Scope: Prime Mover Free / Pro version

What are the complete list of files migrated or backup?

If you chose complete export mode which is “Export database, media files, plugins and themes.” , it will export the following:

  • Database of your site. (one SQL file), you can encrypt this database in PRO version.
  • All files in your wp-content/uploads directory for single site or wp-content/uploads/sites/[blog_id] for multisite subsite. You can exclude files in PRO version. You can also choose to encrypt all these media files in PRO version.
  • All activated plugins for that site (this includes network activated plugins if you are in multisite). You can exclude these plugins in PRO version for both single-site/multisite. Plugin files can be encrypted for best security in PRO version also.
  • The current activated theme of the site(parent theme or parent theme + child theme if both are used). In PRO version, you can choose to encrypt BOTH parent and child themes for best security.

It does not currently include the following:

  • WordPress core files. This is not needed since most WordPress installations assumes to be using latest version for security reasons.
  • All files outside your WordPress installation, for example you have custom directory created outside your WordPress installation that is NOT on the site uploads directory. In the future release, this might be considered to be added in PRO version.
  • wp-config.php of the site. – this is not needed since it will use the wp-config.php of the target site always.
  • .htaccess or any other server configurations (such as in nginx, etc.) – this is not needed also since it will always use the target site server configurations for maximum compatibility.

Does Prime Mover support automatic or scheduled backups?

As of the latest version – Prime Mover does not yet support any automatic or scheduled backups solution.

Prime Mover development team is still drafting out the best win-win solution in this case – something that you can still run automated backups (worry free in your end) but it does not end up straining your hosting resources. This is a tricky thing to balance. We don’t have a definite timeline on this yet and this requires testing among several web hosts.

But this feature is still on our road map – this will definitely added as one of the Prime Mover future features. Several users are requesting to have this feature added – we are working on it.

For now – you can only create on-demand backups.

Can this be used to migrate or backup multisite main / primary site?

Yes, since Prime Mover version 1.2.2 it can now support backup and migration on the multisite main site. This is only available with the PRO version.

But take note that the free version allows backup and migration for any number of multisite sub-sites!

Can this be used to migrate an entire multisite network?

No, Prime Mover plugin can only import one site/subsite at a time.

What are Prime Mover technical requirements?

Please refer to the plugin minimum technical requirements.

How to restore large packages using Free version?

Please read this tutorial for details.

When migrating a multisite to another multisite – do source subsite and target subsite blog IDs need to be the same?

Please read this FAQ details.

I cannot activate license or has errors activating license?

Please read this tutorial for details.

Prime Mover plugin got deactivated anytime I activate it, is this normal?

Yes, Prime Mover ensures that it can only be activated on sites that meets the minimum requirements. So it will auto-deactivate if it detects missing requirements. You should be able to determine the missing requirements since it will output error admin notice – so you can fix it (e.g. are permission issues, etc.) or check with your web host. If there is no admin error notice at all, please contact us to check on it.

I would like to purchase, how many licenses do I need?

Please read our licensing guide for details.

Does this plugin works in localhost?

Yes, of course. You can migrate or do backups at localhost. And then migrate to remote server and vice versa.

I got “Secure Connection Failed” error in Firefox when downloading my packages?

Try downloading the packages using Chrome browser. It should work. This is due to some SSL differences between hosting setups.

I’m not able to download WPRIME package due to errors or it hangs- is there any other way?

Yes, please look into this guide.

Does this plugin works with any hosting companies?

Yes. Also this plugin supports both Linux and Windows server environment. If you find a host that does not work with Prime Mover, please send us a bug ticket so we will investigate right away.

How to cancel ongoing export and try again?

To correctly cancel an ongoing export and try the export again – please read this detailed tutorial.

Do I need to adjust my PHP upload parameters for large packages?

Updated solution: Please check this out this recent tutorial.

This is not required. Prime Mover is designed to cope up with limited PHP upload parameters. So even if your package size is 60 MB and your server PHP max upload file size is only 2MB (PHP default, and you are on shared hosting- cannot change).

Prime Mover will automatically slice your package to 2MB upload sessions until its uploaded completely. It even checks if you have slower connection, it even slices it lower as your connection can only allow without sending too much to the server.

I got runtime error “Main extraction Failed: No error” in Windows / Microsoft IIS, what’s the workaround?

This is caused by some Windows limitation relating to the number of characters in the file path (path inside package included). Please read this guide for the complete workaround and solution.

I want to avail free trial or purchase a license, how many licenses do I need?

First, we thank you for the interest in planning out to purchase a plugin license. It helps the plugin author find a sustainable livelihood!

We always recommend to start with 4-sites license if you are migrating in and out of a WordPress multisite to single-site or vice versa. If your migration involves any multisite implementations, please start with a 4-sites license.

This is the most flexible license to use that should work whether you are planning to use the plugin in a single-site or multisite platforms.

If you are really sure that you are only dealing with one WordPress single-site. (no multisites at all or multiple single-site in different hosts!), then you can start with a single-site license only. This will work only for one single site and should not be used with multisite or several single -sites.

