Switching hosting providers is one of the most common tasks for website owners — and one of the most anxiety-inducing. GoDaddy is where many people start, but over time the renewal prices climb, support quality varies, and faster or more affordable alternatives start looking attractive. Namecheap is one of the most popular destinations for that switch, offering competitive pricing, clean hosting dashboards, and straightforward domain management.
This guide covers the complete migration process from GoDaddy to Namecheap — from backing up your site to pointing your domain and confirming everything is live.
What You Need Before You Start
Before touching anything, make sure the following are ready:
- Active GoDaddy hosting account with your website files and database
- A Namecheap hosting plan purchased and active
- FTP client installed on your computer — FileZilla is free and reliable
- Access to GoDaddy’s cPanel or file manager
- Access to Namecheap’s cPanel
- Your domain registrar login — wherever your domain is currently registered
- Enough time — set aside at least 2 to 3 hours for the full process
Understanding What Needs to Be Moved
A website consists of two separate parts. Both must be transferred for the migration to be complete.
Website Files
These are all the folders and files that make up your website — HTML files, PHP scripts, CSS stylesheets, JavaScript files, images, uploads, themes, and plugins. On a WordPress site, these live in the public_html folder on your hosting server.
Database
If your site runs on WordPress, Joomla, or any CMS, all your content — posts, pages, settings, user accounts, comments — is stored in a MySQL database. The files alone are not enough. Without the database, your site will not function.
Step 1 — Back Up Your Website Files from GoDaddy
The first job is to download a complete copy of your website files from GoDaddy to your local computer.
Method A — Using GoDaddy cPanel File Manager
- Log in to your GoDaddy account
- Go to My Products and open your hosting plan
- Click Manage and open cPanel
- Find File Manager under the Files section
- Open the public_html folder — this contains all your website files
- Select all files and folders inside public_html
- Click Compress and create a ZIP archive
- Once compressed, right-click the ZIP file and click Download
- Save it to your computer
Method B — Using FTP with FileZilla
- Open FileZilla on your computer
- Go to File and click Site Manager
- Create a new site and enter the following:
- Host: your GoDaddy server’s FTP address (found in GoDaddy cPanel under FTP accounts)
- Username: your FTP username
- Password: your FTP password
- Port: 21
- Click Connect
- On the right panel you will see your server files — navigate to public_html
- On the left panel, choose a folder on your local computer to save the files
- Select all files in public_html and drag them to the left panel to download
- Wait for the transfer to complete — this may take time depending on site size
Step 2 — Export Your Database from GoDaddy
Accessing phpMyAdmin on GoDaddy
- Log in to GoDaddy cPanel
- Find phpMyAdmin under the Databases section and open it
- On the left panel, click on your website’s database name
- Click the Export tab at the top
- Choose Quick as the export method
- Set the format to SQL
- Click Go — your browser will download a .sql file to your computer
Keep this .sql file safe. It contains your entire website database — all posts, pages, settings, and user data.
Step 3 — Set Up Your Hosting on Namecheap
Before uploading anything, the destination environment needs to be ready.
Creating Your Hosting Account on Namecheap
- Log in to your Namecheap account
- Go to Dashboard and open your hosting plan
- Click Manage to open cPanel on Namecheap
Creating a New Database on Namecheap
- Inside Namecheap cPanel, go to MySQL Databases
- Under Create New Database, type a name for your new database and click Create Database
- Scroll down to MySQL Users and create a new database user with a strong password
- Under Add User to Database, select the new user and the new database
- Click Add and grant All Privileges
- Note down the database name, username, and password — you will need these shortly
Step 4 — Upload Your Website Files to Namecheap
Now that the Namecheap environment is ready, upload the files you downloaded from GoDaddy.
Method A — Using Namecheap cPanel File Manager
- Open File Manager inside Namecheap cPanel
- Navigate to the public_html folder
- Click Upload and select the ZIP file you downloaded from GoDaddy
- Once uploaded, right-click the ZIP file and click Extract
- Make sure the files extract directly into public_html and not into a subfolder
Method B — Using FileZilla FTP
- Open FileZilla and create a new site using Namecheap’s FTP credentials
- FTP hostname, username, and password are found in Namecheap cPanel under FTP Accounts
- Connect and navigate to public_html on the right panel
- Select all the downloaded files from your local computer on the left panel
- Drag them into public_html on the right panel to upload
- Wait for the upload to complete
Step 5 — Import Your Database to Namecheap
- Open Namecheap cPanel and go to phpMyAdmin
- On the left panel, click the database name you created in Step 3
- Click the Import tab at the top
- Click Choose File and select the .sql file you exported from GoDaddy
- Leave all other settings as default
- Click Go
phpMyAdmin will import the database. Once complete, a success message will appear. If your database is large and the import times out, split the .sql file using a tool like BigDump or use MySQL command line import via SSH.
Step 6 — Update wp-config.php with New Database Details
This step applies to WordPress sites. After uploading your files, the wp-config.php file still points to GoDaddy’s old database credentials. You need to update it with Namecheap’s new database details.
How to Edit wp-config.php
- Open File Manager in Namecheap cPanel
- Navigate to public_html
- Find wp-config.php and right-click it — click Edit
- Look for these lines:
define(‘DB_NAME’, ‘old_database_name’); define(‘DB_USER’, ‘old_database_user’); define(‘DB_PASSWORD’, ‘old_database_password’); define(‘DB_HOST’, ‘localhost’);
- Replace the values with your new Namecheap database name, username, and password
- DB_HOST should remain localhost for most Namecheap hosting plans
- Save the file
Step 7 — Test the Site on Namecheap Before Switching DNS
Before redirecting your domain traffic to Namecheap, you should preview the migrated site to confirm everything works. You can do this by temporarily editing your computer’s hosts file.
