Install the plugin
Add SandyWP Cloner from the plugin directory and activate it. It’s free.
Your whole site, safely copied
A free plugin that clones your live WordPress into a disposable sandbox in one click. Your production site is only read, never changed.
Cloning clientsite.com
runs in the background close this tab, it keeps going
package ✓ done
upload 2.4 GB · resumable
restore waiting
When it lands: clientsite.sandywp.com + one-click admin login.
Trusted by
From live site to sandbox in four moves
Connect once
Tools → SandyWP Cloner → “Connect to SandyWP”. Approve in the tab that opens no token to copy.
Click Clone
The plugin packages database and files and uploads in the background while you keep working.
Open your sandbox
A live URL with one-click admin login appears right on the screen when it’s ready.
A real copy, without the busywork
one click
No export/import dance
No manual export, no FTP, no database juggling. One click packages the whole site database, themes, plugins and media and ships it.
background
Runs while you work
A live Package → Upload → Restore screen tracks every step. Close the tab and come back later the clone keeps running.
large sites
Built for big installs
Resumable, chunked uploads direct-to-storage when your account supports it survive flaky connections and multi-gigabyte media libraries.
read-only
Production is never touched
The plugin only reads your database and files to build the archive. Nothing on your live site is modified.
trim
Clone only what you need
Optionally skip the media library, post revisions, spam and trashed comments, and inactive themes and plugins. Caches, logs and backups are always skipped.
ready
Lands ready to use
SandyWP lays down clean WordPress core, restores your content, rewrites URLs, and hands you a one-click admin login.
The Cloner is the on-ramp. SandyWP is the destination.
Your database and files travel from one to the other and nowhere else, and only when you press “Clone”. The plugin never hosts anything itself, which is why it needs a free SandyWP account.
this plugin
SandyWP Cloner
Free, open-source, installed on your existing site. It packages the site and ships it that’s its whole job.
the platform
SandyWP
Receives the clone and runs it as a disposable sandbox its own URL, one-click admin login, free account to start.
Installed free in about a minute
1
Add the plugin
In wp-admin, go to Plugins → Add New, search “SandyWP Cloner”, and install it. Prefer a ZIP? Upload it to /wp-content/plugins/sandywp-cloner.
2
Activate it
Activate SandyWP Cloner from the Plugins menu.
3
Connect to SandyWP
Go to Tools → SandyWP Cloner and click Connect to SandyWP approve in the tab that opens, no token to copy. Prefer a token? Paste a personal API key from Account → API keys.
4
Clone
Click “Clone to SandyWP”. That’s it the sandbox link appears when it’s ready.
Data, privacy & the fine print
Do I need a SandyWP account?
Yes and it’s free to start. SandyWP is where the sandbox actually runs, so the plugin connects to your account with one click (or a pasted API token).
What data leaves my site, and when?
Only when you click Clone to SandyWP: a database export and a copy of wp-content, plus a small manifest your site URL, WordPress version and PHP version. When you first connect, only your account authorization and site URL are sent. Nothing else.
Does it change my live site?
No. The plugin only reads your database and files to build the archive. Your production site is never modified.
Where do my credentials go?
Your SandyWP URL and connection key are stored in your site’s options so you can re-clone. Revoke access anytime from your SandyWP account and deleting the plugin removes the stored values.
How long does a sandbox last?
Sandboxes are disposable by design a throwaway playground for testing. How long one sticks around depends on your SandyWP plan; keep the ones you need and let the rest expire.
It says “Queued” and never starts?
The background clone runs on WP-Cron via a loopback request. If your host blocks loopback or disables WP-Cron, the job can’t start allow loopback requests, or wire up a real system cron.
Hand yourself a copy you're allowed to break.
Free account, free plugin, first clone in about a minute.