The process of moving your WordPress website from a sub-directory to the root directory is not for the faint of heart as it can get rather technical and could even result in a completely ruined website. Our support team can do this for you. Contact support for a reasonable quote on what it would cost.
I’ll walk you through migrating your WordPress site from a subdirectory to the root directory using the All-in-One Migration plugin.
Phase 1: Export from Subdirectory
- Ensure plugin is installed – Install All-in-One WP Migration on your current WordPress installation
- Log into WordPress admin at your subdirectory location
- Navigate to All-in-One WP Migration > Export
- Click Export To > File
- Choose Advanced Options and configure: Check “Do not export spam comments”.
- Click Export and download the `.wpress` file once ready
Phase 2: Prepare Root Directory
- Log into your Control Panel.
- Use the WordPress Toolkit or Softaculous to create a new WordPress installation in the root directory of the account.
Phase 3: Import to Root
- Access your new WordPress dashboard at `example.com/wp-admin`
- Install All-in-One WP Migration plugin
- Go to All-in-One WP Migration > Import
- Click Import From > File
- Upload your `.wpress` export file
- Confirm the import (it will overwrite the fresh installation)
- When complete, you’ll be logged out
Phase 4: Finalize
- Log back into WordPress at `example.com/wp-admin` using your original credentials
- Go to Settings > Permalinks and click Save Changes (refreshes rewrite rules)
- Test your site thoroughly – check pages, images, links, and functionality
- Update your DNS if needed (if domain was pointing to subdirectory)
- Delete the old subdirectory and the old WordPress database.
Important Notes
- The free version of All-in-One WP Migration has a 300MB upload limit. If your site is larger, you’ll need the premium extension or increase the limit
- Clear your browser cache after migration
- Update any hardcoded URLs in custom code or widgets