Title: SwiftMigrate
Author: Hasan Alam Qazi
Published: October 6, 2026
Last modified: October 6, 2026
---
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# SwiftMigrate
By [Hasan Alam Qazi](https://profiles.wordpress.org/qaziwebsitewala/)
[Download](https://downloads.wordpress.org/plugin/swiftmigrate.1.0.1.zip)
* [Details](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/#description)
* [Reviews](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/#reviews)
* [Installation](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/#installation)
* [Development](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/#developers)
[Support](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/swiftmigrate/)
## Description
SwiftMigrate moves a complete WordPress site from its current server to a new one.
The files and the database travel directly from server to server, so nothing is
downloaded to your computer and there is no archive to upload.
**How a migration works**
1. Install and activate SwiftMigrate on both sites. The new site can be a fresh WordPress
install on any domain.
2. On the new site, open SwiftMigrate Receive a site Generate migration key, then
copy the key.
3. On the old site, open SwiftMigrate Send this site, paste the key and click Connect.
4. Review the pre-flight check, choose what to move and confirm that the destination
may be overwritten. Click Start migration.
5. When every chunk has been verified on the destination, click Restore on destination(
or tick “Restore automatically”).
6. Log in to the new site with the old site’s username and password.
7. Check the new site, then click “Delete rollback copy” – or “Roll back” if something
is wrong.
**Features**
* Direct server-to-server transfer with parallel streams (4 by default, configurable).
* Small files are packed together; large files of any size are split into chunks.
* Every file and chunk carries a SHA-1 checksum, and the destination rejects anything
that does not match.
* After the transfer, the destination confirms every single chunk. Missing or damaged
chunks are resent automatically before a restore is allowed.
* Fast database export using primary-key ranges, binary-safe values and statement
sizes adapted to the destination’s MySQL limits.
* The restore imports into temporary tables, rewrites URLs and server paths (including
serialized, JSON-escaped and URL-encoded data), then switches all tables at once.
Different table prefixes are handled automatically.
* Rollback: the destination’s previous database and replaced files are kept until
you delete them.
* Resumable: close the browser tab at any time and press Resume later.
* Full log of every migration under SwiftMigrate History & logs, downloadable
as a text file.
**Security**
* A migration key is generated on the destination. It contains the destination’s
address and a random 256-bit secret, and it expires after 24 hours by default.
* Every request between the two sites is signed with HMAC-SHA256, time-limited
and single-use, so it cannot be altered or replayed.
* If the destination does not use HTTPS (or certificate verification is turned
off), every request and response is additionally encrypted end-to-end with a
key derived from the migration secret (XChaCha20-Poly1305, via PHP’s sodium extension
or the library bundled with WordPress). Site data is never sent in clear text.
If encryption is not available, a non-HTTPS migration is refused.
* Temporary data is kept in a private folder inside the uploads directory with
a random, unguessable name, protected against web access. Received files are
stored under hashed names with a .bin extension until the restore, so no received
code can run from that folder.
* Keys are revoked when the plugin is deactivated.
* All admin screens and actions require the `manage_options` capability.
**Tuning for your host**
The defaults suit most hosts. Under SwiftMigrate Settings you can adjust:
* Speed: parallel streams, maximum request size, small files per request, database
rows per chunk, request timeout and compression.
* What is left behind: skip post revisions, transients, or spam and trashed comments;
skip whole database tables; exclude files and folders with simple rules (for
example `*.log` or `*/node_modules`).
* Safety and connection: rollback copy, migration key lifetime, SSL verification
and a firewall-friendly mode for hosts that block binary uploads.
**Never transferred**
wp-config.php, .htaccess, .user.ini, php.ini and web.config stay as they are on
the destination, so its database credentials and server rules keep working.
**Limitations**
* Multisite networks are not supported.
* Files that exist only on the destination are left in place.
* Changes made on the source while a migration runs may not all be captured. Avoid
editing content during the transfer.
* Rollback needs the “Keep a rollback copy” setting (on by default) and enough
free disk space on the destination.
### External services
SwiftMigrate does not use any third-party service and does not send any data to
the plugin author.
To perform a migration, the site you are moving (the source) sends its files and
database content to **the WordPress site whose migration key you paste** (the destination).
