How to Migrate a Large WordPress Website

Migrating a WordPress website is rarely fun, but when you’re moving a large site – we’re talking 20GB+, thousands of media files, or multisite setups – it gets tricky fast.

At Pressillion, we’ve helped migrate enormous websites, including:

  • A WooCommerce site with 105GB of product videos
  • An agency network with 1900+ websites
  • Multisite setups with complex redirection rules

Here’s how we do it – and how you can too.

📚 Table of Contents

✅ Before You Begin

If you’re using Pressillion, you already have an optimized stack for receiving large-scale WordPress sites. We integrate cleanly with most migration plugins and SSH workflows.

But a few pre-checks will save you hours of frustration.

Pro Tip: For sites over 2GB, we recommend skipping traditional file exports. Instead, go with Migrate Guru or rsync+WP-CLI.

⚠️ Avoiding Common Migration Issues

Here’s what typically derails large site migrations:

  • ❌ Timeouts during zip/unzip processes
  • ❌ Wordfence or similar plugins blocking requests
  • ❌ Disk space limits on the origin or destination server
  • ❌ Database import size restrictions (especially on shared hosts)

You can mitigate most of these by preparing ahead.

🧹 Prep Checklist for Large Sites

Before you migrate:

  • ✅ Remove backup archives stored in /wp-content/uploads
  • ✅ Optimize your database (use WP-Optimize or WP-CLI)
  • ✅ Deactivate and delete Wordfence entirely (not just disable it)
  • ✅ Clear all cache (plugin-based and server-side)
  • ✅ Disable non-essential plugins like security scanners, social feeds, etc.
  • ✅ Check PHP limits (memory_limit, upload_max_filesize, post_max_size)

You don’t have to follow every step above — but the more streamlined your site is before migration, the smoother the process.

🔁 Top 3 Migration Methods

Below are the three best tools and methods we recommend based on years of large-scale migrations.

1. 🚀 Migrate Guru (Best Free Plugin)

Migrate Guru is free and built to handle massive sites. We’ve successfully used it to migrate a 50GB site in 30 hours.

  • No manual file or DB exports needed
  • No reconfiguration post-migration
  • Supports multisite and WooCommerce

👉 See our Migrate Guru walkthrough

2. 🧰 WP-CLI + rsync (Best for Devs)

If you’re comfortable with SSH and have root access, rsync is the fastest, most reliable method.

  • Use rsync to copy /wp-content/ over SSH
  • Use wp db export and wp db import via WP-CLI
  • Reconfigure wp-config.php for DB changes

👉 Follow our step-by-step WP-CLI & rsync guide

3. 🧳 All in One WP Migration (With Premium Extensions)

For large sites (10GB+), you’ll need premium extensions for this plugin. Still, it’s one of the most user-friendly options.

  • Use the Unlimited Extension to bypass upload limits
  • Supports Google Drive, Dropbox, Backblaze B2, and more
  • Smooth integration with Pressillion

👉 See our full All in One Migration tutorial

❓ FAQ

Can I migrate a WordPress multisite?
Yes. Migrate Guru is excellent for this. If you use WP-CLI, export the DB using --all-tables.

Will caching or security plugins cause issues?
Yes. Especially Wordfence, WP Rocket, and older redirect tools. Always disable them first.

What if the site fails mid-migration?
Use Migrate Guru or rsync — both can resume where they left off. Traditional ZIP-based tools often fail silently.

Does Pressillion support these plugins out of the box?
Yes. We’re fully compatible with all the above tools.

🔗 Sources

Need help? Open a migration ticket and our team will assist.

 

 

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