Why you may want to change your WordPress URL<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Deciding to change your WordPress URL shouldn’t be taken lightly. After all, the domain name helps with brand recognition. People get used to a particular domain when seeking out your content. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, you may find that there are reasons to completely shift to a new domain or maybe add some extra SEO or security power to the URL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Here are some of the instances you may want to change the WordPress URL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Scenario 1: Completely shifting to a new domain name<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
It’s not uncommon for website owners to have a little buyer’s remorse after configuring domains. Sometimes you have a shift in the brand name or you realize that another domain is available that sounds catchier than the one you currently own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regardless of the reason, this means that you’re trying to completely change the URL and move all website files to a new domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This process involves moving your entire WordPress installation to a new domain. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
An example of this migration would be from Using HTTPS helps make your site more secure and can even give you a rankings boost in Google.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To move your site from HTTP to HTTPS<\/a>, you’ll first need to install an SSL certificate. Most hosts offer free SSL certificates and make it easy to use them<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then, you’ll need to change your site’s URL to use the new HTTPS version.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After switching to HTTPS, you should also make sure your redirects are in place, clear any site or CDN caches, and check your site for mixed-content warnings. In many cases, you’ll also want to run a safe search-and-replace so old HTTP URLs in your content and media are updated correctly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here’s a situation where you may have placed all, or a portion of your website, on a subdirectory. However, some subdirectories begin getting more attention than what’s on the primary domain’s page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Therefore, the website owner might decide to shift all content from the subdirectory to the homepage URL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n An example of this would be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The primary, or parent, domain is situated as the “face” of your website. This tends to be one of the most common reasons to change the WordPress URL, considering some subdirectories become super popular and should become the main page. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a0\ufe0f Important<\/strong>: This is a big change, so we’d highly encourage you to back up your site before implementing any of these methods. That way, you’ll always have a working copy in case something goes wrong. After examining the reason you may want to change your WordPress URL, now it’s time to walk through the process of doing so. Luckily, there are a handful of methods to get the job done. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Which method should you use?<\/strong> Start with the dashboard if you can edit the URL fields normally. Use wp-config.php<\/strong> if those fields are locked because the values are hardcoded. Use the database only if you can’t access the dashboard or config file. Use WP-CLI if you’re comfortable working from the command line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s best to focus on this method first before getting into anything more technical. You may find that adjusting your WordPress URL in the admin dashboard may be all you need to shift from a subdirectory or change the address altogether. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, some sites may have the URL hardcoded in the wp-config.php<\/strong> file. In those cases, you’ll have to use Method 2 below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Having said that, here’s how to change the WordPress URL in the admin dashboard:<\/p>\n\n\n\n In your WordPress dashboard, click on Settings \u2192 General<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Locate the following fields:<\/p>\n\n\n\n The WordPress Address<\/strong> is the location of your WordPress core files.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Site Address<\/strong> is the public-facing URL that visitors use to access your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the vast majority of situations, both of these fields should be the same. <\/p>\n\n\n\n However, they can differ in some setups. For example, you might install WordPress in a subdirectory such as You can change these fields if you already own the domain and need to shift from a temporary domain or from something you previously chose. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Make sure you clear your site cache after changing these URLs. Your site will only be accessible from the new URLs in these fields. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A WordPress site may have a hardcoded URL in the wp-config.php<\/strong> file. If this is the case, the WordPress Admin and Site Address fields are grayed out and not editable from Method 1. In short, the hardcoded URL in the wp-config.php<\/strong> file overrides whatever is in the Settings module. <\/p>\n\n\n\n So, the next option is to modify the WordPress URL in your wp-config.php<\/strong> file. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Begin by accessing the wp-config.php<\/strong> file. You can do this with:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Our primary suggestion is to connect to your site files using FTP (file transfer protocol). Our FTP guide is here<\/a> to walk you through the process. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Once you’ve connected to your server, open the wp-config.php<\/strong> file, which is most often located at the root of your WordPress site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Paste the following code at the top of the file. Make sure you insert your actual domains, instead of the examples below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If these are already in the wp-config.php file, you’ll need to change them to reflect what you want. Otherwise, the new code in this file hardcodes the domains. You can always go in and remove the code.