What Happens to My Old WordPress Site After the Conversion?
Your old WordPress site keeps running on your old hosting until you cancel it. Your Basalt site is live at your domain. Cancel old hosting when you are ready.
After the DNS switch, your Basalt site is live at your domain. Your old WordPress site still exists on your old hosting server, exactly as it was. Only the domain pointer has changed. You can keep the old hosting running as a safety net for as long as you want, then cancel it when you are confident everything is working.
Here is what that looks like in practice.
What changes immediately after the DNS switch?
Your domain now points to your Basalt site. Anyone who types your web address or clicks a link to your site sees your new Basalt site.
Your old WordPress site still exists on your old hosting server. It is just no longer accessible at your domain. The files are there. The database is there. The hosting is running.
Nothing on your old hosting is deleted by Basalt. That is your account. Only you can cancel it.
What happens to my WordPress admin access?
Your WordPress credentials are deleted on conversion completion as a security measure. This is intentional. Leaving active admin credentials on an unused WordPress installation is a security risk. Hackers actively scan for abandoned WordPress installs.
Your site files and database on the old hosting server still exist. The admin credentials are removed. If you want to access the old hosting files for any reason, you do it through your hosting account’s file manager, not through WordPress admin.
When should I cancel my old hosting?
There is no deadline. That decision is yours.
A sensible approach is to wait a few weeks after going live. Use your new site. Check that everything is working. Once you are confident, cancel the old hosting.
Some owners wait a month. Some wait two months. Some cancel within a week once they see everything is working. All of those are reasonable.
What if I want to go back to my old site?
Your content is on your Basalt site. Your Basalt site is your site now. If you ever want to leave Basalt, you get your repo and your content. You are never locked in.
If you are worried about something being lost in the conversion, complete your review carefully before approving. The approval stage is exactly for this purpose. Check every page before giving the go-ahead.
See can I see my new site before it goes live for how the review and approval process works.
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Quick answers
Does my WordPress site disappear after the DNS switch?
No. Your old WordPress site continues to exist on your old hosting. Only your domain points to the new site. The old site is still there until you cancel the hosting.
When should I cancel my old WordPress hosting?
When you are confident your new site is working well. Most owners wait a few weeks to a month. There is no required deadline.
Do I lose access to my WordPress admin after conversion?
Your WordPress credentials are deleted on conversion completion as a security measure. Your old site files still exist on the hosting server, but the admin credentials are removed.
Can I run both sites at the same time?
Your Basalt site runs at your domain. Your old WordPress site still exists on the hosting server but is no longer accessible at your domain after the DNS switch. You can keep the hosting as a backup for as long as you want.
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