changing the domain

[cpuin]

Hi, I saw many and different instruction on what exactly one should do in order to change the domain name of Prestashop.

I'm running Prestashop 1.6 and have installed on temporary hosting a new Prestashop 8.2 version which is ready for use.

I want to erase old Prestashop and move current 8.2 to the main host.Now for 8.2 I use subdomain.My question is which are the official steps/instruction which Prestashop developers give for doing this? .htaccess, friendly URL, links etc.

Thank you in advance

[Prestashop Addict]

Hi, you need to delete folder var/cache/prod and var/cache/dev. And also in database replace old domain with new one but not only ps settings, but all url in database like cms page or product description that contains links. Example move from dev.mydom.ext to www.mydom.ext in SQL dump file replace all occurrences of dev.mydom.ext by www.mydom.ext

Edited August 19 by Prestashop Addict (see edit history)

[El Patron]

How to replace your existing PrestaShop domain with your upgraded shop

If you’ve built your upgraded PrestaShop 8.2 on a subdomain (e.g. new.mysite.com) and now want it to take over your main domain (e.g. mysite.com), here are the recommended steps you should follow. This process ensures you retire the old 1.6 site cleanly while putting your upgraded shop live on the existing domain.

1. Plan redirects first

• To protect SEO and ensure visitors don’t get lost, set up a 301 redirect from your temporary subdomain (new.mysite.com) to your main domain (mysite.com).
• You can do this in your hosting control panel or with .htaccess rules.
• Additionally, there are some good redirect management modules available on the official PrestaShop Addons marketplace. These can make it easier to manage complex redirects, track hits, and avoid SEO penalties.

Having your redirect strategy ready before the move ensures Google and customers are sent to the correct place immediately.

2. Archive your old 1.6 shop

• Instead of deleting it outright, create a subdomain (for example archive.mysite.com) and move your PrestaShop 1.6 files + database there.
• This way you still have access to historical orders, customer records, and references if you ever need them.
• Once the 1.6 shop is safely archived, you can remove the 1.6 files from the main domain root to make room for your upgraded shop.

3. Put your upgraded shop on the main domain

• Use FTP or your hosting file manager to move all files from the upgraded 8.2 shop’s subdomain directory to the root directory of your main domain.
• If your host allows, you can simply change the domain’s document root to point to the subdomain folder instead of physically moving files.

4. Update database domain settings

• Log into phpMyAdmin (or any MySQL tool).
• Go to your shop’s database.
• Open the table ps_shop_url (replace ps_ with your prefix if different).
• Update the fields: (without prefix https://) 

domain → mysite.com

domain_ssl → mysite.com

physical_uri → /

(Make sure there is no new. or subfolder path left.)

5. Clear cache and regenerate .htaccess

• Delete the contents of /var/cache/prod/ and /var/cache/dev/ (if they exist).
• In your back office, go to Shop Parameters > Traffic & SEO.
• Temporarily turn off Friendly URL, save, then turn it back on and save again.

This will regenerate a fresh .htaccess with the correct domain rules.

6. Update configuration files (if needed)

• Most likely, since you are moving from a subdomain on the same hosting account, the database name, user, and password are already correct and you don’t need to change anything.
• But if you do need to check or update them:
• For PrestaShop 8 → open /app/config/parameters.php
• For PrestaShop 1.6 → open /config/settings.inc.php
• Inside these files you’ll see the DB settings (database_name, database_user, database_password, and database_host).

7. Test and fix links

• Visit the site on the main domain and check the homepage, category pages, product pages, and checkout.
• If you see links still pointing to the old subdomain, clear browser cache and PrestaShop cache again.
• Also check your sliders, banners, and custom modules — sometimes they store fully qualified URLs (like https://new.mysite.com/...) instead of relative paths. Update these manually in the back office if needed.

Summary:
The official way to replace your existing domain with the upgraded PrestaShop is: plan 301 redirects (manual or via a module) → archive 1.6 to its own subdomain → clear main root → move 8.2 shop → update ps_shop_url → clear cache → toggle Friendly URL to regenerate .htaccess → confirm DB settings → test links (including sliders/banners with hard-coded URLs).

[cpuin]

Everything is good, BUT after migrating I can't access the back office, blank page (no page), the from end appears....

[Prestashop Addict]

Il y a 10 heures, cpuin a dit :

Everything is good, BUT after migrating I can't access the back office, blank page (no page), the from end appears....

activate debug mode

[cpuin]

SOLVED - it was the PHP version.