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here, you’ll change the WordPress URL directly in your site database. This is done with phpMyAdmin<\/a>. The phpMyAdmin tool is found in your host’s dashboard or cPanel<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u26a0\ufe0fWarning<\/strong>: Making changes to your site’s database could cause your site to break if not done properly. If you don’t feel comfortable, we’d recommend hiring a developer<\/a> or using one of the other methods.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Go to phpMyAdmin and select your site’s database from the list on the left side. Go down on the page until you see the This file lets you enter a new All you have to do is select those values and type in the new domains. Click Go<\/strong> to save them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember, this modification means that your site is now only accessible through the new URL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Only complete this method if you’re a developer with experience. The process involves using command lines to run specific tasks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re a developer–or you hired one–use the following command to update your URL site values:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace the “myexamplesite” text with your actual domain to get this done!<\/p>\n\n\n\n You’ve changed your WordPress URL for the future, but what about the old page URLs and links in your articles? Chances are you’ll stumble upon broken links after this process, so it’s important to resolve this issue. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This applies no matter which method you use from above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To fix your existing links after changing your WordPress site URL, you can use the free Better Search Replace plugin. <\/p>\n\n\n \u26a0\ufe0f Important<\/strong>: Make sure to back up your website before you use the plugin. Because you’ll be changing content in your site’s database, you might accidentally break something. So, if you haven’t already, get that recent backup ready before you continue. Once you install and activate the plugin, go to Tools \u2192 Better Search Replace<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Enter your old URL in the Search for<\/strong> field and your new URL in the Replace with<\/strong> field. Then, choose the tables that you want to scan in the Select Tables<\/strong> box. In most cases, you’ll want to include your WordPress tables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s best to leave Replace GUIDs<\/strong> unchecked unless you’re working on a development copy of your site. You can also leave Run as dry run<\/strong> enabled first so the plugin previews the matches before making changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you’re ready, run the dry run first, review the results, and then run the search and replace for real to update your old URLs. Better Search Replace safely handles serialized data, which is important on WordPress sites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re comfortable with the command line, WP-CLI is another good option for this step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, clear your cache, confirm your redirects are working, and test key areas of your site such as images, internal links, forms, and the login page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most simple modifications only require you to go into the WordPress dashboard or wp-config.php<\/strong> file. Other than that, we suggest reaching out to a developer when tweaking your database or using command lines. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n Finally, you can also change the URL for other parts of your WordPress site. For example, we have a guide on how to change the WordPress login URL<\/a> that you might find useful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Still have any questions about how to change your WordPress URL? Let us know in the comments below. <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\nmyexamplesite.com<\/code> to thebestsiteintheworld.com<\/code>, where the primary domain is changed.<\/p>\n\n\n\nScenario 2: Adding security with the help of an HTTPS domain<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Scenario 3: Moving content from a subdirectory<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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myexamplesite.com\/blog<\/code> to myexamplesite.com<\/code>. <\/li>\n\n\n\nblog.myexamplesite.com<\/code> to myexamplesite.com<\/code>. <\/li>\n\n\n\nHow to change WordPress URL in all scenarios<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to back up WordPress with a free plugin<\/a> \ud83d\udc48<\/p>\n\n\n\nMethod 1: Change WordPress URL in your WordPress dashboard<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WordPress-Settings-→-General-page.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n
![\"WordPress](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:1024\/h:449\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/WordPress-Address-URL-and-Site-Address-URL-fields.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nmyexamplesite.com\/wordpress<\/code> but have visitors access the site at myexamplesite.com<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nMethod 2: Use the wp-config.php file<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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define('WP_HOME','https:\/\/myexamplesite.com');\ndefine('WP_SITEURL','https:\/\/myexamplesite.com');<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nMethod 3: Use the database to change WordPress URL<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
wp_options<\/code> table. Some sites may have different names for this, but most of the time it ends in “_options<\/code>“.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"phpMyAdmin](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:auto\/h:auto\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/phpMyAdmin-with-wp_options-selected.png\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nsiteurl<\/code> and home<\/code>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"Editing](\"https:\/\/mllj2j8xvfl0.i.optimole.com\/cb:c5QE.37290\/w:943\/h:1024\/q:mauto\/f:best\/https:\/\/themeisle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/example-site-database.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nMethod 4: Change WordPress URL using WP-CLI<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
wp option update home 'http:\/\/myexamplesite.com'\nwp option update siteurl 'http:\/\/myexamplesite.com'<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAn important final step: handling old links and URLs<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
How to back up WordPress with a free plugin<\/a> \ud83d\udc48<\/p>\n\n\n\nDo you have any questions about changing your WordPress URL?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n