Introduction

This tutorial is on converting your WordPress multisite main site into a pure single-site installation. This tutorial assumes the following:

  • You only want to move your multisite main site into a single-site installation, and you don’t care about your subsites.
  • You are using an Apache web server (that uses .htaccess)
  • You are using the Prime Mover PRO plugin. If you use the Prime Mover FREE version, you must upgrade to a paid version. PRO version is required to move the multisite main site.
  • You don’t want to delete your existing wp-content/uploads/ files, plugins, and themes.
  • You want to use the same domain name after being converted to a WordPress single site.
  • You want to use the same hosting server (you don’t want to move to another different hosting).

Complete steps

  • Using Prime Mover PRO, create a single-site package of your current multisite main site. Make sure it is in single-site format.
  • Download a copy of that single-site format package to your Desktop just to be sure you have a local copy. The original copy will still be saved in/wp-content/uploads/prime-mover-export-files/1/. Please do not delete it; you will use it later.
  • Just to be sure, manually backup all of your files and database so you can restore it just in case you need it back.
  • Now that you have backed up and created a single-site format, it’s time to delete your current WordPress multisite database. 
  • Please create a new WordPress database using the same name as the old one (so you don’t need to change the wp-config dB credentials). This new database should be empty. Later, WordPress and Prime Mover will fill it with content.
  • Open your wp-config.php and delete all multisite-related constants. Make sure you removed all multisite constants in wp-config.php. For example, these are the multisite constants common to all multisite:
/* Multisite */

define( 'WP_ALLOW_MULTISITE', true );
define('MULTISITE', true);
define('SUBDOMAIN_INSTALL', true);
define('DOMAIN_CURRENT_SITE', 'yourexamplesite.test');
define('PATH_CURRENT_SITE', '/');
define('SITE_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1);
define('BLOG_ID_CURRENT_SITE', 1);
define( 'COOKIE_DOMAIN', $_SERVER['HTTP_HOST'] );
  • Open your .htaccess and remove all of the current syntax. Empty your .htaccess – make it blank.
  • Open your site in the browser to install WordPress. Example: https://yourexamplesite.test/wp-admin/install.php
  • Proceed to install WordPress until it’s done.
  • Now that your fresh single-site WordPress installation is working log in and activate Prime Mover PRO by entering the license key.
  • Go to Prime Mover -> Packages. You should see your single-site package there.
  • Now restore it; once restoration is done – re-save your permalinks so the .htaccess can be updated.
  • Done – Your site has been successfully converted into a single site installation.

Conclusion

In summary, using Prime Mover PRO, you can easily convert your existing WordPress multi-site main site into a single installation.

Updated: February 12, 2025

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