Migrating a Subdomain or Addon Domain

A single cPanel account can host several domains: one primary domain, plus addon domains and subdomains, each with its own document root. Understanding how these migrate — and your options if you want to split one out — saves confusion when you move.

They migrate with the account

Addon domains and subdomains aren’t separate accounts — they live inside one cPanel account alongside the primary domain. So when you migrate that account, they all come across together, each with its files and its document root intact. There’s nothing extra to do to bring them along.

What stays the same

• Each addon domain keeps its own document root and files
• Subdomains keep their structure (for example blog.yoursite.com)
• Databases used by any of them are preserved with their original names
• Email accounts on any of the domains migrate too

If you want to split one domain out

Sometimes you want an addon domain to become its own standalone account — perhaps to bill it separately or give a client independent access. That’s a restructuring task, not just a migration: the domain’s files and databases would move into a new, separate cPanel account. Open a ticket describing what you want separated, and we’ll plan the cleanest way to do it.

Pointing each domain after cutover

Each domain on the account has its own DNS. When you cut over, make sure every domain that was on the old account — primary, addons, and any that use separate DNS — is pointed at iWebVault, not just the primary. Missing one leaves that domain still resolving to the old server.

Understanding the account structure

In cPanel, an account has one primary domain and can carry any number of addon domains and subdomains. Each addon domain is effectively its own website with its own document root, sharing the account’s resources. Subdomains are sections of a domain (like blog.yoursite.com) with their own folders. All of these are part of the one account — which is why they migrate together.

What you don’t have to do

You don’t need to migrate addon domains or subdomains separately, and you shouldn’t try to — they’re not separate accounts. Running the single-account migration on the parent account brings every domain it contains across in one move, each with its files, databases, and email. Attempting to treat an addon domain as its own migration would only complicate things.

When splitting makes sense

There are legitimate reasons to split an addon domain into its own standalone account: billing it separately, handing a client independent control, or giving it isolated resources. That’s a restructuring task — the domain’s files and databases move into a brand-new cPanel account. It’s very doable, but it’s a deliberate operation rather than part of a routine migration.

1. Decide which domain should become standalone
2. We create a new cPanel account for it on iWebVault
3. Its files, databases, and email are moved into that account
4. DNS for that domain is pointed at the new account

Pointing every domain at cutover

The most common slip with multi-domain accounts is forgetting that each domain has its own DNS. When you cut over, every domain on the account needs pointing at iWebVault — not just the primary. An addon domain whose DNS still points at the old server will keep serving from there, looking ‘broken’ even though it migrated fine.

What’s next

• Why Your Primary Domain Changes
• Pointing Your Domain to iWebVault
• What Actually Transfers in a Migration

Still stuck? Our team can run or finish the migration for you — open a support ticket and we’ll take it from there.

Key takeaways

Addon domains and subdomains live inside their parent cPanel account, so they migrate together with it in one move — each keeping its own document root, databases, and email. You only treat a domain separately if you deliberately want to split it into its own standalone account. At cutover, point every domain on the account at iWebVault, not just the primary.

Why did my addon domain look broken after cutover?

Almost always because its DNS still points at the old server. Each domain on the account has its own DNS; if you updated the primary but not an addon domain (especially one at a different registrar), that addon keeps resolving to the old host. Point every domain at iWebVault and it resolves correctly.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Trying to migrate an addon domain as if it were a separate account
• Updating only the primary domain’s DNS at cutover
• Overlooking an addon domain registered at a different registrar
• Assuming subdomains need separate handling — they move with the account

The single rule that avoids most addon-domain trouble: at cutover, make a list of every domain on the account and point each one at iWebVault. The migration brings them all across automatically; it’s only the DNS pointing that you must do per domain, and that’s where the easy oversights happen.

When to let us handle it

If your account carries many domains, or you want one of them split out into its own standalone account, let us handle the planning. Splitting a domain into a separate account involves moving its files and databases cleanly and pointing its DNS afresh — straightforward for us, but fiddly to get right by hand. Open a ticket describing the structure you want, and we’ll map out the cleanest way to migrate the parent account and, where needed, separate individual domains, so every site ends up exactly where you intend with its data intact.