How to Clone Your Website in Plesk

Plesk lets you copy your website files to another domain or subdomain on the same server. This is useful for creating staging environments, testing changes, or duplicating a site before a redesign.

Method 1: Website Copying (all websites)

This copies website files only — databases are not included and must be copied separately if needed.

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. First, create the destination domain or subdomain where you want the copy to go. Go to Websites & Domains and click Add Domain or Add Subdomain.
3. Go back to Websites & Domains and find the source domain (the site you want to copy).
4. On the domain Dashboard tab, click Website Copying.
5. Under Site name, select the destination domain or subdomain you created.
6. Choose what to do with existing files on the destination:
   • Do not remove files — keeps existing files, overwrites duplicates
   • Remove all files — clears the destination first
7. Click OK to start the copy.

Method 2: WordPress Clone (WordPress sites only)

If your site runs on WordPress and WP Toolkit is available, cloning copies everything — files, database, and settings.

1. Log in to Plesk.
2. Go to WordPress in the left menu (or click WP Toolkit on your domain card).
3. Find the WordPress installation you want to clone and click Clone.
4. Choose the target:
   • Create subdomain: Plesk creates a new subdomain automatically (default prefix is "staging").
   • Use existing domain or subdomain: Select from the dropdown list.
5. (Optional) Change the database name for the clone.
6. Click Start.
7. When complete, the cloned site appears in your WordPress installations list.

Important notes

• Website Copying does not copy databases. If your site uses a database, export it manually via Databases and import it on the destination.
• WordPress Clone handles databases automatically — no extra steps needed.
• When cloning to an existing domain, any files on the destination may be overwritten.
• After cloning a WordPress site, update the site URL in the clone settings if the domain name differs.

Copying to an external server via FTP

1. Go to Websites & Domains > your domain > Website Copying.
2. Select FTP storage.
3. Enter the FTP hostname, port (default 21), directory, username, and password.
4. Click OK to start the transfer.

Troubleshooting

• Website Copying option missing: This feature may not be available in all Plesk editions. Contact your hosting provider.
• Clone shows errors: Make sure the destination domain has enough disk space and is not already in use by another application.
• Database not copied: If you used Website Copying (not WP Clone), you must copy the database separately via phpMyAdmin or the Databases tool.