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This is an archived copy of the SandyWP docs. It is kept online as a fallback and may be out of date. The maintained documentation lives at docs.sandywp.com.

Clone a site

Copy an existing WordPress site you control into a fresh SandyWP sandbox, using the SandyWP Cloner plugin no manual export/import, no zip wrangling.

The Clone page / import flow
The Clone page import flow for cloning a site.

Before you start

  • You need a SandyWP account and admin access to the WordPress site you want to clone.
  • Open Clone in the top nav of your dashboard to find the plugin link and watch imports land.

Step 1 Install the Cloner plugin

On the Clone page, click Get plugin on WordPress.org to open the SandyWP Cloner listing. On the WordPress site you want to clone, go to Plugins → Add New, search for "SandyWP Cloner", then install and activate it (or upload the zip you downloaded from wp.org).

Step 2 Connect your account

Go to WP-Admin → Tools → SandyWP Cloner and click Connect to SandyWP. You'll be sent to authorize the connection no API token to create or paste. (An API token is still available as a fallback via Connect with an API token instead.)

Step 3 Start the clone

Back in Tools → SandyWP Cloner, click Clone to SandyWP. The plugin packages the site and uploads it to your account.

Step 4 Watch it land

The new import appears on the Clone page (and in the plugin). It moves through these statuses:

StatusMeaning
Waiting for uploadThe import was created; the plugin is about to send the archive.
UploadingThe archive is transferring to SandyWP.
UploadedThe archive arrived and is queued to restore.
RestoringSandyWP is building a sandbox from your site.
ReadyThe clone is a live sandbox click Open site.
FailedSomething went wrong; a reason is shown on the row.

After the clone

A cloned site is a normal sandbox it shows up in My sites with the same lifespan, tools, and limits as any other. Open it from the import row, or from your dashboard. Deleting an import row only cleans up the import history; the sandbox itself is independent and stays in My sites.

Notes & limits

  • Cloned archives can be up to 24 GB.
  • You can cancel an import while it's still uploading or restoring.
  • The clone counts toward your active sandbox and storage limits.

Next steps