WordPress Duplicator - General FAQs

Duplicator is a WordPress plugin that moves a site between hosts or domains - this includes all plugins, themes, custom content and even the WordPress core files so you get an exact copy of your site. The product also provides backup capability.

The process for moving a site is easy:

1. Bundle up your site into an 'install package' (a .zip and a .php file)
2. Copy the two files to a new server
3. Point your browser to the .php file and follow the simple directions to install the site

With Duplicator Pro you can enhance your experience with a much more powerful tool-set. Checkout the full comparison page for more details.

Phase 1: Package Creation

The plugin will backup all of your selected files and database tables (that you don't filter/exclude). The Duplicator puts all your selected WordPress files and a scripted copy of your database into a single zip file called an archive and builds an installer file. The installer and archive files are referred to as a package. You can then download the package files to a different location where you can re-install your site.

Phase 2: Site Install

At install-time the following actions happen:

• Archive Extraction. All WordPress files are extracted from the archive. This includes archive metadata and the database script.
• Database Creation. The database script is executed to restore the original data in the new database.
• Database Scrubbing. Every table is processed and the old URLs are replaced with the new ones. Various methods of storage are considered (PHP serialization, JSON, Base64, etc...)
• Optional Overhead. Duplicator Pro has additional logic that runs such as multisite manipulation.
• Config File Scrubbing. The wp-config.php is scrubbed for updates to WP defined variables
• .htaccess set. The .htaccess file is reset for the new location

A comparison list of professional vs free can be found on the comparison page. While Pro will continually be improving and adding features, the Lite (free) version of the plugin is not expected to have any new major features except for bug fixes and smaller tweaks. For larger sites Pro also supports shell_exec and Ajax call backs for PHP ZipArchive which allow for larger packages upto 2GB on most servers.

Page Overviews:

• Duplicator Pro
• Duplicator Free

Duplicator Lite: Does not support multisite.
Duplicator Pro: Includes the following multisite duplication modes.

1. Full Network Duplication Since 2.0 | Requires "Duplicator Pro Personal" or above
This allows users to copy/move your entire Multisite installation, rather than backing up or moving individual subsites within the network. For example, if you had a 10 subsite multisite setup, all 10 sites could be moved and restored as a new Multisite installation in one shot to a new location. [User Guide]

2. Subsite ❯ Standalone Since 3.0 | Requires "Duplicator Pro Business or Gold"
This allows users to install an individual subsite within a Multisite network as a standalone site. For example, if you had a 10 subsite WordPress multisite, you can select just one of those sites to restore to be a new standalone site. This process could optionally be repeated 9 more times on different sites to create a total of 10 individual websites from the single Multisite install. [User Guide]

3. Standalone ❯ Subsite Since 4.0.3 | Requires "Duplicator Pro Business or Gold"
This allows users to take a full standalone WordPress site and integrate it into a Multisite network. For example you may have dozens of WordPress sites that you manage and you want to pull them all together into one Multisite network for easier management. [User Guide]

4. Subsite ❯ Subsite [Different Network] Since 4.0.3 | Requires "Duplicator Pro Business or Gold"
This allows users to take a Multi-site subsite and add it into a different Multisite network as a subsite. For example you may have several subsites of a Multisite network that you to move into a separate Multisite network but only want to move specific subsites. [User Guide]

5. Subsite ❯ Subsite [Same Network] Since 4.0.3 | Requires "Duplicator Pro Business or Gold"
This allows users to take a Multi-site subsite and add it into a different Multisite network as a subsite. For example you may have several subsites of a Multisite network that you to move into a separate Multisite network but only want to move specific subsites. [User Guide]

NOTICE: Options 3-5 were released in Duplicator Pro 4.0.3 as beta. These options only support adding new standalone and subsites into an existing Network. Support for overwriting existing sites is available in 4.0.4 and later.

Currently adding a subsite requires the install process to be run for each subsite. So if you currently have 20 subsites you want to move into another multisite network the installer will need to be run 20 separate times. In future version we plan to have this process narrowed down to just one installer run.

Standard Hosts

Duplicator Pro works on 99% of all servers, however if your host does not support the plugin for one reason or another we will issue you a prompt refund. All we ask is that you provide the name of the hosting provider that does not support the plugin.

The server requirements for Duplicator are:

• PHP 5.3 or better
• PHP ZipArchive or shell_exec with zip support
• MySQL 5.0 or better
• Any of these web servers: Apache, LiteSpeed, Nginx, Lighttpd, IIS, WebServerX

Note: 99% of all hosting companies will meet these basic requirements. For a full break-down of setup recommendations see the Duplicator Pro recommended hosts page.

Managed Hosts

The Lite version of Duplicator does not officially support managed hosts at this time. There is currently a unification project underway to merge both the Pro and Free code lines so that the Free product can also take advantage of these features. The unification project is slated for late 2022 or 2023, until that time only support for managed hosting will reside in the Pro product version 4.0.0 and above.

