Measured throughput · arithmetic scenario, not a schedule promise
Website migration transfer time estimator
Estimate a website file and database transfer duration from your measured data sizes, sustained connection rate, and explicit efficiency assumption. Preparation, import, validation, and cutover take additional time.
Estimate how long one file-and-database copy might take using data sizes and a sustained transfer rate you measured or expect. This is a throughput scenario, not a migration schedule or a connection test.
Enter data sizes, a positive sustained rate, and an efficiency from 1% to 100%.
Method and assumptions
The worksheet converts the file amount from decimal GB to MB, adds the database export in decimal MB, converts megabits to megabytes by dividing by eight, then divides data size by your entered rate adjusted by your efficiency percentage. It reports the result as a continuous-transfer estimate.
The efficiency value is your scenario assumption, not a standard overhead percentage or a provider measurement. If you have a measured sustained rate from a representative transfer, use that rate and an efficiency near 100% only if that rate already reflects the conditions you want to model.
This estimate covers only transferring the entered bytes once. It excludes backup and archive preparation, compression or decompression, retries, file-count overhead, database import, configuration changes, testing, DNS changes, and cutover. WordPress migration guidance treats files and the database as parts of a move; measure the relevant source data and confirm the destination's import process separately. The calculator does not upload data or contact a host.
Related migration planning
Use the migration labor estimator for user-entered task counts and hours, the hosting move checklist for cost and continuity items, and the site migration checklist for infrastructure or URL-change checks.
Sources checked November 3, 2026
- WordPress Developer Resources: Migrating WordPress — describes moving a WordPress installation's files and database and checking configuration when details change.
- NIST Guide to the SI, Chapter 4 — distinguishes decimal SI prefixes from binary prefixes; this worksheet explicitly uses decimal GB and MB.
How it works
Enter the file data in decimal GB, database export in decimal MB, sustained transfer rate in megabits per second, and your assumed transfer efficiency. The worksheet estimates the data-copy duration only; it does not test your connection or model provider behavior.
Good to know
Does this estimate the full website migration time?
No. It estimates one data-transfer scenario from the sizes and sustained rate you enter. Backup preparation, archive creation, retries, database import, configuration, validation, DNS changes, and cutover are separate work.
Why use a transfer-efficiency input?
The entered connection rate may not be sustained by the actual transfer. Efficiency is a reader-selected adjustment for the scenario; it is not a measured protocol constant or provider benchmark.
How do I get useful input sizes and speed?
Use the source account's file and database measurements and a sustained rate observed during a representative transfer. WordPress migration guidance treats the site's files and database as separate parts to handle; confirm the exact scope for your installation.
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