Submit Migration Request and Process

We're excited to help you get started on your migration process with Hostwinds! Our goal is to make your transition as seamless as possible, so we've provided some helpful instructions for you to follow.

To ensure you're fully prepared, we also recommend taking a look at our Migration Policy and Pre-Migration Checklist if you haven't already. We're confident that with these resources, your migration journey will be a breeze!

Migration Ticket Requirements

Before you can create a migration ticket with Hostwinds, you'll need to have a few things in place:

A Hostwinds account, which you can easily create by ordering any of our product options.
An active Hostwinds service that you want to migrate your current hosting to.
An active service at your present hosting provider. (You will not cancel this service until your migration is fully completed, verified, and ready to use at Hostwinds)

Once you have these, you'll be ready to submit a migration request via migration ticket and get started on your journey to a better hosting experience!

Creating a Migration Ticket

If you're ready to start your migration to Hostwinds and have all the necessary information, the first step is to create a technical support ticket. Here's how:

Log in to your client area and select "Support" from the dropdown menu at the top.
Choose "Open a Ticket" and select "Technical Support" from the options.
Select the Hostwinds product or service that you want to migrate your hosting to.
Under "Issue Category," select "Migration Request."
Fill out the additional details required for the migration request, including information about your present host. You'll need to obtain this information from your current hosting provider to ensure our technical professionals can begin your migration immediately.

In the IP address field, provide the IP address used to FTP into your old server. If you don't know this or don't have FTP access, you can provide the login URL for your Control Panel.
The Connecting Port is the port that can be used to FTP into the old server. If you don't know this, you can leave it blank or use the default port, 21.
For the Username field, enter the FTP username used to retrieve files or the username to log in to your Control Panel. You can also use an email address if that's what you use.
Make sure to accurately fill out the Password field with your current login password.
In the Subject field, use something simple like "Migration Request" to reiterate that this is a migration request.
Use the Message body to provide any necessary information you believe our Migration Experts will need to know. This could include special requests or specific sites you'd like to migrate.
Once you have filled out all the necessary information as accurately as you can, you will Submit The Ticket. This will create the ticket so that our team of Migration Experts can work on this for you.

With your technical support ticket created and all the necessary details provided, we'll be ready to kick off your migration process to Hostwinds!

Migration Communication

Once you've created your migration ticket, our technical professionals will review it promptly. Throughout the migration process, you can communicate with our support team at any time using the dedicated migration ticket created.

Our technical team may reach out to you if they have additional questions or requests for clarification. This could include, but is not limited to:

Information like login credentials that aren't working
Needed details required to continue the migration
Clarification on any situations that could potentially cause confusion to ensure that the migration is done correctly.

Kindly be informed that all communication and updates related to your migration will be sent to your Hostwinds account email. Nevertheless, you can access your ticketing area for any updates or follow-ups if needed. If our migration team requires further information or clarification, they may not proceed until we receive the necessary details. We take your migration very seriously and strive to ensure a smooth and successful process.

Confirming Migration

Once our Migration Experts have completed your migration, they will notify you that your requests have been fulfilled. However, it's strongly recommended that you take the time to review your Hostwinds service and all the information that was migrated when you receive this completion notice.

Before changing your domain name's DNS or nameservers, there are several ways to test your site, such as editing the Hosts File or configuring your website to use your Hostwinds account's IP address or server name.

If you encounter any issues or have further questions or concerns about your migration or the information that was migrated, please let our support team know. Hostwinds is always happy to continue assisting you until you verify your migration has been completed successfully.

Finalizing Migration

After verifying that your migration is completed, the final step is to point your domain's nameservers or DNS records, such as A records or MX records, to your Hostwinds service to begin using it. To ensure that there are no interruptions, make sure that your old web hosting services remain active until this step is completed.

You may need to access your domain registrar or Authoritative Nameserver provider to set your DNS records. Your DNS records should match the ones sent to your email regarding your Hostwinds service. You can also find this information in your welcome email by going to your Client Area, clicking on your name in the top-right corner, and selecting My Emails. Additionally, you can point your domain to our Hostwinds Cloud DNS Manager and edit your DNS records from there if needed.

Keep in mind that it may take up to 24 hours for complete DNS propagation, so please wait before canceling your old hosting plan.

If you have any questions about these details or require further assistance, our migration team is available to help you throughout the entire migration process, including DNS provisioning.

Post Migration

Great news! You've successfully completed the migration process and your domain is now propagating to your new Hostwinds service! To finalize everything, please confirm these details with our friendly support team in your migration ticket, if you haven't already done so.

Once confirmed, it's time to say goodbye to your old hosting plan with your previous provider.

Congratulations on your successful migration to Hostwinds!