Duplicator Pro does currently supports the managed hosts below. Managed WordPress Hosting is a tailor-made and optimized type of web hosting that is specifically designed to support WordPress sites on a companies servers. These types of configuration do not typically follow the standard host models and require additional logic to support.

• GoDaddy Managed WordPress
• WordPress.com Hosting
• Liquid Web Managed WordPress
• Flywheel Managed WordPress
• Pantheon Managed WordPress
• WP Engine Managed Hosting
• Your host not listed? Let us know!

You don't actually upgrade Duplicator since Duplicator Pro is a separate plugin. You'll be sent a link to download Pro after you purchase it. From there you just download the plugin, then upload and activate it on your site. Instructions for how to do this are included in the first email you receive after purchase.

Accounts are only created for purchased products such as Duplicator Pro. When you purchase a product and checkout you will be sent an email informing you of a new login which you can use to reset the password, after that you can login to the dashboard for the invoice or manage license information. You can also click on the lost password link to reset your password.

There are two ways to easily get your invoice.

1. Emailed Receipt

1. After you purchase a product you will receive an email
2. In the email under "Tax Receipts and Invoices" click the link "tax receipt or invoice"
3. Fill out the "Invoice" page and click the "Save Billing Details & Generate Invoice" button

2. Online Dashboard

1. Login to the Snapcreek Dashboard
2. Click "Generate Invoice" link
3. Fill out and click the "Save Billing Details & Generate Invoice" button
4. Click the "Print" button at the bottom

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Save As PDF
If the print button has any issues you can manually save the page as a PDF (Chrome example):

1. Right click on the Invoice page and choose "Print..."
2. Click the "Change..." button and choose "Save as PDF"
3. Click the "Save" button to save as PDF.
   Instructions for other browsers: FireFox | Microsoft Edge | Brave Browser

Yes. We firmly believe in and stand behind our product 100%, but we understand that it cannot work perfectly for everyone all of the time. If you are unhappy with your purchase, or you have an issue that we are unable to resolve that makes the system unusable, we are more than happy to provide a complete refund within 60 days of your original purchase.

A few conditions:

• If you run into technical issues please allow us to adequately try and assist you. If we are unable to resolve the issue, we will promptly provide a refund. Please open a support ticket before requesting a refund for a technical issue.
• Refunds may only be issued within 60 days of the purchase date. After 60 days refunds cannot easily be processed. Please be sure to test and use the plugin upon purchase.

DUPLICATOR PRO
Yes! We offer professional customer support and we understand the lifetime value of a customer. We will do our very best to resolve any issues you encounter via our ticket system. The ticket support system is monitored during US daytime hours Monday thru Friday and we typically get back to people within 24 hours. Please Note: We currently we do not offer phone support.

DUPLICATOR LITE
For Duplicator Lite we offer limited ticket support which is always prioritized behind Pro users. Response times can vary from 1-5 business days for Lite. If you need immediate support for Duplicator Lite we recommend checking out our Duplicator Lite support section.

Question 1 How do I create or change a subscription?

Answer Currently subscriptions can only be created when you initially purchase the product via the "Subscription" method on the pricing page. Note: We are working to improve this process so please check back again.

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Question 2 How do I cancel my subscription?

Option 1 The quickest way to see if you are setup for subscriptions is to login to your snapcreek dashboard and check the subscriptions tab. If the tab is empty then you do not have any subscriptions (auto-renewals) setup. If you do have them then you can click the cancel link next to each subscription(s) to cancel it from auto-renewing.

Option 2 Depending on the merchant type cancelling a subscription has a few different paths. Please choose the payment type below that was used to purchase the product. If your not sure please contact us and we can cancel the subscription for you.

• PayPal: See PayPals step-by-step instructions.
• Stripe/Other: For other payment types submit a ticket and we will cancel it.

Also See:
» How can I renew my license and how do renewals work?

Activation

When you purchase a product, it comes with one license key that can be activated on 3, 15, or unlimited WordPress websites at a time, depending on the product (Personal 3 | Freelancer 15 | Business/Gold unlimited).

Personal Example:
If you bought the Personal product with 3 licenses, then you can use the plugin on 3 WordPress websites at a time. If you uninstall the plugin from one site you can easily install it on another and still retain your license count.

Freelancer Example:
If you purchase the Freelancer plan, you can install the plugin on 15 sites. If you want to install a 16^th site you can uninstall on one of your existing sites and move the license to another or upgrade to a higher level plan before installing on the new site.

Business/Gold:
Licenses for Duplicator Pro Business and Gold are unlimited. Please note that these licenses are assigned in increments 500 at a time. For more details see the section below "Unlimited Overview".

Multisite Example:
If you have a WordPress multisite, then the entire site including all subsites will consume only 1 license. For example, if you have a multisite with 100 subsites then only 1 license key is needed for that entire multisite - subsites do not require a key. Please note that only the Business/Gold products have extended multisite support.

Deactivation

• In Plugin: You can easily deactivate a license by going to WordPress Admin ❯ Duplicator Pro ❯ Settings ❯ Licensing tab ❯ "Deactivate" button.
• Delete Plugin: When a user deactivates and deletes the plugin then the license will also be deactivated from the Snapcreek server.
• Dashboard: In the event you purge a site before deactivating the license or deleting the plugin you can login to the snapcreek.com dashboard and deactivate the license that way as well.