If you are into WordPress site development business, web agency, pro-site developer/designer, that is migrating/developing/deploying large number of sites regardless it is multisite or single site, then we recommend unlimited site license. This way, you are not restricted with the number of sites and you can install the license in any number of sites you need to use.

For more details, please read the Prime Mover licensing guide. Click this link if you like to try the 14-days risk free trial.

Do I need to adjust my server timeout settings for exporting or restoring very large sites?

Not needed since Prime Mover defaults to 15 seconds retry timeout. This means that Prime Mover has 15 seconds to process any task. If a process requires more than 15 seconds, it will exit and make another request that goes for another 15 seconds to continue the processing. This is repeated until the entire process is completed.

15 seconds should be enough to avoid hitting common timeout settings such as the default 30 seconds by PHP or 60 seconds (or more that is implemented by most hosts).

If 15 seconds is still not enough because for some reason you still hit the timeout that is short (e.g. your host has strict 30 seconds timeout), you can set it shorter like 10 seconds. Simply add this to your wp-config.php:

define('PRIME_MOVER_RETRY_TIMEOUT_SECONDS', 10);

So any process that is not completed within 10 seconds should exit and retry again. 10 seconds retry should now appear far hitting 30 seconds timeout.

I got errors that wp-config is not writable ?

Since Prime Mover version 1.2.7, you can simply add constants manually to the config file (either provided by your host or any other means to add those constants manually.) in case wp-config.php is not writable by the plugin.

Then you should be able to re-activate and use Prime Mover normally. Please check this documentation on using the plugin on sites that restrict wp-config.php writing access.

What is a debug package?

Debug package is a Prime Mover package without media uploads. This simplifies migration. An ideal solution for developers needing to clone/migrate a site for WordPress debugging.

Debug package is not recommended for migrating complete sites (which means working/stable images, etc.). It does not handle images like it was in stable sites. This is only used for debugging/troubleshooting purposes.

What is WPRIME file extension / archiving format?

Since version 1.1.5, Prime Mover archives using WPRIME file extension. This is a derivative of the Linux tarball (.tar) format and follows it’s specifications. It’s customized to fit Prime Mover special archiving needs such as encryption, decryption, file integrity checks and storing special file meta that is used during archiving.

This is more robust archiving format and performs better than the previous zip archiving format.

Does the free version be able to handle very large sites?

Yes, actually supposing you have a fairly fast hosting server and you have ample of hosting resources available (CPU, memory, disk space etc.). Prime Mover should have no issues exporting big sites even up to several GB’s even using free version.

And that supposing you also have a a super-fast upload connection speed (e.g. 100 MBPS upload speed – please check with speed test), Prime Mover should also have no issues uploading it to your target site. This is recommended up to 3.5 GB only. It is because of browser limitations, as some browsers will have issues uploading very large files.

If you fall into these following scenarios:

  • Slow upload connection speed.
  • Slow target site hosting server. (e.g. limited shared host that restricts file size)
  • Your package size is beyond 3.5 GB.

Then the best solution is to manually upload package and then restore within Prime Mover package management page (in WordPress admin).

If restore fails due to server limitation and you want to manually migrate files (uploads directory, plugins/ themes) then this tutorial could help.

Is there any way to speed up the migration process for default upload restoration?

Updated solution: You can check out this recent tutorial!

If your package is hosted on third party sites like other websites or in cloud services like Dropbox, Google drive, etc. You can use the PRO feature “Remote URL restore” feature. This will speed up the process since it will fetch the package URL directly from the source and download it directly to your site. No need to download to your Desktop and upload again !

Does the free version be able to restore encrypted packages created by the Pro version?

No, you need the PRO version to restore encrypted packages.

Why I’m only be able to restore only by uploads or via backup page

You are using the Free version. In Pro version, you should be able to restore via uploads, remote URL to the package and restore package as backup within your server or from DropBox.

How can I exclude some plugins from being included in the migration package ?

The free version does not include a plugin exclusion feature. This is only available in the PRO version. This is the complete documentation of this feature.

How can I exclude some media files from being included in the migration package ?

The free version does not include a media files exclusion feature. This is only available in the PRO version. This is the complete documentation of this feature.

I got runtime restore/import error on Windows: Failed to open stream: No such file or directory

Your package might contains invalid file names in Windows.

Is my package secure ?

The free version saves the package path at your Prime Mover backup directory with randomized file names. This is also protected with .htaccess in Apache. So there is no direct way for anyone to download it. However the free version does not have encryption support, so the database and media files are readable by anyone if they can access your package. In Pro version, there is an optional encryption support that you can use to protect your database, media files, plugin and theme files. Also in Pro version , you can move the backup directory outside the web root. This is highly recommended if data security is a concern.

How does this work in multisites ?

Prime Mover support multisite migrations (including FREE versions). This is done only on the network administration pages by super-administrators. Both Free and Pro version does not support giving this privilege to ordinary subsite administrators.

