Domain name change and switching site to production

This thread is resolved. Here is a description of the problem and solution.

Problem:
The client needed to know how to change their site from a development domain to a production domain in WPML after moving their site to a new domain.

Solution:
1. We recommended using the Duplicator plugin to migrate the site and handle the URL-replacing process. Documentation for Duplicator can be found at https://snapcreek.com/duplicator/docs/ and a tutorial at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3YDQ3Ey_2wY.
2. After migration, the client should unregister WPML from the old domain and register it for the new domain. This involves logging into the WPML account, removing the old site, adding the new site, and using the new key provided in Plugins > Add new > Commercial.
3. If the option to update the site key is not available, the client should click "Unregister WPML from this site" and then re-register with the new key.
4. For the issue with the old domain name still appearing in the "Theme and plugins localization" section, we advised that nothing should break if the client changes it to the new domain, but recommended using a plugin like Duplicator to ensure all URLs are correctly replaced.

Please note that this solution might be irrelevant if it's outdated or not applicable to your case. If the issue persists, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. If needed, please open a new support ticket at our support forum.

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Tagged: Exception

This topic contains 5 replies, has 2 voices.

Last updated by Mihai Apetrei 1 year, 4 months ago.

Assisted by: Mihai Apetrei.

Author	Posts
April 6, 2024 at 8:13 am #15490308
sarahJ-5	My site has been registered as a development site while I was working on it. It was being hosted on my server under a temporary domain (sarahj53-sg-host.com). Yesterday I changed the domain to its real, permanent domain but I'm not sure what steps I now need to take in WPML to register it as a production site. The new domain is teatimeteachables.com. Do I simply need to add this as a new site in "Registered sites" and generate a new site key? Or do I need to move sarahj53-sg-host.com from development to production and then change the domain name somehow? Any help would be appreciated! Thanks
April 6, 2024 at 7:33 pm #15490904
Mihai Apetrei WPML Supporter since 03/2018 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Bucharest (GMT+03:00)	Hi there! For migrating your site, my recommendation is to use the following plugin: - https://wordpress.org/plugins/duplicator/ Documentation can be found here: hidden link Here is a small tutorial on how to use Duplicator: hidden link This plugin should easily take care of the URL-replacing process. After migration, register WPML in your new site and enter the new key: Please Login to your WPML account >> go to the "Sites" page (https://wpml.org/account/sites/) >> Remove your old site / domain from there >> and add your new site >> it will give you a new key which you can add back in your site in Plugins > Add new > Commercial. I hope that you will find this information helpful 🙂 Kind regards, Mihai Apetrei
April 6, 2024 at 7:55 pm #15490913
sarahJ-5	Hi, thanks for the quick reply. I've removed the old site from my accounts and added the new one in WPML, generated the new site key, but I'm not getting the option the update the site key in Plugins > Add new > Commercial. I've attached a screenshot where it says it's still registered as a development site. I don't see anywhere that I can add the new site key.
April 6, 2024 at 9:26 pm #15490980
Mihai Apetrei WPML Supporter since 03/2018 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Bucharest (GMT+03:00)	Hi there and welcome back! You need to click "Unregister WPML from this site" first so that you UN-register WPML from the old key and then RE-register with the new key. Also, if you would click "check for updates", I think WPML will automatically UNregister if the old key is not available or if the domain was changed compared to the initial domain the WPML key was created for.
April 6, 2024 at 9:55 pm #15490987
sarahJ-5	Hi! Thanks so much - I clicked "unregister" and was able to enter the new site key. I am noticing one other thing and I'm not sure if it's an issue. My website is a clone of another website that I rebranded. I used WPML on the original site, and I've noticed that in the "Theme and plugins localization" section in WordPress, the old domain name is still appearing in Localization options. I've attached a screenshot. Can I simply change "teatimemonkeys.com" in that text field to my new domain? Will altering it cause any problems? Thanks for your assistance.
April 7, 2024 at 9:03 pm #15492033
Mihai Apetrei WPML Supporter since 03/2018 Languages: English (English ) Timezone: Europe/Bucharest (GMT+03:00)	Hi there. Nothing should break but usually I use a plugin like Duplicator so that, whenever I migrate sites from one domain to another, I have all the URLs in the old database replaced with the new domain. Per our Support Policy, we can handle only one issue per ticket. Continuing with one issue per ticket helps not only supporters to focus on one issue at once, but also enables other users to find solutions to their questions faster. So, in case you will encounter any issues related to the new thing that you mentioned, please do not hesitate to open a new unique ticket. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation. Mihai