Unlimited Overview

Users that purchase either Business or Gold versions of Duplicator Pro have access to unlimited licenses. In order to make sure licenses are not abused or present problems were they to get "into the wild", we increment them in batches of 500. If you happen to reach your limit please reach out to us via a help ticket and we will increase your lot size.

Upgrading

You can upgrade to the Freelancer, Business or Gold package via the snapcreek.com/dashboard to get more licenses. Upgrades can happen at anytime and are a separate process from renewing. Please visit the upgrade & renewal section for more details.

Also See:
» Terms and Conditions
» How do license upgrades and renewals work?

LOCATING YOUR KEY
When you purchase a product (Personal, Freelancer, Business, Gold) you will receive an email with your license key. Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't receive an email within a few minutes of purchase.

You can also get your license key(s) by logging into your snapcreek.com dashboard. The user-name will be the e-mail you used to purchase the product. If your unable to retrieve your password at login please submit a help ticket

ACTIVATING YOUR KEY
Activation is very simple.

1. Download, install and activate the plugin from your purchase email link or from your snapcreek.com dashboard.
2. Goto: Duplicator Pro ❯ Settings ❯ Licensing ❯ Enter your key and click activate.

Overview
Renewals are not required to keep using the software; it remains yours forever, it will continue to work without renewing. Your license key is valid for one year from the purchase date. An active license key is needed for continued access to updates, security patches, bug fixes, new features and support. If you renew your license you’ll receive a huge 40% discount off the current price!

Renew Anytime
Once you have purchased the plugin you can renew at anytime and will always be eligible for the 40% off discount. To take advantage of the renewal discount follow any of these options:

Option 1 Renew on Site

1. Browse to snapcreek.com and purchase the product you are currently using.
2. At Checkout click "Renewing a license key?" and add your license key to get your 40% off discount.
3. Continue with checkout and your license renew date will be updated upon purchase.

Option 2 Renew from Dashboard

1. Log-in to the SnapCreek dashboard snapcreek.com/dashboard
2. Click the "Views Licenses" then click "Extend License"
3. This will take you to your shopping cart with the discount applied.

Option 3 Renew with a Ticket
Let us know you have previously purchased and we will get you a discount link!

License upgrades are seamless and easy to apply. The cost of upgrade is equal to the price of the new license minus the price of your existing license. For example: if you bought Duplicator Pro Personal for $69 and want to upgrade to Freelancer $89 then your upgrade cast would be $20.

To upgrade, follow these steps:

1. Login to your snapcreek.com dashboard
2. Goto: Purchases tab ❯ 'View Licenses' ❯ 'View Upgrades'
3. Choose the upgrade level and checkout.
   Note: When upgrading to a different version the billing will automatically get handled for you.
4. In your WordPress Admin: Go to Duplicator Pro ❯ Settings ❯ Licensing. This will retrieve the license level from our server so you should see information that describes the level which you just upgraded to.

If you no longer want the product installed on a WordPress site use one of the following methods to free up it's license:

Option 1 From within plugin ❯ Uninstall the plugin

Option 2 From within plugin ❯ Duplicator Pro ❯ Settings/Licensing Tab ❯ click Deactivate button.

Option 3 Remove a registered URL via your snapcreek.com/dashboard
Never used the dashboard? A link and login to the dashboard are sent via email upon purchase.

In many cases the answer is yes, however it really depends on your servers capabilities and the overall size of your package. If your trying to backup a 10GB site on a budget host the chances will be much lower that the servers specs can handle it, without adding directory exclusion filters.

However if your using a higher end server or VPS where you have more flexibility and control of the servers settings then we have seen large packages over 8GB build without issues.

Remember we do have a full 30 day money-back guarantee should the product not meet your needs.

Yes! Using the default storage, the website will be backed up to a specific location on your site. In Duplicator Lite this will always be in a folder titled wp-snapshots. In Pro this value is dynamic and can be changed to user definable areas of the same server for storage.

This feature is only available in Pro. Schedules can be setup as frequently as you want. Scheduling in Duplicator is very straight forward. No complicated configuration screens. Duplicator supports the creation of multiple schedules by either Day, Week or Month. If you would like to backup your site several times per day you can do this by creating multiple daily schedules.

The Duplicator Pro Installer allows you to set the following in the destination site's wp-config.php file:

Posts / Pages

• Theme Editor Enable/Disable
• Autosave Interval
• Post Revisions

Security

• SSL Enforce on Admin
• Generate New Unique SALTS and Authentication Keys
• Core Auto-Update Control

System / General

• Cache Control
• WP Debug Enable/Disable
• WP Debug Log Enable/Disable
• WP Debug Display Enable/Disable
• Script Debug Enable/Disable
• Save Database Queries Enable/Disable
• Cookie Domain
• Memory Limit
• Max Memory Limit

Check out the Duplicator Pro homepage for a description of all the features of Duplicator Pro.