Skip to main content

How Free Managed Migrations to Cloudways Autonomous Work

Move your Application to Cloudways Autonomous easily with free managed migrations for all users on active plans. Learn eligibility, what’s included, and how to request a migration.

Written by Syed Abuzar Mehdi
Updated over a month ago

Cloudways Autonomous offers free managed migrations to all its active users, making it easy to move your Application with expert assistance.

This service is designed to help you move your existing application to Autonomous smoothly, without any technical effort on your end.

Our experts handle the entire migration process from start to finish, ensuring your application is transferred safely and efficiently.

Whether you're a new customer or an existing one, you can take advantage of this benefit.

Table of Contents:

Eligibility Criteria of Free Managed Migrations to Cloudways Autonomous

Cloudways provides free managed migrations exclusively for Autonomous users. This includes:

  • Autonomous users with active plans

  • Users who are not on trial accounts

When you are on any active Autonomous plan, you can request unlimited free migrations.

Note:

When you are on trial, you can migrate your application using Cloudways’ self-service WordPress or application-specific migration plugins.

What’s Included in the Free Managed Migration?

When you request a managed migration to Autonomous, Cloudways handles everything for you.

This includes:

  • Complete migration performed entirely by the Cloudways team — no technical steps required from you.

  • Regular progress updates sent directly to your email through our internal support systems (PO / Zendesk).

  • Unlimited migrations — there is no limit to how many applications you can move to Autonomous.

This ensures a hassle-free process, especially for customers who prefer expert guidance or lack the technical background to migrate on their own.

How to Request Free Managed Migrations to Cloudways Autonomous

Check out the following steps to better understand the whole process with navigation.

Step #1 - Open Cloudways Integrations, Navigate to Add-Ons, & Open Application Migration Card:

  • From the Cloudways Platform dashboard, click Integrations from the left-hand navigation menu. This opens the Cloudways Integrations page, where all available add-ons are listed.

  • You can also click on Application Migrations from the shortcut menu that opens, which will directly take you to the Free Migrations page.

On the Cloudways Integrations page:

  • Under the Add-Ons section, click on the Application Migration card.

Step #2 - Application Migration:

  • Now, go through all the information on the Application Migration landing page.

  • Click on Migrate your Application button.

Step #3 - Select Product to Start Application Migration:

  • Under Select Product, choose Cloudways Autonomous.

  • This option is marked as Free, indicating free managed migrations for Autonomous users.

  • Select Application from the drop down option.

  • Click Next.

  • When you do not have any Autonomous application(s), a tooltip message appears stating that no Autonomous application is available. Click here to learn how to add an application on Cloudways Autonomous.

Step #4 — Provide Your Application Details:

In this step, provide basic information about the application to be migrated.

Fill in the following fields carefully.

4.1. Enter the Application Domain Name:

In the Application Domain Name field, enter the main domain name of the application you want to migrate.

  • Example: example.com

  • When your website application uses www, you can enter www.example.com.

What is an Application Domain Name?
It is the public application address visitors use to access your site on the internet.

4.2. Enter the WordPress Admin URL

Provide the Admin URL of your application.

Example:

https://example.com/wp-admin

What is an Admin URL?
This is the login page used to access your application's admin dashboard, where you manage content, plugins, themes, and settings.

4.3. Enter the Admin Username or Email

Select whether you want to log in using a Username or Email, then enter the corresponding value.

This should be the administrator account used to log in to your WordPress dashboard.

Why is this required?
Cloudways needs administrator access to install the migration plugin and move your application safely.

4.4. Enter the Admin Password

Enter the administrator password for the account provided above.

4.5. Indicate when Your Application Contains a Subsite

Enable the checkbox “Does your application contain a subsite?” when your application uses WordPress Multisite.

What is a Subsite?
A subsite is a application that exists inside a WordPress Multisite network.
​

For example:

  • site1.example.com

  • example.com/site1

When your application is a regular single WordPress site, you can leave this option unchecked.

4.6. After entering all required information, click Next to proceed to the next step of the migration request form.

Step #5 — Provide Your Server Connection Details:

In this step, provide server access details of your current hosting provider.

Fill in the following fields carefully.

5.1. Select the Connection Type:

Choose the connection method used by your current hosting provider to access your application files.

Available options include:

  • SSH – A secure method used to access your server directly. This is the most commonly used option and is usually recommended.

  • SFTP – A secure file transfer method used to upload or download files from a server.

  • FTP – A standard file transfer method used by some hosting providers.

  • cPanel – Select this when your hosting account uses the cPanel control panel to manage your application .

  • Other Hosting – Choose this when your hosting provider uses a different type of access.

What is Connection Type?


It simply refers to how Cloudways connects to your current hosting server to retrieve your application files and data.

5.2. Enter the Server Username:

In the Username field, enter the username used to log in to your hosting server.

What is a Server Username?


It is the account name used to access your hosting server through SSH, SFTP, or FTP. Your hosting provider usually provides this information in your hosting account details.

5.3. Enter the Host / IP Address:

In the Host / IP Address field, enter the server address of your current hosting provider.

Examples:

  • ftp.example.com

  • server123.hostingprovider.com

  • 192.168.1.1

What is a Host / IP Address?


This is the unique server address that allows Cloudways to locate and connect to your existing hosting server.

5.4. Enter the Server Password

Provide the password associated with the server username you entered earlier.

5.5. Enter the Server Port:

In the Port field, enter the connection port used by your hosting server.

Common examples include:

  • 22 for SSH or SFTP

  • 21 for FTP

What is a Port?


A port is a communication channel used by servers to allow secure connections. Most hosting providers use default ports, so in many cases you can leave the default value provided by your host.

5.6. Click Next.

Step #6 — Provide Additional Details:

In this final step, share any extra information that may help the migration team complete your application migration smoothly.

6.1. SSL Certificate

Enable “Do you have your own SSL Certificate?” when your application already uses an SSL certificate.

What is an SSL Certificate?
An SSL certificate enables HTTPS security on your application, which protects visitor data and shows the secure lock icon in browsers.

When you do not have one, you can leave this unchecked. Cloudways also provides free SSL certificates. Learn how to install free SSL Certificate by clicking here.

6.2. Migration Test Checks

In “Would you like to perform any specific checks to test the migration?”, you can list important app functions that should be tested after migration.

Examples include:

  • Add to cart

  • Checkout process

  • Login or user account access

  • Contact forms

This helps ensure your critical Application features work correctly after migration.

6.3. Additional Notes

Use the Additional Notes field to share any special instructions or requirements for the migration.

6.4. Submit the Migration Request

Example:

  • Force HTTPS redirection

  • Special plugin configurations

  • Any important application settings

Step #7 — Migration Request Confirmation

After submitting the migration request, you will see a confirmation message on the top right of your screen, indicating that your Application Migration request has been received and assigned to the Cloudways migration team.

Cloudways will also automatically create a support ticket for your request and send it on your registered email address.

Migration Ticket Email:

You will receive an email confirming that your migration request has been registered. The email includes:

  • Ticket ID for your migration request

  • Migration request subject

  • A direct link to the support ticket where you can communicate with the Cloudways migration team

  • Estimated response time according to the SLA

You can use the ticket link in the email to:

  • Track the migration progress

  • Provide additional information when requested

  • Upload files or respond to the migration team

The Cloudways migration specialists will review your request and begin the free managed migration process shortly.

Note:

Autonomous free managed migrations are meant for inbound migrations only.

That’s it! We hope this article was helpful.

Need Help?

If you need assistance, feel free to:

We're here 24/7 to help you!

Did this answer your question?