Editing the Hosts File on Windows
- Open Notepad as Administrator
- Go to File, click Open, and navigate to C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts
- Add this line at the bottom:
[Namecheap server IP] yourdomain.com
- Replace [Namecheap server IP] with your actual Namecheap hosting IP — found in cPanel under General Information
- Save the file
Now when you visit yourdomain.com in your browser, your computer will load the Namecheap version of the site instead of GoDaddy. Check the following:
- Homepage loads correctly
- All posts and pages are present
- Images load properly
- Menus and navigation work
- Contact forms function
- Admin login works at yourdomain.com/wp-admin
Once everything checks out, remove the line you added to the hosts file and save it again. Your computer will return to loading the live GoDaddy site.
Step 8 — Transfer Your Domain to Namecheap (Optional)
If your domain is registered with GoDaddy and you want to move it to Namecheap as well, follow these steps. If you only want to change hosting and keep the domain at GoDaddy, skip to Step 9.
Preparing the Domain Transfer on GoDaddy
- Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products
- Find your domain and click Manage
- Disable domain privacy protection temporarily — this is required for transfer
- Unlock the domain by turning off the domain lock under Additional Settings
- Request the EPP/Authorization code — GoDaddy will email it to your registered email address
Initiating the Transfer on Namecheap
- Log in to Namecheap and go to Domains
- Click Transfer and enter your domain name
- Enter the EPP code when prompted
- Complete the payment — Namecheap charges a transfer fee which includes a one-year domain extension
- Approve the transfer request from the confirmation email sent to your domain’s registered email address
- The transfer typically completes within 5 to 7 days
Step 9 — Point Your Domain DNS to Namecheap
If you are keeping your domain at GoDaddy but switching hosting to Namecheap, you only need to update the DNS records — not transfer the domain.
Getting Namecheap’s Nameservers
- Log in to Namecheap and open your hosting plan
- Go to cPanel and look under General Information
- Note the two nameserver addresses — they typically look like:
- dns1.namecheaphosting.com
- dns2.namecheaphosting.com
Updating DNS on GoDaddy
- Log in to GoDaddy and go to My Products
- Find your domain and click DNS
- Scroll down to Nameservers and click Change
- Select Custom and enter Namecheap’s nameserver addresses
- Save the changes
DNS propagation takes between 24 to 48 hours. During this window, some visitors will see the GoDaddy version and others will see the Namecheap version depending on their ISP’s DNS cache. This is normal.
Step 10 — Post-Migration Checks on Namecheap
Once DNS propagation is complete and your domain is pointing to Namecheap, run through the following checks:
General Site Checks
- Homepage loads correctly with the right layout and theme
- All posts, pages, and media are present
- Internal links work correctly
- Images display without broken icons
- Contact forms submit successfully
- User login and registration work
WordPress Specific Checks
- Go to Settings and click Permalinks — click Save Changes to flush rewrite rules
- Check that all plugins are active and functioning
- Confirm SSL certificate is active — Namecheap cPanel offers free AutoSSL via Let’s Encrypt
- If using a caching plugin, clear the cache after migration
SSL Certificate on Namecheap
- Open Namecheap cPanel and go to SSL/TLS
- Click AutoSSL under Let’s Encrypt
- Run AutoSSL to install a free SSL certificate for your domain
- Once installed, make sure your WordPress site URL is set to https in Settings and General
Common Issues and Fixes
Site Shows GoDaddy Default Page After DNS Update
DNS has not fully propagated yet. Wait up to 48 hours. You can check propagation status using a tool like whatsmydns.net.
Database Connection Error After Migration
Open wp-config.php and double-check the database name, username, and password match exactly what you created in Namecheap’s MySQL Databases section. A single typo will break the connection.
Images Not Loading
Make sure the uploads folder transferred completely. In FileZilla, check that wp-content/uploads contains all subfolders and files. Re-upload any missing folders manually.
500 Internal Server Error
This is usually caused by a .htaccess conflict. Delete the existing .htaccess file in public_html and go to WordPress Settings, then Permalinks, and click Save Changes. WordPress will generate a clean .htaccess file automatically.
Emails Not Working After Migration
Update your domain’s MX records to point to your email provider. If you used GoDaddy’s professional email, you will need to either migrate email separately or set up a new email service on Namecheap.
GoDaddy vs Namecheap — Quick Comparison
- Pricing: Namecheap renewal rates are significantly lower than GoDaddy
- cPanel Access: Both offer cPanel — Namecheap provides it on all shared hosting plans
- Support: Namecheap offers 24/7 live chat — GoDaddy support quality varies
- Domain Pricing: Namecheap is consistently cheaper for domain registration and renewal
- Upselling: GoDaddy is known for aggressive upselling — Namecheap is more straightforward
- Performance: Both offer comparable shared hosting performance — upgrade to Namecheap’s EasyWP for better WordPress speed
Final Thoughts
Moving from GoDaddy to Namecheap is a straightforward process when broken down into clear steps. The key areas to get right are the database export and import, the wp-config.php update, and the DNS change. Everything else follows a logical order.
Test the site thoroughly on Namecheap before flipping the DNS. Keep your GoDaddy hosting active for at least a week after migration as a fallback in case anything surfaces after go-live. Once you are confident the Namecheap site is stable, you can let the GoDaddy plan expire.
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