On November 13, 2026, the WordPress project introduced Reprint, a free tool that copies the files and database of a WordPress site to another computer or server. It consists of a plugin for the source site and a command-line program that picks up the copy.
The plugin is available in the WordPress.org plugin directory and is at version 0.11.8. The directory reports more than 40 active installations so far, so the tool is new and little tested. The announcement names two use cases: moving to a new host and a test copy on which you try out layout, plugins, and updates without touching the live site.
How does the copy process work?
On the source site, you install the plugin and leave the page under Tools > Reprint Server open. On the target computer, you generate a key with the keygen command, paste the Migration Token it outputs into Reprint Server, and select Authorize client. After that, the pull command fetches the files and database.
How to copy a site with Reprint
Process for a copy to your own computer, plugin version 0.11.8
- Install the pluginActivate Reprint on the source site
- Authorize the clientGenerate a key with keygen, paste the token
- Fetch the copypull downloads files and database
- Check the copyHome page, images, login, forms
The copy is not a snapshot of the live site.
Sources: WordPress News, WordPress Developer Resources
The data flows directly to the authorized program and not through a Reprint cloud, and you do not need a Reprint account, according to the description in the plugin directory. The same command resumes an interrupted transfer. If the address changes, Reprint rewrites links in settings, blocks, shortcodes, and serialized data. On a repeat run, it copies only files that have changed.
What do you need for the copy?
The guide to copying a site lists these requirements:
- Source site: administrator access, WordPress 4.7 or later (tested up to 7.1.4) and PHP 5.6.20 or later; you do not need SSH there
- Target computer: PHP 7.4 or later on the command line, on macOS, Linux, or Windows with WSL
- Database: SQLite without a database server, or an empty MySQL database with its own user
- Scope: The guide describes a single installation; the plugin page additionally mentions multisite
Where are the limits?
The copy is not a snapshot. Posts, uploads, orders, and accounts created during the first run are missing at the target. For a real move, the migration guide therefore recommends a pause in writing and a final copy.
A repeated database import replaces the data at the target instead of merging it. The plugin only downloads and does not take anything back: changes to the copy stay in the copy. Reprint also does not capture all settings for email sending, scheduled tasks, and payment services, so the copy may continue to establish connections to live services. Reprint also does not handle the DNS switchover.
Our assessment: for a move, the target needs PHP on the command line, a configurable web server, and an empty MySQL database. A hosting package without a command line is therefore ruled out as a target; there, a test copy on your own computer is the obvious use.
What this means for you
It is best to try Reprint first on a test copy: with SQLite as the target, your computer is enough, and the copy then runs at http://localhost:8881. Apply plugin and WordPress updates there and check the home page, images, the login at /wp-admin/, and forms before you touch the live site. Beforehand, deactivate email and payment services in the copy so that no real emails or payments are generated.
If you are planning a move, keep the source site until you have checked the target so that you can switch back. Store the state/ folder outside the web server directory, because it contains credentials and the SQL export. After the move, remove the Migration Token under Tools > Reprint Server; existing copies remain unchanged.
The WordPress project introduced Reprint on November 13, 2026.
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