This happens only after you paste a key and click Connect / Start migration, and
only to the address contained in that key. The destination is a WordPress site you
control, running SwiftMigrate. The data is sent to the destination’s REST API route`/
wp-json/swiftmigrate/v1/transfer` (or `?rest_route=/swiftmigrate/v1/transfer`).
What is sent: the database tables and the files you choose to include (media, themes,
plugins, WordPress core, other files in the site root), plus technical information
needed for the transfer (site URL, server paths, table prefix, WordPress/PHP/MySQL
versions and upload limits). Over HTTPS the data is encrypted by TLS; if the destination
does not use HTTPS, SwiftMigrate encrypts every request and response itself with
the migration key, so the data is never sent in clear text.
Because the destination is your own site, its privacy policy and terms are your
own. No other service is involved.
## Screenshots
[⌊Overview: choose whether this is the old site (send) or the new site (receive),
with a server readiness check and recent migrations.⌉⌊Overview: choose whether this
is the old site (send) or the new site (receive), with a server readiness check
and recent migrations.⌉[
Overview: choose whether this is the old site (send) or the new site (receive),
with a server readiness check and recent migrations.
[⌊Pre-flight check on the source site: destination PHP, transport security, disk
space and negotiated chunk size, then choose what to move.⌉⌊Pre-flight check on
the source site: destination PHP, transport security, disk space and negotiated
chunk size, then choose what to move.⌉[
Pre-flight check on the source site: destination PHP, transport security, disk space
and negotiated chunk size, then choose what to move.
[⌊Transfer in progress: parallel, checksummed chunks with live speed, time left
and an activity log. Close the tab at any time and resume later.⌉⌊Transfer in progress:
parallel, checksummed chunks with live speed, time left and an activity log. Close
the tab at any time and resume later.⌉[
Transfer in progress: parallel, checksummed chunks with live speed, time left and
an activity log. Close the tab at any time and resume later.
[⌊Receive a site: generate a time-limited migration key on the destination and watch
the incoming migration.⌉⌊Receive a site: generate a time-limited migration key on
the destination and watch the incoming migration.⌉[
Receive a site: generate a time-limited migration key on the destination and watch
the incoming migration.
[⌊Migration complete: open the new site, then delete the rollback copy or roll the
destination back with one click.⌉⌊Migration complete: open the new site, then delete
the rollback copy or roll the destination back with one click.⌉[
Migration complete: open the new site, then delete the rollback copy or roll the
destination back with one click.
## Installation
1. In your WordPress admin, go to Plugins Add New Plugin, search for “SwiftMigrate”,
then click Install Now and Activate. Alternatively, upload the `swiftmigrate` folder
to `/wp-content/plugins/` and activate it on the Plugins screen.
2. Do the same on the second site (both the old and the new site need SwiftMigrate).
3. Follow the steps under “How a migration works” in the Description.
Requirements on both sites: WordPress 6.2 or later, PHP 7.4 or later, writable content
and uploads folders, and a WordPress REST API that is reachable from the other server.
The zlib PHP extension is recommended for compressed transfers.
## FAQ
### Which site do I start on?
On the new site (the destination): generate the migration key there. Then paste
the key on the old site (the source) and start the migration from the old site.
### Will the destination site be overwritten?
Yes. When you restore, the destination’s database, themes, plugins and media are
replaced by the incoming site. wp-config.php and .htaccess are kept. With “Keep
a rollback copy” enabled (the default), you can undo the switch with one click.
### Which username and password do I use after the migration?
The ones from the old site. The destination now contains the old site’s database,
including its users.
### Where does SwiftMigrate store temporary data?
In a private folder inside your uploads directory: `uploads/swiftmigrate/data-`. The location is determined with `wp_upload_dir()`, and the folder has a random,
unguessable name plus index.php, .htaccess and web.config rules that deny web access.
Received files are kept there under hashed names with a `.bin` extension until the
restore moves them into place, so nothing received can be executed from that folder.
It is removed when you delete the plugin.
### Is the transfer encrypted?
Yes. Over HTTPS, TLS encrypts it. If the destination does not use HTTPS, or you
turned off certificate verification, SwiftMigrate encrypts every request and response
end-to-end with the migration key (XChaCha20-Poly1305). Using HTTPS on the destination
is still recommended.
