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How to move a domain between hosting accounts in DirectAdmin

If you have several hosting accounts on the same server and want to move a domain from one account to another, here is the practical approach.

As is often the case with DirectAdmin, this kind of action is not available directly through the control panel. Instead, it must be executed from the command line. Whether we like that approach or not, the important point is that it is possible and often simpler than doing the same in cPanel.

Move the databases first

This is essential because databases do not move together with the domain automatically. Before moving the domain, make sure the databases are moved first.

DirectAdmin provides scripts for this under:

cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts

To rename and move a database to the user of the new hosting account, run:

./rename_database_with_user.sh oldDatabaseName newUser_newDatabaseName

Remember that the new database name must begin with the username of the new hosting account.

Now move the domain to the new hosting account

The domain move script is also located in:

cd /usr/local/directadmin/scripts

And the command is:

./move_domain.sh domain.com oldHostingAccount newHostingAccount

If the old account becomes empty after the move, you can remove that user. Before deleting it, however, confirm that the databases were successfully moved to their final destination. Otherwise, you may lose them permanently unless you have a backup.