{"id":78277,"date":"2026-07-28T16:12:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:12:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/?p=78277"},"modified":"2026-07-28T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T20:12:02","slug":"rsync","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"538\" src=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-1024x538.png\" alt=\"How to Transfer and Backup Files With Rsync\" class=\"wp-image-78278\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-1024x538.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-300x158.png 300w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-768x403.png 768w, https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync.png 1200w\" sizes=\"auto, (min-width: 1360px) 876px, (min-width: 960px) calc(61.58vw + 51px), calc(100vw - 80px)\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rsync is one of the most reliable tools for moving website files between servers, from your computer to a host, or for creating clean backups. Unlike FTP clients, it only transfers changed data (delta transfers), preserves permissions and timestamps, and can keep source and destination in sync. This makes it ideal for migrating sites, deploying updates, or backing up production files with minimal downtime and bandwidth use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This guide focuses on the most common needs of webmasters and site owners who have SSH access to their servers (cPanel, VPS, or unmanaged hosting).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Prerequisites<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SSH access to the source and\/or destination server (username + hostname or IP).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The rsync binary available on both ends (almost all modern Linux servers include it).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Enough disk space on the destination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Basic familiarity with the terminal.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Always test with the <code>--dry-run<\/code> (or <code>-n<\/code>) option first so you can see what would happen without making changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Basic Rsync Syntax<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> [options] source destination<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Source and destination can be local paths or remote (<code>user@host:\/path<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A trailing slash on the source directory matters:\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>\/path\/to\/site\/<\/code> copies the <em>contents<\/em>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>\/path\/to\/site<\/code> copies the <em>directory itself<\/em>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"basic-rsync-usage\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">1. Transfer Website Files from Your Local Computer to a Remote Server<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\" id=\"basic-rsync-usage\">Useful when you develop locally or have a full site backup on your machine and need to push it live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--progress<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/path\/to\/local\/website\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@yourserver.com:\/home\/username\/public_html\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What the options do:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><code>-a<\/code> \u2013 archive mode (recursive, preserves permissions, ownership, timestamps, symlinks).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>-v<\/code> \u2013 verbose (shows what is happening).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>-z<\/code> \u2013 compress data during transfer (helpful over slower connections).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>--delete<\/code> \u2013 removes files on the destination that no longer exist on the source (keeps the two locations identical). Use with caution.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><code>--progress<\/code> \u2013 shows transfer progress.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Example for HTML\/static files only:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--include=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'*.html'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--include=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'*\/'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--exclude=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'*'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/local\/site\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@server:\/var\/www\/html\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 id=\"transfer\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Pull Website Files from a Remote Server to Your Local Machine (Backup or Migration Prep)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--progress<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@yourserver.com:\/home\/username\/public_html\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/path\/to\/local\/backup\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is an excellent way to create a local mirror of your live site before making major changes or before switching hosts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Transfer a Site Directly Between Two Remote Servers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You can run the command from either server (or from your local machine if it has SSH access to both).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">From the destination server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--progress<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@oldserver.com:\/home\/username\/public_html\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/home\/username\/public_html\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Or use SSH key authentication and run it from your laptop so neither server needs the other\u2019s password:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-e<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">ssh<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@oldserver:\/path\/to\/site\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@newserver:\/path\/to\/site\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Important Options for Webmasters<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table is-style-stripes\"><table><thead><tr><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Option<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Purpose<\/th><th class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">When To Use It<\/th><\/tr><\/thead><tbody><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>-a<\/code> \/ <code>--archive<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Preserve permissions, ownership, times<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Almost always for websites<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>-z<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Compress during transfer<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Slower connections or large