Moving from a hosted forum service to your own hosting

Two very different kinds of move

• From another web host (a self-hosted MyBB, phpBB or SMF forum): you have the files and the database, so you copy them across. The whole forum, members and all, arrives intact. Jump to that section.
• From a hosted forum service (ProBoards, Forumotion, Create A Forum and similar): the service runs its own software and holds the database. What you can take with you depends entirely on what the service provides.

What the main services say about exporting

Checked 29 September 2026 from each service’s own site, terms or support forum. Policies change, so check the current position before you commit to a plan.

Even with a database export, converting from a customised hosted platform into MyBB, phpBB or SMF may need technical help and tidying afterwards. Plan for the content you can’t move, and treat anything that does come across as a bonus.

A realistic migration plan

1. Decide what really needs to move. Usually: the rules, a handful of pinned guides and FAQs, and important reference threads. Most day-to-day chat doesn’t need to.
2. Set up the new forum first. Domain, hosting, software, spam protection and boards, following the set-up planner. Match the old board names where it helps people find their way.
3. Copy the key content by hand, with the authors’ permission, crediting them in the post. It’s a good moment to update old guides.
4. Seed the new forum with a few current discussions so it isn’t empty when people arrive.
5. Announce the move on the old forum: why you’re moving, the new address, the date, and what happens to the old forum. Pin it, and use any announcement or mass-message tools the old service offers.
6. Invite your core members personally before the public switch. If your regulars are there on day one, everyone else follows.
7. Run both for a short overlap, then lock the old forum to new posts (if the service allows) with a pinned link to the new one. Keeping the old forum readable preserves its history.

If you used your own domain on the hosted service

If your old forum ran on a domain you own (several services offer custom domains as a paid extra), you’re in a strong position: point that domain at your new hosting and your address doesn’t change. Old thread URLs won’t match the new software’s, so consider redirecting your most-visited old pages to their new equivalents with a few redirect rules (see redirects in the knowledgebase), and put the old forum on a different address first if you want to keep it readable.

Moving a self-hosted forum to Traxio

If your forum already runs MyBB, phpBB or SMF on another host, the move is straightforward:

1. Start your Traxio account with the same domain, but don’t change nameservers yet.
2. At the old host, put the forum into maintenance mode, then back up the files and export the database.
3. Upload the files to your Traxio account with FTP or the DirectAdmin file manager.
4. Create a database in DirectAdmin and import your export with phpMyAdmin. Large databases may need importing in parts; the databases section of the knowledgebase has guidance.
5. Update the configuration file (config.php, inc/config.php or Settings.php) with the new database name, user and password.
6. Check the PHP version in DirectAdmin matches what your forum version supports.
7. Test before switching, then change the nameservers. Once DNS has moved and the free SSL certificate is issued, take the forum out of maintenance mode.

Moving before upgrading is usually easiest: get the forum working on Traxio as it is, then follow keeping forum software updated.

After the move

• Set up your backup routine straight away.
• Submit the new forum to Google Search Console. Forum SEO.
• Watch the first weeks closely: reply to everything, and fix anything members report quickly. First impressions of the new home matter.