Upload the ImportBuddy file and Your Complete Backup Zip To Your Server
Once you’ve downloaded your backup zip file and the ImportBuddy file, it’s time to upload both the ImportBuddy file and your Complete backup zip file to the same directory on your server, where your website currently resides.
Upload the backup file (do not rename the zip file!) and the Importbuddy.php file to your chosen directory. You’ll see these two files once they finish uploading.
4. Load Your ImportBuddy URL
Now it’s time to let ImportBuddy work its magic. ImportBuddy will load after you access the file using this URL format:
5. Walk Through the 6 ImportBuddy Steps to Complete the Restore
There are 6 ImportBuddy steps to go through for a successful website restoration. Let’s walk through them.
Step 1: Authentication Required & Choose Your Backup File
Once you’ve accessed the ImportBuddy file through your browser, the first step will load. You’ll be prompted to enter your ImportBuddy password to continue.
Step 1 also prompts you to choose your backup file for the migration. Since we’ve already uploaded the file, you’ll see it listed as a selection. If you have a Stash account, you can Restore from Stash / Stash Live if you have files saved to your account.
Once you’ve selected your Advanced Options or if you do not need to select any of these options, click Next Step.
Step 2: Unzipping Backup File
The next step unzips the backup file. There is nothing you need to do for this step. Just select Next Step once the extraction has completed.
Step 3: URL and Database Settings
This is where you will enter the database settings for the new location that you saved as you prepared for the restoration.
These settings control where your backed up database will be restored to. Here are a few important things to note:- If you are restoring to the same server, the settings below will import the database to your existing WordPress database location, overwriting your existing WordPress database already on the server.
- If you are moving to a new host you will need to create a database to import into.
- The database settings MUST be unique for each WordPress installation.
- If you use the same settings for multiple WordPress installations then all blog content and settings will be shared, causing conflicts!
| Old Database Database | New Database | Explanation | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Database Server | localhost | localhost | In almost all cases, this field will be “localhost.” This is the address to the mySQL server where your database will be stored. The location of your mySQL server will be provided to you by your host if it differs from “localhost.” |
| Database Name | olddomain_phs | olddomain_phs | This is the name of the database we wrote down in the prep step. |
| Database User | olddomain_user | olddomain_user | This is the name of the user we wrote down in the prep step. |
| Database Password | *************** | *************** | This is the password for the user. |
| Database Prefix | wp_ | wp_ | This is the prefix given to all tables in the database. For the purposes of this tutorial, we’ll leave it at wp_ (since the previous version of the site used it). |
Once you’ve entered all the new database information or created your new database, click Next Step.
Step 4: Database Import
Step 4 imports the database information into the database of your new site. Once the import is completed, click the Next Step button.
Note: Advanced options are also available during Step 4. These advanced options allow customizations of various ImportBuddy functionality for custom purposes or troubleshooting. Exercise caution as some advanced options may have unforeseen effects if not used properly, such as overwriting existing files or erasing existing database content.Step 5: Database Migration
This step updates all of the URLs, paths, etc. on your site to make sure everything matches (this is especially helpful if you are using this process to move your site to a new host or domain name).
Before you move to the final step, be sure to go to your restored site and check all of your links to ensure they have changed. You may view your entire import log for providing to support by clicking the View Import Log button.
Once you’ve tested your new site, you can move to the final step by clicking Clean up & remove temporary files.
Step 6: Final Cleanup
Step 6 removes any temporary files from your new site that were used for the restoration. Your site will then be ready at the URL indicated on that page.
Once you click the Finish cleanup button, your site will be restored!
