration: For local servers like XAMPP or Laragon, ensure Apache's httpd.conf file has AllowOverride All set for your directory.

4. Fonts or Files Returning 404 Errors with Incorrect Paths

Problem: Browser console shows failed requests for fonts or other files with an incorrect, duplicated path.

Solution: This usually happens if the "Path" was manually set incorrectly during installation. The best practice is often to leave this field blank if you are installing in the root of your domain. To fix it, you will need to manually correct the values in the database, typically in the wp_options table or within theme/plugin settings that store absolute paths.

Final Checklist

  • Always clear all caching (plugin, server, browser) after a migration.
  • Verify the siteurl and home values in wp_options are correct.
  • Visit Settings > Permalinks and save the settings.
  • Temporarily disable security, caching, and login-redirect plugins before migration and reactivate them carefully afterward.
  • Ensure your new server has the correct PHP extensions and Apache/Nginx modules (like mod_rewrite) enabled.

By methodically working through these steps, you can resolve most post-migration URL and path issues and get your cloned site running smoothly.

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