The migration mode can support (available in both Free and Pro version):

  • Single-site migrate to Single-site
  • Single-site migrate to Multisite sub-site
  • Multisite sub-site migrate to another Multisite sub-site (even using different blog IDs)
  • Multisite sub-site migrate to Single-site.

Why is it required to provide blog ID for single site to multisite migration ?

Prime Mover uses this blog ID to validate which site does the package will be restored into. Without blog ID, there is no way to detect the target sub-site in multisite.

Any limitations on using this plugin?

If you are on a shared hosting and you are migrating very big sites, it can be very slow. As the plugin is limited by the resources provided by your shared host (CPU, memory, requests ,etc). Sometimes these shared hosts are very restrictive in resources that makes it unable to complete export or import for even any migration plugins . Even WordPress core operations itself like installing or updating big plugins from repository- you will get errors). That is why it is always recommended nowadays that you switch to a VPS, managed hosting or dedicated hosting to meet the demands of your large site.

Is this PHP 8.2 + compatible?

Yes, PHP 8.2+ is fully supported and is highly recommended ONLY if all of your plugins and themes could support it as well. But if you have doubts; Prime Mover is fully compatible with PHP 7.4 / 8.0 / 8.1 granting all of your site plugins/themes/custom code could support (strange if it’s not).

Prime Mover could still even run PHP 5.6+ reliably (granting you are still using very old / outdated plugins / themes or has an ancient site that still supports it). We added this support so users can still migrate old sites to newer installations. Take note we don’t anymore recommend using PHP 5.6 – PHP 7.3 as its outdated, slow and not anymore suggested by WordPress Core.

While restoring a site it freezes and no longer provide progress, is this normal?

Your internet connection might have been disconnected while you are doing export or restore. As a result, the JS progress update is cut off (as it communicates from your browser to the server). Please clear browser and make sure your connection is stable then try again.

I saw some errors being logged during migration, do I need to panic?

No. Due to complex nature of restoration, you might see random errors as the site is not fully migrated yet. This is usually normal if the site does not encounter fatal runtime errors.It is recommended to wait until the migration is completed and check the visual and functionality results of the site. If the site appears broken, its time to look into these errors in detail.

I saw some 404 errors after migration. do I need to worry?

No. You need to refresh the permalink by logging-in to your `WordPress admin -> Settings -> Permalinks` . Simply click save (do not change any settings). This should resolve most 404 issues.

The site got locked in maintenance mode. How to get out of maintenance mode?

In version 1.0.3+ we added a link to administrators to disable maintenance mode. So, pasting them in the browser address bar is no longer necessary. If you happen to be logged-out, you should manually delete the option named as prime_mover_maintenance in the WordPress database options table.

If you are on a multisite, manually delete the .maintenance file just like any stalled WordPress updates.

Error: Wrong import site package! Please check that the import package is correct for this site.

This is caused by incompatible restore package. For example, you restore a single-site package to multisite server or vice versa. Or you restore multisite package that is intended for another sub-site blog ID.

To fix this issue, make sure that:

  • If you want to migrate to WordPress single-site, make sure you create a single-site export and restore that single site package to any WordPress single-site only. For example, make sure this is checked during export:

And then restore this package ONLY to single-site.

  • If you want to migrate to WordPress multisite subsite with blog ID (e.g. 7), make sure to create a multisite package targeting blog ID 7. And restore that multisite package to only to subsite blog ID 7. For example, you need to check export to multisite format and provide 7 as the blog ID, e.g.

And then restore this package only to the multisite sub-site with blog ID 7.

It does not matter if you are creating these packages at single-site or multisite. The only thing that is important is you created the correct package for your target destination (by providing correct export type) (single site package for single site destination or multisite package for multisite destination)

Who is Freemius? Can I deactivate or remove Freemius?

We use Freemius as a licensing platform for the plugin pro version. It’s included in the free version, so any users can easily upgrade to PRO version. You can choose to un-subscribe to any communications by Freemius after you have activated the free version. Just click “Skip” in the opt-in dialog. Freemius will not slow down your site or harvest for personal details without your permission. If you have any questions related to Freemius, feel free to shoot a question to freemius.com.

How can I get support?

There is a community-support for free version of Prime Mover which is hosted in WordPress.org forum. PRO and Free Trial customers can get faster/dedicated technical support through emails. This can be done using the contact form within the plugin admin settings.

If you want to send sensitive details to the plugin author only, please do so by using our contact page. You can also ask questions via Facebook messenger app that is available on this website.

You can also get support directly from your WordPress admin. Simply head to Prime Mover -> Contact Us and send us a message or submit details. Make sure to add all details necessary (link to download package, WordPress logins, etc.) that will help us resolve the problem quickly.

What is your support policy?

It’s here.

What is your refund policy?

Please read the refund policy.

Where can I ask Pre-sales Questions?

You can ask questions before you buy. This is recommended so we will know whether Prime Mover is the right solution for your problem.

This is the link to our pre-sales questions page. You can also contact us via our Facebook page (chat if we are available) or via our contact us page.

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