files<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>--delete<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Make destination match source exactly<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Full migrations \/ clean syncs<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>--exclude='dir\/'<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Skip specific folders<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Exclude <code>node_modules<\/code>, <code>.git<\/code>, caches, uploads if needed<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>--dry-run<\/code> \/ <code>-n<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Simulate the transfer<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Always test first<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>--progress<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Show file-by-file progress<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Large transfers<\/td><\/tr><tr><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\"><code>-e ssh<\/code><\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">Force SSH transport<\/td><td class=\"has-text-align-left\" data-align=\"left\">When needed for security or non-standard ports<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Common exclusions for WordPress or similar CMS sites:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">\\<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--exclude=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'wp-content\/cache\/'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">\\<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--exclude=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'wp-content\/uploads\/'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">\\ <\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  <\/span><span style=\"color: #6A737D\"># optional \u2013 sometimes you want media separately<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  --exclude<\/span><span style=\"color: #F97583\">=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'.git\/'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">\\<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  --exclude<\/span><span style=\"color: #F97583\">=<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">'node_modules\/'<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">\\<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\">  <\/span><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">user@old:\/path\/to\/site\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@new:\/path\/to\/site\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why Prefer Rsync Over FTP\/SFTP Clients for Site Transfers?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Delta Transfers<\/strong>: After the first full copy, only changed files (or even parts of files) are sent. Subsequent updates are dramatically faster.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Permission Preservation<\/strong>: Critical for PHP apps, WordPress, and scripts that rely on correct ownership.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Scriptable &amp; Schedulable<\/strong>: Put the command in a shell script and run it via cron for automated backups or deployments.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reliable Over Imperfect Connections<\/strong>: Rsync can resume interrupted transfers more gracefully than many GUI tools.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Safety Tips<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Always run with <code>--dry-run<\/code> first and review the output.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Be careful with <code>--delete<\/code> because it will permanently remove files on the destination.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Prefer SSH keys over passwords for automation.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>After a full site transfer, update configuration files (database credentials, domain paths, etc.) and clear any caches.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>For very large media libraries, consider transferring the database and application files first, then media in a second pass (or use a tool specialized for large binary data).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Quick Reference Commands<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Push local site live (with dry-run first):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avzn<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">\/local\/site\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@server:~\/public_html\/<\/span><\/span>\n<span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #6A737D\"># then remove the n to actually run it<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Pull live site for backup:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@server:~\/public_html\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">~\/backups\/mysite-$(<\/span><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">date<\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\"> +%Y%m%d)\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Full remote-to-remote migration:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-kevinbatdorf-code-block-pro\" data-code-block-pro-font-family=\"Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL.ttf\" style=\"font-size:clamp(16px, 1rem, 24px);font-family:Code-Pro-JetBrains-Mono-NL,ui-monospace,SFMono-Regular,Menlo,Monaco,Consolas,monospace;line-height:clamp(26px, 1.625rem, 39px);--cbp-tab-width:2;tab-size:var(--cbp-tab-width, 2)\"><pre class=\"shiki github-dark\" style=\"background-color: #24292e\" tabindex=\"0\"><code><span class=\"line\"><span style=\"color: #B392F0\">rsync<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-avz<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">--delete<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #79B8FF\">-e<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">ssh<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@oldserver:~\/public_html\/<\/span><span style=\"color: #E1E4E8\"> <\/span><span style=\"color: #9ECBFF\">user@newserver:~\/public_html\/<\/span><\/span><\/code><\/pre><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Rsync is already installed on the vast majority of Linux hosting environments. Once you are comfortable with the basic options above, you can handle almost any site transfer or backup task efficiently and cleanly from the command line.