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Change WordPress site from a temporary URL to actual domain for WordPress Hosting

1 min read

Updated on August 26, 2026
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When a WordPress site is first installed we give it a temporary address, for example example-xyz.hostnil.uk, so you can build the site before the domain points at us. Once the domain is ready, the site has to be told its real address, otherwise links and images keep pointing at the temporary one.

On WordPress hosting you can do this from the control panel, with no database editing.

Steps #

  1. Log in to your control panel.
  2. Open the WordPress tool and go to its Settings section.
  3. You will see two fields, Site URL and Home. Both currently hold the temporary address.
  4. Replace both with your live domain, for example https://example.xyz.
  5. Click Save Settings.

Two things people get wrong #

  • Watch the dots and hyphens. The temporary address uses hyphens where your real domain uses dots. example-xyz.hostnil.uk becomes example.xyz, not example-xyz.
  • Use https, not http, if your SSL certificate is already active. Setting it to http:// means visitors land on the insecure version even though the certificate works.

After saving #

Make sure the domain is actually pointing at our servers first. If you change these fields before the DNS has been updated, the site becomes unreachable at both addresses until DNS catches up.

Old links inside posts and pages may still contain the temporary address. Those live in the database and need a search and replace — see changing the URL in the database.