how to fix WordPress links not working after migration

When you migrate a WordPress site from one domain or server to another, you might face a common issue: the links within your site no longer work. This problem usually arises from incorrectly configured URLs or permalinks, missing files, or issues with the .htaccess file. Here’s a detailed guide to help you troubleshoot and fix broken links in WordPress after a migration.

Step 1: Update WordPress Address and Site Address
After a migration, first ensure that your WordPress Address (URL) and Site Address (URL) are updated. You can do this directly in the admin dashboard under Settings > General. If you can’t access your dashboard, you might need to update these values in the wp-config.php file by adding the following lines:

define('WP_HOME', 'http://example.com');
define('WP_SITEURL', 'http://example.com');

Replace http://example.com with your actual domain name.

Step 2: Fix Permalinks
The permalink structure can often get disrupted during migration. To reset it:

1. Go to Settings > Permalinks in the WordPress dashboard.
2. Note the current setting.
3. Select the Plain option, save it, and then revert back to your original setting and save again.

This process flushes WordPress’ rewrite rules and often fixes permalink issues.

Step 3: Update URLs in the Database
Moving your site might leave old URLs embedded in the database. You can update them using a plugin like “Better Search Replace” or running SQL queries in phpMyAdmin. Here’s how you can use a plugin to update URLs:

1. Install and activate the Better Search Replace plugin.
2. Navigate to Tools > Better Search Replace.
3. In the ‘Search for’ field, enter your old URL, and in the ‘Replace with’ field, enter your new URL.
4. Select all the tables.
5. Check the box for a dry run to see what changes will be made.
6. If everything looks correct, uncheck the dry run and run the process.

If you prefer SQL, use the following query (backup your database first!):

UPDATE wp_posts SET post_content = REPLACE(post_content, 'oldsite.com', 'newsite.com');

Replace oldsite.com with your old site URL and newsite.com with your new site URL.

Step 4: Check for Hard Coded Paths
Some themes or plugins might have hard-coded URLs for scripts, stylesheets, images, or other resources. You’ll need to search and replace these manually in your theme or plugin files, or adjust settings directly in their configuration.

Step 5: Verify .htaccess File
An incorrectly configured .htaccess file can lead to URL redirection and 404 errors. Firstly, ensure that .htaccess exists at the root of your WordPress install. Here’s a default .htaccess configuration for WordPress:

# BEGIN WordPress

RewriteEngine On
RewriteBase /
RewriteRule ^index.php$ - [L]
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-d
RewriteRule . /index.php [L]

# END WordPress

Check if this matches your .htaccess file, especially if you are using custom permalink settings.

Step 6: Resolve Plugin or Theme Conflicts
Sometimes, specific plugins or themes can interfere with URLs. This typically occurs if they store URLs in serialized formats or have cache-related features. Try deactivating all plugins and switching to a default theme (like Twenty Twenty-One) to see if this resolves the issue. If it does, reactivate each one by one to identify the culprit.

Step 7: Enable Debugging
If the link issue persists, enable debugging in WordPress to see if any errors are related. You can enable debugging by adding the following lines to your wp-config.php file:

define('WP_DEBUG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_LOG', true);
define('WP_DEBUG_DISPLAY', false);

After adding these, visit your site and check the wp-content/debug.log file for errors that might point to the issue.

Each of these steps is designed to address specific types of issues that arise with WordPress migrations, relating to URLs and link functionality. By systematically following them, you should be able to identify and resolve most link problems after site migration.