Open your browser and go to:
Log in using your Plesk credentials (usually provided by your hosting provider).
Once inside Plesk:
Click “WordPress” from the left-hand menu
You’ll now see all the WordPress sites installed on your account
Find the site you want to clone
Click the small down-arrow to expand the tools
Click the “Clone” button
You’ll now configure where to place the cloned site:
Destination domain or subdomain:
Select an existing subdomain like dev.yourdomain.com
Or create a new one directly in this step
(You can also use another domain if it's hosted in the same Plesk account)
Directory:
Plesk will automatically fill in something like /dev/ — you can leave it as-is
Database:
Plesk will create a separate, independent database for your clone
Click Start to begin cloning.
Wait 1–2 minutes — Plesk will copy all files, settings, and the database.
Once cloning is done:
You’ll see your new cloned site listed in WordPress Toolkit
Click “Log in” to open the cloned site’s WordPress dashboard
Example admin link:
On your cloned site, you can:
Try out a new theme
Test plugins or updates
Change layouts or settings
Debug issues
Your live website stays completely unaffected.
If you're happy with your development work:
Go to WordPress Toolkit
Click the cloned site → Sync or Copy Data
Choose what to copy to the live site:
Files only
Database only
Or both
Use this only if you’re sure — it will overwrite the live site.
| Tip | Why It Helps |
|---|---|
| Always back up before syncing | Protects your live site from accidental loss |
Use subdomains like dev. |
Keeps things separate and easy to identify |
| Enable Maintenance Mode if needed | Prevents search engines from indexing your dev site |
| Keep dev and live databases separate | Avoids cross-contamination of data |
