## How to Change Your WordPress Site URLs (Step by Step)
**By Naveed Ahmed**
As a WordPress expert with over 15 years of experience, I’ve seen countless scenarios where changing WordPress site URLs is necessary. Whether you’re migrating from a local server to a live site, switching domain names, or simply restructuring your content, understanding how to change your site URLs is crucial. This guide will walk you through the process step-by-step, ensuring a smooth transition without broken links or SEO problems.
### Why Change WordPress Site URLs?
There are several reasons why you might need to change your WordPress site URLs:
* **Moving from a local server to a live site:** When you’re ready to launch your website, you’ll need to update your site URLs to reflect your new domain name and hosting environment.
* **Switching domain names:** If you’ve decided to change your domain name (e.g., from example.com to newdomain.com), you’ll need to update your site URLs to reflect this change.
* **Transferring to a subdomain:** If you’re moving from a main domain to a subdomain (e.g., from example.com to blog.example.com), you’ll need to update your site URLs accordingly.
* **Restructuring your content:** Sometimes, you might decide to reorganize your content, which may require changing the URLs of specific pages or posts.
* **Moving from HTTP to HTTPS:** When implementing an SSL certificate for added security, you’ll need to change your site URLs from HTTP to HTTPS.
* **Troubleshooting WordPress Errors:** In some cases, changing your site URLs can be a solution for troubleshooting errors like “too many redirects” or other WordPress-related issues.
### Understanding WordPress Address vs. Site Address
When changing your WordPress URL, you’ll need to update two separate settings:
* **WordPress Address (URL):** This is the address where your WordPress files and folders are stored, including your admin pages, media files, plugins, themes, and more. This is the URL you use to access your WordPress dashboard.
* **Site Address (URL):** This is the public-facing part of your website, the one your visitors will type into their web browsers to reach your website.
For most websites, these URLs will be the same. However, large companies may host their WordPress sites on a separate server for security and performance reasons. This is where the two settings diverge.
### Methods to Change WordPress Site URLs
Let’s dive into the different methods you can use to change your WordPress site URLs, starting with the most user-friendly approach:
#### Method 1: Changing Site URLs from the WordPress Admin Area
This method is the easiest and most beginner-friendly. If you have access to your WordPress admin panel, follow these steps:
1. **Log in to your WordPress dashboard** and navigate to **Settings » General**.
2. **Locate the ‘WordPress Address (URL)’ and ‘Site Address (URL)’ fields**. For most users, these will be identical.
3. **Enter your new site URLs** in the respective fields. Make sure you include the correct protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) and domain name.
4. **Click the ‘Save Changes’ button** to apply your updates.
5. **Visit your website** to ensure everything is working as expected.
#### Method 2: Changing Site URLs Using the functions.php File
If you cannot access your WordPress admin panel, you can use this method to change your site URLs.
1. **Connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client.** You can find a guide on how to use FTP to upload files to WordPress on WPBeginner’s website.
2. **Locate your WordPress theme folder.** For most users, this will be in the `/wp-content/themes/your-theme-folder/` directory.
3. **Open the `functions.php` file** and edit it with a text editor like Notepad or TextEdit.
4. **Add the following code** to the bottom of the file:
“`php
update_option( ‘siteurl’, ‘https://example.com’ );
update_option( ‘home’, ‘https://example.com’ );
“`
Replace `https://example.com` with your actual site URLs.
5. **Save your changes** and upload the file back to your server using FTP.
6. **Visit your website** to confirm that everything is working.
This method updates the site URLs in the database. WordPress updates the database every time your `functions.php` file is loaded. Once you’re certain your website is functioning correctly, you can remove the two lines of code from your `functions.php` file.
#### Method 3: Changing Site URLs Using the wp-config.php File
If you’re unsure which WordPress theme you need to edit or can’t locate your `functions.php` file, you can use this method.
1. **Connect to your WordPress site using an FTP client** (see our guide on WPBeginner).
2. **Locate the `wp-config.php` file.** This file is typically located in the root folder of your website.
3. **Add the following code** just above the line that says, ‘That’s all, stop editing! Happy publishing.’
“`php
define( ‘WP_HOME’, ‘https://example.com’ );
define( ‘WP_SITEURL’, ‘https://example.com’ );
“`
Remember to replace `https://example.com` with your actual site URLs.
4. **Save your changes** and upload the file back to your server using FTP.
5. **Visit your website** to make sure everything is working as it should.
#### Method 4: Changing Site URLs in the Database Using phpMyAdmin
Another way to update your WordPress site URLs is by directly modifying your WordPress database.
