Moving a WordPress website from multisite to single install site is a tricky process. You need change both the config file and the database settings. That is unless you use a third party plugin then the process is much simpler but still a nervous proposition.

Backup befor moving from WordPress ‘multisite’ to ‘single install’

Using Duplicator to Move From Multisite To Single Install of WordPress

Luckily the talented guys over on ‘Snapcreek’ have made a great plugin called duplicator pro The premium ‘Business’ version allows you to not only backup your entire wordpress website but also install it on the Single Install.  The process you should take is;

1. Install the single version WordPress install (my prefered option here is to install it in Cpanel and use Softaculous for the install ). The install of WordPress should be done in the root.
2. Install the Business version of Duplicator Pro on your multisite version of wordpress.
3. Create ‘new package’ using Duplicator Pro.
4. Archive the ‘package’ to your pc/mac
5. Add the installer and archive file (zip file) to the root so you can find it using a browser.
6. Navigate to the the duplicator installer in the browser
7. Follow the instructions in the installer (if anything is shown as red, do not proceed until you are happy that you know why it is red and have introduced a fix)
8. Once you have completed the install into the ‘Single Install’ version of WordPress, go into the admin panel and check all looks well (pages, posts, products etc. are all there).
9. Install the Duplicator Pro into the ‘Single Install Version’ of wordpress
10. Create a ‘new package’ in the ‘Single Install Version’.
11. Activate all plugins in the Single Install Version that were active in the multisite version
12. Check to see if your new site is showing in the browser when you add the URL
13. If it is not showing you may need to now delete the multisite version  of the website using either cpanel or an ftp service. (Double check everything is backed up (Databases and files) before you do this.
14. Check all is okay after the delete

Moving Multisite to Single Site Service

If you are still struggling or don’t want to buy the duplicator pro business app there is an alternative. Professional moving from multisite to single install site can be done on your behalf. These often work out cheaper than buying the Business version of the app. Please contact hello@mickkenyon.com for a free quote to have your multisite transferred to a single install.

Moving from Multisite to Single Install to Make URL better

There are a number of reason you may want to change from multisite to single installs, but for me the reason was to clean up the URL’s.  I had just taken over the management of a client WordPress website. It was a locked down Control panel with very limited options, the main problem was no way to update plugins or versions of the WordPress install. My client wanted to have a look at a couple of new Themes and obviously wanted control back of the Admin Panel. I installed a second version of wordpress on the client’s site and opted for the multisite option. The install was made with the extension of /wp/ but it is also quite common practice to install on /wordpress/ or /blog/.  The new version was then designed and the client was happy (delighted) with the new design. The problem was the URL address of the new website was websitename.com/wp/pagename This maybe okay for some but I like a clean URL and wanted it to look like  websitename.com/pagename. With single website installs the fix is quite easy. For a Multisite it is much more complicated.