This guide covers GoDaddy's cPanel-based shared hosting accounts, not their Managed WordPress product, which uses a different interface and different migration approach. If you log in to your GoDaddy account and see a standard cPanel dashboard, this guide applies to you.
Log in to your GoDaddy account, navigate to My Products, and open cPanel for the relevant hosting plan. In cPanel, go to Files > Backup. Click Download a Full Website Backup under the Full Backup section. Choose a backup destination, Home Directory is the default and easiest option. Enter an email address for notification when the backup is ready, then click Generate Backup.
Generating a full backup can take anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour depending on account size. You'll receive an email when it's complete. Once ready, return to the Backup page in cPanel and download the .tar.gz file to your local machine. This archive includes all your files, databases, email accounts, and cPanel configuration.
If you only need the WordPress site files and database (and not email or other cPanel data), you can instead use Partial Backup to download just the Home Directory files and a specific MySQL database export. This produces smaller, faster downloads if you're migrating a single site.
GoDaddy, like all ICANN-accredited registrars, applies a 60-day lock to domains after registration or any account-level change. During this period, the domain cannot be transferred to another registrar. This is an ICANN policy, not a GoDaddy restriction, but GoDaddy is known for being rigid about it and will not manually release domains within this window.
The lock applies to registrar transfers, not nameserver changes. You can move the domain's DNS to point at a new host at any time, without waiting for the transfer lock to expire. This is the recommended approach: move hosting first by updating nameservers, then transfer the domain registrar later once the lock expires. Separating these two tasks removes a major blocker from your migration timeline.
GoDaddy bundles domain registration and hosting in a way that makes both feel like one product, but they are independent. Your hosting account can be cancelled and your domain can stay at GoDaddy as a standalone registration with no hosting attached. Conversely, your domain can point anywhere, regardless of where it's registered.
The practical approach: migrate hosting first. Upload files and database to the new host, test the site using a hosts file or temporary URL, then change the domain's nameservers in GoDaddy's Domain Manager to point at the new host. Once that's working, initiate a domain transfer to a new registrar at your convenience, or leave it at GoDaddy if you're happy there. The domain transfer has no effect on where the site is hosted.
Extract the backup archive on your local machine. Inside you'll find a homedir or public_html folder containing your website files, and a MySQL dump in a mysql subdirectory. On your new host, create a fresh MySQL database and user in cPanel. Open phpMyAdmin, select the new database, and import the .sql dump file.
Upload the WordPress files to public_html on the new host via FTP or cPanel File Manager. Then edit wp-config.php to reflect the new database credentials: update DB_NAME, DB_USER, DB_PASSWORD, and DB_HOST. If the domain is staying the same and you're just moving hosts, the siteurl and home values in the database don't need changing. If you're also changing domain, run Search Replace DB to update all URL references.
Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Domains. Click the domain you're migrating and open DNS Settings or Nameservers. Choose to use custom nameservers and enter the nameserver addresses provided by your new host (typically two addresses like ns1.newhostprovider.com and ns2.newhostprovider.com). Save the change.
GoDaddy's nameserver changes typically propagate within one to two hours globally, though it can take up to 48 hours in some regions. GoDaddy uses their own DNS infrastructure which can occasionally be slower than average to propagate, if you're seeing delays beyond 24 hours, use our DNS Propagation Checker to confirm the nameservers are updating worldwide, and contact GoDaddy support if they are not.
A known quirk with GoDaddy is that their own recursive DNS resolvers can cache old nameserver records longer than expected. If you or someone else on a GoDaddy internet connection (or using GoDaddy's DNS servers as their system DNS) is testing the site, they may see the old server for longer than users on other networks. Always test DNS propagation from multiple networks or use our DNS Propagation Checker to get a global view, rather than trusting a single browser.
If you need immediate DNS control before propagation completes, and your domain is managed in GoDaddy's DNS Zone Editor (i.e., you haven't changed nameservers yet), you can update the A record directly in GoDaddy's DNS interface to point to the new server IP. This takes effect faster than a full nameserver change and is useful as a bridge while a registrar transfer is in progress.
Before pointing DNS at the new server, test using your local hosts file. On Windows, edit C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts as administrator; on Mac or Linux edit /etc/hosts. Add a line: NEW.HOST.IP yourdomain.com. Visit the site in an incognito window and verify it loads correctly from the new server.
Check permalinks (Settings > Permalinks > Save Changes), confirm SSL is active, and walk through core site functions: homepage, posts, admin login, forms, and any ecommerce flows. Once everything checks out and DNS propagation is complete on the new server, keep the old GoDaddy hosting account active for at least two to three days before cancelling, just long enough to catch any edge cases. When you're confident in the new setup, cancel the GoDaddy hosting plan through My Products > Manage > Cancel.
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