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Rsync is one of the most reliable tools for moving website files between servers, from your computer to a host, or for creating clean backups. Unlike FTP clients, it only transfers changed data (delta transfers), preserves permissions and timestamps, and can keep source and destination in sync. This makes it ideal for migrating sites, deploying<a class=\"moretag\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/\"> Read More ><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56983,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_exclude":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_exclude_summary":false,"_ayudawp_aiss_summary":"Rsync is one of the most reliable tools for moving website files between servers, from your computer to a host, or for creating clean backups. What the options do:. \u2013 archive mode (recursive, preserves permissions, ownership, timestamps, symlinks). \u2013 verbose (shows what is happening). \u2013 compress data during transfer (helpful over slower connections). \u2013 removes files on the destination that no longer exist on the source (keeps the two locations identical). Delta Transfers: After the first full copy, only changed files (or even parts of files) are sent.","_ayudawp_aiss_summary_provider":"extractive","_ayudawp_aiss_summary_hash":"52ed5a01aab515d84667abf6c34063ab1944b608","_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4625],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-78277","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-website-transfers"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"InMotion Hosting Support Center\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync.png\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"630\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/png\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Carrie Smaha\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@carriesmaha\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@InMotionHosting\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Carrie Smaha\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Carrie Smaha\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/595948dab2995d347a87076abdae19d8\"},\"headline\":\"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":640,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/Rsync-1024x538.png\",\"articleSection\":[\"Website Transfers\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/\",\"name\":\"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/Rsync-1024x538.png\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00\",\"description\":\"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/Rsync.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/07\\\/Rsync.png\",\"width\":1200,\"height\":630},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/website\\\/website-transfers\\\/rsync\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/\",\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting Support Center\",\"description\":\"Web Hosting Support &amp; Tutorials\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"InMotion Hosting\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2023\\\/02\\\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"InMotion Hosting\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.facebook.com\\\/inmotionhosting\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/InMotionHosting\"]},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/595948dab2995d347a87076abdae19d8\",\"name\":\"Carrie Smaha\",\"description\":\"Carrie Smaha is a digital strategy, web development, and SEO leader with 20 years of experience. She built her foundation in fast-paced agency environments before moving in-house to InMotion Hosting, where she leads go-to-market programs, agency initiatives, and technical product marketing that connects product capability to real customer decisions.\",\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.linkedin.com\\\/in\\\/carriesmaha\\\/\",\"https:\\\/\\\/x.com\\\/carriesmaha\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.inmotionhosting.com\\\/support\\\/author\\\/carries\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting","description":"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting","og_description":"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.","og_url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/","og_site_name":"InMotion Hosting Support Center","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/","article_published_time":"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1200,"height":630,"url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync.png","type":"image\/png"}],"author":"Carrie Smaha","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@carriesmaha","twitter_site":"@InMotionHosting","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Carrie Smaha","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/"},"author":{"name":"Carrie Smaha","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/595948dab2995d347a87076abdae19d8"},"headline":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync","datePublished":"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/"},"wordCount":640,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-1024x538.png","articleSection":["Website Transfers"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/","name":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync | InMotion Hosting","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync-1024x538.png","datePublished":"2026-07-28T20:12:00+00:00","dateModified":"2026-07-28T20:12:02+00:00","description":"Learn how to backup your files and transfer them around with the power rsync command line tool. All the features you need to automate file transfer.","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/07\/Rsync.png","width":1200,"height":630},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/rsync\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"How to Transfer and Backup Website Files with Rsync"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/","name":"InMotion Hosting Support Center","description":"Web Hosting Support &amp; Tutorials","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#organization","name":"InMotion Hosting","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/02\/inmotion-hosting-logo-yoast.jpg","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"InMotion Hosting"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inmotionhosting\/","https:\/\/x.com\/InMotionHosting"]},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/#\/schema\/person\/595948dab2995d347a87076abdae19d8","name":"Carrie Smaha","description":"Carrie Smaha is a digital strategy, web development, and SEO leader with 20 years of experience. She built her foundation in fast-paced agency environments before moving in-house to InMotion Hosting, where she leads go-to-market programs, agency initiatives, and technical product marketing that connects product capability to real customer decisions.","sameAs":["https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/in\/carriesmaha\/","https:\/\/x.com\/carriesmaha"],"url":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/author\/carries\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"primary_category":{"id":4625,"name":"Website Transfers","slug":"website-transfers","link":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/website\/website-transfers\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78277","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/56983"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=78277"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78277\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":900152,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/78277\/revisions\/900152"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=78277"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=78277"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.inmotionhosting.com\/support\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=78277"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}