Manual Import
If you are unable to use WP Stagecoach’s one-click import, you might need to do a manual import instead. Here are step-by-step instructions for a manual import.
Broad overview
Want us to do this for you? You can request manual import assistance, and we will take care of it!
- Back up your site (both the database and the files). It is always a good idea to have a backup on hand, in case the manual import goes wrong!
- Download the database file and zip file from the temp directory of your staging site.
- Upload the zip file to your live site and unzip it to update your changed files
- Use PHPMyAdmin to replace your WordPress database with the database from your staging site
NOTE: Read If You’ve Made Changes on Your Live Site after Staging
When you do a manual import, you will lose any changes you have made on your live site since you created your staging site. If you have written blog posts or received comments since you created your staging site, you will lose them if you do a manual import. To avoid losing new content, follow these steps:
- On Your Live Site: Go to WP-Admin –> Tools –> Export to export your new content.
- On Your Staging Site: Go to WP-Admin –> Tools –> Import to import your new content to the staging site.
How to Complete a Manual Import
Download the database file and zip file
Go to Your Account page and click the “Generate Manual Import” files there to create and download the files.
Upload the zip file to your live site **
If you are using FTP or SFTP, unzip the zip file, and then upload the contents of the main directory to the root directory of your website. Make sure you upload the contents to the same directory that includes the wp-admin directory.
Some web hosts (such as Bluehost) provide a web interface for uploading files. This web interface lets you unzip files after you have uploaded them. This is a much faster way to upload your file. Upload the file to the root directory of your website (the directory that contains the wp-admin directory). Then unzip the file.
** Warning: Your zip file contains only files that have changed on your staging site, not all of your WordPress files. Make sure that the web interface does not delete all of your WordPress files and replace them with the contents of the zip file. GoDaddy’s web interface will do this, so if you’re using GoDaddy, it is safer to use FTP to upload your zip file.
Use PHPMyAdmin to replace your database
Log in to PHPMyAdmin. (To access PHPMyAdmin, you probably need to log in to your web hosting account, but every web host handles this a little bit differently. If your web host uses cPanel, you can find PHPMyAdmin in the databases section.)
Click on “Databases.” You will see a list of your databases. Most likely, you only have one database, but you might have more than one. Click on your WordPress database.
In the top menu, click on “Import.”
Click “Browse” and find your sql file.
Click “Go.” PHPMyAdmin will import your new database.
The database file has already been adjusted to work on your live site, so you don’t have to worry about updating URLs from the staging site URL to the live site URL.
You’re done! Your live site should now match your staging site. If you have a caching plugin installed on your site, you will need to clear your cache to see your changes. Don’t hesitate to contact WP Stagecoach support if you have any questions.