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Knowledge base Transferring a website from one web host to another/Changing hosts/Joining Infomaniak

Transferring a website from one web host to another/Changing hosts/Joining Infomaniak

This step-by-step guide explains:

how to transfer a domain name to Infomaniak,
how to move a website to Infomaniak without interruption,
how to back up your old emails to manage them with Infomaniak.

If you need help to transfer your site to Infomaniak, don't hesitate to call on our partners.

1. Why use Infomaniak for your domain names, websites and email?

Expertise: Infomaniak has been hosting websites for over 20 years. We are a recognized worldwide player for hosting and online solutions. Infomaniak is the No. 1 hosting service provider in Switzerland in terms of revenue, and No. 2 in terms of the number of sites hosted.
Security: all our clients' data is hosted on servers located in Switzerland belonging to Infomaniak. Our solutions are systematically developed and maintained by our engineers in our offices in Geneva, Switzerland.
Support: with more than 1,000 articles and videos, our knowledge base allows our customers to immediately answer the vast majority of their questions, and our customer service is open from Monday to Saturday. We help our customers get the full potential from our products by telephone and email.
Responsible: Infomaniak is 100% committed to sustainable, responsible development through concrete actions, such as adopting the ISO 14001 standard, or creating the greenest datacentre in Switzerland. We offset 100% of the CO2 emissions that we generate through our activities and 100% of the energy we use is from renewable sources.
Passionate: we love what we do and are pleased to offer high-end solutions at affordable prices. We are continually improving and enriching our services, based on market trends and customer needs.

By consolidating your domain names, websites and emails with Infomaniak, you simplify the management of your invoices and services. For example, linking a domain name to your website and your email address will be automatic. That way, you will not need to manually configure your DNS with another registrar.

2. Transferring a domain name to Infomaniak

The domain name is the address you enter in a browser to view a site, such as infomaniak.com

It is possible to transfer a domain name from one registrar to another.

These are the steps to follow to transfer a domain name to Infomaniak:

log in with the registrar that currently manages your domain name
get the transfer code from your current registrar for the domain name to be transferred (help)
order the domain name to be transferred to Infomaniak
during the transfer, be sure to keep the current DNS for the domain name
enter the transfer code when prompted

3. Moving a website to Infomaniak

All the sites you visit are stored (hosted) with companies usually referred to as web hosts. If you already have a website, it is possible to entrust Infomaniak with the management of its hosting without interrupting the operation of your current site and without inconveniencing your loyal visitors :)

Here are the steps to take in order to move your current site to Infomaniak:

using a FTP program, back up all the files on your site with your current web host
back up your MySQL databases if you use any
order the Infomaniak hosting of your choice with the current domain name of your website
create a FTP account via our Manager (help)
using a FTP program, send the website files that you saved in step 1 in your hosting's Web folder (you can also use our FTP Manager (help) to upload a .zip of your data and unzip everything from the tool)
from our admin console, create a new MySQL database with a user who has full rights to the database (help)
from our Manager, import the backup of your database to the database that has just been created (help)
in the configuration file of your web app (WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc.), adapt the following information based on the settings shown in our Manager (help):
- the database name
- the database server
- the database username
- the database user's password
test your website using the preview address (help)
don't forget to follow chapter 5 of this guide to redirect your domain name to your new hosting!

Warning: the procedure described is only valid if the domain name does not change. If this is not the case, you should make the necessary adjustments to your MySQL databases, if you use them. Steps 2, 6, 7, and 8 are not necessary if your site does not use a database.

4. Transferring the management of your emails to Infomaniak

By entrusting the management of your mail to Infomaniak, you can have a WorkSpace account.

WorkSpace is a comprehensive online solution for viewing and managing your emails, contacts, calendars, tasks and bookmarks online. It also enables you to sync your contacts and calendars with a smartphone, tablet or email software.

Here are the steps to take in order to manage your email with Infomaniak:

if necessary, order a Mail hosting (help)
create the required email addresses via our Manager (help)
configure your WorkSpace account (help) or your email software with your new addresses (help)
use our synchronization tools (syncimap/imapsync) to automatically copy and transfer the content of the old email address to the new address, box by box or in batches (help)

If WorkSpace is used:

import contacts to the address book (help) and import a calendar to the WorkSpace calendar (help)
configure the synchronization of contacts and calendars with your smartphone/tablet (help)

5. Enabling your new hosting

Now, you just need to point your domain name to the Infomaniak hosting:

open the Manager (manager.infomaniak.com)
go to Domain name
click on the domain name concerned
in the left side menu, click on Managing DNS
click on DNS Servers
click on Change DNS servers
tick the Infomaniak DNS servers box and click on Confirm

6. Wait up to 48 hours and then cancel your old services

Updating the DNS for your domain name can take up to 48 hours. It is therefore possible that your domain will still point to your old web host during this period.

Once that time has elapsed, don't forget to terminate your services (email, website hosting, etc.) with your old hosting service provider.

Congratulations :) Your site and your email is now hosted with Infomaniak.

Thank you for your trust.