1. **Make a WordPress database backup.** This is crucial to ensure you can revert any changes if something goes wrong. You can find detailed instructions on WPBeginner’s website on how to create a WordPress database backup.
2. **Log in to your web hosting account dashboard.** Locate the ‘phpMyAdmin’ icon in the ‘Databases’ section. The exact steps may vary depending on your hosting provider, but most cPanel providers like Bluehost allow you to access phpMyAdmin.
3. **Click on your WordPress database** in the left-hand column. This will display the tables within your database.
4. **Click on the `wp_options` table.**
5. **Locate the `option_name` column.** You’ll see entries for ‘siteurl’ and ‘home’.
6. **Click on the pencil ‘Edit’ icon** next to each row, and **change the `option_value` field** to your new site URL.
7. **Click the ‘Go’ button** in the bottom right corner to save your changes.
8. **Visit your website** to verify that everything is working properly.
#### Method 5: Changing Site URLs Using the AIOSEO Plugin
This method differs from the others, as it focuses on redirecting your current WordPress URL to a new WordPress installation. This is typically used when moving your website to a new domain name and you want to avoid losing SEO rankings or experiencing downtime.
1. **Install and activate the AIOSEO plugin.** You can download the free version or purchase the AIOSEO Pro version, which is recommended for complete website redirects.
2. **Create a duplicate of your existing site.** Move the duplicate to your new domain.
3. **Use AIOSEO’s built-in redirection manager** to redirect your old website to the new one. This will preserve links from other sites pointing to your old domain, prevent 404 errors, and provide a better user experience.
You can learn more about redirecting your entire website in WPBeginner’s guide on updating URLs when moving your WordPress website.
### Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Changing WordPress URLs
**Here are some common questions and answers about changing WordPress URLs:**
**
Why are my WordPress Address and Site Address fields greyed out?
**
If the WordPress Address (URL) is greyed out in the settings page of your admin area, it means the URLs are hardcoded in the `wp-config.php` file. You’ll need to use Method 3 above to edit the `wp-config.php` file and change the URLs accordingly.
**
How do I recover my WordPress site after accidentally changing the URL settings?
**
If you accidentally changed the WordPress URL and Site Address settings, use one of the methods above to revert the URLs back to their correct values. You can edit `functions.php`, `wp-config.php`, or the WordPress database to restore your site.
**
Is there a WordPress plugin that can update URLs in all blog posts, pages, and other content areas in bulk?
**
Yes, the Go Live Update URLs plugin can be used to bulk update links throughout your WordPress posts, pages, and database. It’s a time-saver for moving websites, migrating from other platforms, or updating URLs after a site redesign.
**
What if I changed my URL and now my site isn’t working?
**
If you’ve changed your site URL and are experiencing issues, double-check that you’ve followed the steps correctly and that the new URL is accessible. If you’re still encountering problems, reach out to your hosting provider for assistance.
**
What if I want to change my URL, but I want to keep the old URL working?
**
You can use a 301 redirect to ensure that your old URL still directs visitors to your new URL. This will help you maintain your SEO rankings and avoid losing traffic.
**
What if I changed my URL but my old URL is still showing in search results?
**
Search engines need time to update their indexes. It may take a few days or weeks for the new URL to appear in search results. You can use Google Search Console to submit a sitemap and request a crawl of your new website.
**
What if I changed my URL, but my site is showing a 404 error?
**
A 404 error indicates that the page cannot be found. This could be because the URL is incorrect or the server cannot find the requested resource. Make sure your URL is correct and that the server is properly configured to serve the website. Contact your hosting provider if you need help troubleshooting the error.
### Expert Guides on URLs in WordPress
To learn more about WordPress URLs, I recommend checking out these additional resources on WPBeginner:
* **What is a Website URL (Important Parts Explained for Beginners)**
* **What is a SEO Friendly URL Structure in WordPress**
* **How to Change the Default Search URL Slug in WordPress**
* **How to Easily Update URLs When Moving Your WordPress Site**
* **How to Remove Numbers From WordPress URLs**
* **How to Remove Parent Slug From Child Page URL in WordPress**
* **How to Remove v=XXXX String From WordPress URLs**
* **How to Add a Custom Login URL in WordPress (Step by Step)**
* **How to Get the URL of Images You Upload in WordPress**
* **How to Get the Post Thumbnail URL in WordPress**
### Conclusion
Changing your WordPress site URLs doesn’t have to be daunting. By following these steps, you can seamlessly update your URLs, ensuring a smooth experience for both you and your visitors. If you’re interested in learning more about tech news, feel free to visit my website: www.naveedahmed.me.