cPanel to hPanel Migration: What Transfers and What Doesn't (2026)

Published October 19, 2026

Moving from a cPanel host to Hostinger means switching control panels too — cPanel to hPanel. The websites themselves move fine. It’s the panel-specific configuration around them that needs attention.

What moves cleanly

What needs manual work

Nothing here is a blocker. It’s just configuration you’ll redo once, in about an hour.

Common errors and fixes

Database connection errors after import. The wp-config.php still points at the old database credentials. Update it with the new database name, username, password, and host from hPanel’s database section.

Addon domain shows the wrong content. In cPanel, addon domains lived in subfolders of public_html. In hPanel, each website has its own document root. Make sure files landed in the right website’s root — not nested inside another site’s folder.

Email clients can’t connect. hPanel’s mail server hostnames differ from cPanel’s. Update your mail client’s incoming/outgoing server settings to the values hPanel provides — don’t reuse the old hostnames.

Cron jobs fail silently. Command paths differ between servers (/usr/bin/php vs /usr/local/bin/php, for example). Check hPanel’s PHP path and update each cron command accordingly, then watch the first scheduled run.

Mixed content warnings. If the old site ran on HTTP and the new one forces HTTPS (or vice versa), hardcoded URLs break. Run a database search-replace for the old URL scheme.

Step 1: Take a full backup from cPanel

In cPanel, go to Backup and download a full account backup plus separate copies of the home directory and each database. Store these locally — not on either server. This is your safety net for the entire process. Full backup procedure: How to back up your website before moving hosts.

Step 2: Set up hPanel and plan the domain layout

Create your Hostinger account and add your domains. Note the structural difference: cPanel treats one domain as primary with others as “addon” domains tucked underneath it. hPanel treats each domain (or website) as its own entity with its own document root. This is actually cleaner — but if you had addon domains sharing resources in cPanel, decide how to organize them in hPanel before migrating.

Planning the layout for multiple domains:

• Each domain gets its own website entry in hPanel — no primary/addon hierarchy to untangle.
• If addon domains in cPanel shared an SSL certificate or email setup with the primary domain, recreate those associations per-domain in hPanel.
• Subdomains work the same conceptually, but verify their document roots match the old structure — a subdomain serving from /public_html/blog in cPanel needs to serve from the equivalent path in hPanel, or internal links break.

Take ten minutes to map old paths to new paths on paper before moving files. It’s the cheapest time you’ll spend on this migration.

SSL certificates: if you had a paid SSL certificate on the old host, you don’t need to migrate it — just issue a fresh free Let’s Encrypt certificate in hPanel and you’re done. Paid certificates only make sense for specific compliance needs; for standard sites, Let’s Encrypt is equivalent and auto-renews.

hPanel features worth knowing about

A few hPanel capabilities that differ from cPanel workflows:

• Git deployment: hPanel has built-in Git integration for deploying from repositories — no cPanel equivalent in most shared plans.
• Cache manager: LiteSpeed cache controls are surfaced directly in the panel rather than buried in plugin settings.
• AI website tools: Hostinger bundles AI-assisted site building and troubleshooting — genuinely useful for quick fixes, not a replacement for understanding your stack.
• Simplified DNS editor: fewer record types exposed than cPanel’s Zone Editor, but covers everything most sites need (A, CNAME, MX, TXT, SRV).

What’s missing: WHM-level server controls, some advanced Apache module toggles, and the deep customization long-time cPanel admins expect. For standard websites, you won’t miss them.

One more difference worth knowing: cPanel’s backup system creates full-account archives that bundle everything. hPanel doesn’t have a one-click equivalent for full-account backup — you’ll back up websites, databases, and email separately. It’s slightly more manual, but it also means you back up exactly what you need instead of a monolithic archive. For migration purposes, the per-site approach in our backup guide is what you want anyway.

Step 3: Move the websites

WordPress sites: use Hostinger’s free migration — provide your old host’s login and their team moves the site, database and all. Alternatively use All-in-One WP Migration: export from cPanel, import in hPanel. Detailed walkthrough: How to migrate WordPress without downtime.

Static or custom sites: download files via FTP from cPanel’s public_html (and addon domain folders), upload to the corresponding hPanel website root via File Manager or FTP.

Step 4: Move the databases

1. In cPanel’s phpMyAdmin, export each database (SQL format).
2. In hPanel, create a new MySQL database and user for each site.
3. Import each SQL file via hPanel’s phpMyAdmin.
4. Update connection strings — wp-config.php for WordPress, config files for custom apps — with the new database name, username, and password.

Step 5: Recreate email accounts

Email doesn’t transfer. Recreate every address in hPanel’s Email section, then copy historical mail over via IMAP (connect both accounts in Thunderbird and drag folders across). Full email procedure: How to move email when switching hosts.

Step 6: Recreate cron jobs and check redirects

Copy your cron schedule from cPanel’s Cron Jobs page and recreate each entry in hPanel. The command paths may differ slightly between servers — verify each job’s paths exist on the new host. Check .htaccess redirect rules carried over with your files and test them.

Step 7: DNS cutover

Lower your TTL to 300 seconds 24–48 hours ahead. Then point your domain’s A record at the new Hostinger server IP (find it in hPanel). Test thoroughly — homepage, forms, checkout, email — and keep the old cPanel host active for a few days before cancelling.

The honest panel differences

hPanel is simpler than cPanel, which cuts both ways. Everyday tasks — file management, database creation, SSL, email setup — are faster and less cluttered. But if you’re deeply used to cPanel’s advanced sections (WHM-level controls, specific plugin integrations), some of that granularity isn’t there. For the vast majority of site owners, hPanel does everything needed with less hunting through menus.

The migration itself is mostly file-copying plus an afternoon of recreating configuration. Unremarkable work — which is exactly what you want from a migration.