Overview
The Prime Mover plugin includes a built-in dependency requirement checker. When the plugin is activated, it will perform automated checks to determine whether your site or server meets Prime Mover requirements.
When Prime Mover is activated, it checks all required requirements, such as WordPress and PHP versions. When some requirements are missing during these checks, Prime Mover is auto-deactivated and outputs a user-friendly message about the missing dependencies.
This allows the user to adjust the server to ensure it is compatible with Prime Mover. This check also prevents running Prime Mover in incompatible environments, which can cause many unnecessary issues.
Below are details of Prime Mover technical requirements that the plugin will check when activated.
WordPress version
The current minimum WordPress-supported version is 5.2. Before Prime Mover 2.2, the minimum supported WordPress version was 4.9.8. The reason for this change is that from Prime Mover 2.2+, it will now use the core WordPress shipped clipboard JS library instead of its own. The benefit is for maximum compatibility and performance (resulting in lower overall plugin size) with WordPress.
If you have a website from WordPress 4.9.8 to before WordPress 5.2, you cannot use Prime Mover 2.2+ and will need to use Prime Mover 2.1.6. This is the last supported version for these WordPress versions. If you want to use the latest Prime Mover version, you really need to upgrade your WordPress version to at least 5.2 (if you still cannot use the latest version of WordPress due to compatibility issues).
Prime Mover support cannot be lower than this version because some functions are needed but do not exist below it. You should always use the latest WordPress version for the best migration and backup stability compatibility.
PHP version
The minimum PHP-supported version is 5.6. The recommended version is the same as WordPress (PHP 7.4+). It is not recommended to stay in PHP 5.6 due to security vulnerabilities.
MySQL or Database version
Prime Mover has no specific minimum MySQL version as long as the current WordPress installation is compatible with Prime Mover (>= 4.9.8). This means it can work with legacy MySQL 5.0+, but these versions have reached official End-of-Life and may expose your site to security vulnerabilities.
For best results with migration and backup, it is always recommended to use MySQL version 5.7 or greater OR MariaDB version 10.3 or greater. These are the identical database versions currently recommended by WordPress Core.
Supported Servers
Prime Mover is tested to work with Apache, Nginx, Microsoft IIS, LiteSpeed servers, etc. As long as your server meets dependencies and runs a supported version of WordPress (along with supported PHP and MySQL versions, etc.), you should be able to use this plugin on any server.
FAQ
- Can server PHP/MySQL/WordPress version differences between source and target site result in migration glitches?
Yes, typically, if you have a big, complicated site, there might be little difference between the source site and the target site. This is because you are using third-party plugins (not only Prime Mover) and themes, which, of course, react to differing versions.
For example, your original site uses PHP 5.6 and legacy/outdated plugins. However, when you migrate to a new PHP 8.5 server, some of your plugins might stop working (return a fatal error) and need tuning up/updating, which can cause differences in how your site behaves.
The same is true when you migrate from PHP 8.2 to PHP7.4—your plugins or themes might not work correctly because of the outdated PHP version.
It is always recommended to migrate to a target site with the same server specs as your source site. This will eliminate issues caused by server technical differences. Always check that your plugins/themes are compatible with your target versions.
- I find it weird that multisite migration sometimes has glitches. What would have caused this?
Take note that these are significant changes if you move your site from a multisite to a single site or vice versa. This is because the site used to work with multisite, along with its multisite plugins, multisite-related settings, and all network-related stuff/customization. Prime Mover does its best to make this migration as smooth as possible, but there are times when differences and glitches are bound to happen.
The most contributing factor to these differences is the plugins and themes you are using. For example, say you have a multisite-only plugin and are migrating to a single site. These multisite plugins no longer work on a single site. That’s one reason for the differences in your site behavior.
Or, if your site is using multisite-related plugin settings that are no longer applicable when migrating to a single site, Prime Mover cannot adjust them because migration replaces paths, domain names, hostnames, and URLs to the target site. Changing detailed plugin settings is beyond the scope of the migration.
As usual, if you see strange behavior after migration, we suggest post-migration troubleshooting to check and review the site plugins’ settings (and sort out possible issues).
Prime Mover PRO also has a feature that excludes plugins. Using this feature, you can exclude problematic or multisite-only plugins from your package.
The differences could become more pronounced if you migrate to a completely different PHP/MySQL/WordPress version from your source multisite or single site. Your plugin settings and customization might be greatly affected in this case.
Get in touch with us!
If you think the issues could be Prime Mover-related, please get in touch with us and provide us with your WPRIME package for troubleshooting. You can upload it to Google Drive or Dropbox and share the download link. Please describe the differences between the source site and the target site. Please share screenshots of the expected and actual behavior so the tech support team knows where to find the problem.
It would be helpful to provide us with as much debug data as possible, such as your site info, so that we can mimic your server environment on our test servers.
Last updated: August 2, 2026