### The transfer fails with HTTP 401, 403 or 406. What can I do?
A security plugin or the host’s firewall is probably blocking the REST API or binary
uploads on the destination. Try these in order:
* In Settings, enable “Firewall-friendly mode” on the source site.
* Allow unauthenticated POST requests to `/wp-json/swiftmigrate/v1/transfer` in
your security plugin on the destination. SwiftMigrate authenticates these requests
itself with the migration key’s signature.
* If the REST API is disabled entirely on the destination, enable it for the duration
of the migration.
### The transfer times out on a slow host.
Lower “Parallel streams” and “Maximum request size” in Settings on the source site.
### The destination has a self-signed SSL certificate.
Disable “Verify SSL certificates” in Settings on the source site. Only do this if
you trust the network between both servers.
### Can I close the browser during a migration?
Yes. Progress is saved on the server. Open SwiftMigrate Send this site again and
click Resume.
### Can the new site use a different domain or table prefix?
Yes. The site URL and server paths are rewritten during the restore, including inside
serialized, JSON-escaped and URL-encoded data, so page builder and plugin settings
keep working. A different table prefix on the destination is handled automatically.
You can add extra find-and-replace pairs (for example an old CDN address) before
you start.
### Can I leave things out to make the migration smaller?
Yes. On the Send screen you choose whether to include the database, media, themes,
plugins, WordPress core and other root files. In Settings you can also skip post
revisions, transients, spam and trashed comments, specific database tables, and
files or folders that match your own rules.
### What happens if a chunk fails or arrives damaged?
Failed requests are retried automatically. Every chunk carries a SHA-1 checksum
that the destination checks on arrival, and after the transfer the destination confirms
every chunk. Anything missing or damaged is sent again before the restore button
becomes available.
### Is multisite supported?
No. Both sites must be single-site WordPress installs.
### What does uninstalling remove?
Deleting the plugin removes its settings, the `uploads/swiftmigrate` folder and
any leftover staging or rollback tables. The migrated site itself is not touched.
## Reviews
There are no reviews for this plugin.
## Contributors & Developers
“SwiftMigrate” is open source software. The following people have contributed to
this plugin.
Contributors
* [ Hasan Alam Qazi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/qaziwebsitewala/)
[Translate “SwiftMigrate” into your language.](https://translate.wordpress.org/projects/wp-plugins/swiftmigrate)
### Interested in development?
[Browse the code](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/browser/swiftmigrate/), check
out the [SVN repository](https://plugins.svn.wordpress.org/swiftmigrate/), or subscribe
to the [development log](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/swiftmigrate/) by
[RSS](https://plugins.trac.wordpress.org/log/swiftmigrate/?limit=100&mode=stop_on_copy&format=rss).
## Changelog
#### 1.0.1
* Working data moved to a private, unguessable folder inside the uploads directory(
resolved with `wp_upload_dir()`).
* Received files are staged under hashed, non-executable names until the restore.
* Transfers to a destination without HTTPS (or with certificate verification off)
are encrypted end-to-end.
* Site and content folders are resolved through the WordPress filesystem API.
* “Skip spam and trashed comments” now skips trashed comments too.
* All messages, including pre-flight checks, logs and the admin scripts, are translatable.
#### 1.0.0
* First public release.
## Meta
* Version **1.0.1**
* Last updated **1 day ago**
* Active installations **Fewer than 10**
* WordPress version ** 6.2 or higher **
* Tested up to **7.1.3**
* PHP version ** 7.4 or higher **
* Language
* [English (US)](https://wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/)
* Tags
* [clone](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/clone/)[migrate](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/migrate/)
[migration](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/migration/)[move site](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/move-site/)
[transfer](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/tags/transfer/)
* [Advanced View](https://pcm.wordpress.org/plugins/swiftmigrate/advanced/)
## Ratings
No reviews have been submitted yet.
[Your review](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/swiftmigrate/reviews/#new-post)
[See all reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/swiftmigrate/reviews/)
## Contributors
* [ Hasan Alam Qazi ](https://profiles.wordpress.org/qaziwebsitewala/)
## Support
Got something to say? Need help?
[View support forum](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/swiftmigrate/)