How to Clone a WordPress Website in cPanel

How to Clone a WordPress Website in cPanel?

Cloning a WordPress website creates an exact copy of your site — useful for creating staging environments, testing updates, or backing up before major changes. SKPHost makes this easy using Softaculous in cPanel.

Method 1: Clone via Softaculous

1. Login to cPanel → Softaculous Apps Installer.
2. Click the WordPress installation you want to clone.
3. Click the Clone icon (two overlapping squares).
4. Set the clone destination:
   • Clone URL: Choose a subdomain (e.g., staging.yourdomain.com).
   • Clone Directory: Set the folder (e.g., staging).
5. Click Clone Installation.

Softaculous will copy all files and databases to the new location automatically.

Method 2: Manual Clone via File Manager + phpMyAdmin

1. Copy all WordPress files from public_html to a new folder.
2. Export the database via phpMyAdmin.
3. Create a new database and import the exported SQL file.
4. Edit wp-config.php in the new folder to point to the new database.
5. Update site URLs in the database using the SQL query:

   UPDATE wp_options SET option_value = 'https://staging.yourdomain.com' WHERE option_name IN ('siteurl','home');

Tip: Always test updates on a staging clone before applying them to your live site to prevent downtime and data loss.

If you continue to face issues, please open a create a request.