How to Change the Domain of a Joomla Website

If you want to make an existing Joomla website available under a new domain name, you need to point the new domain to the existing website directory and update the Joomla configuration accordingly.

Contents

• Create a New Website Entry
• Point the New Domain to the Existing Directory
• Update Joomla Configuration
• Verify the Website
• Troubleshooting

Create a New Website Entry

Step 1

Log in to the Mybox control panel.

Step 2

Navigate to:

Websites

Step 3

Click:

Add Website

Step 4

Select:

Blank Website

Step 5

Enter the new domain name that will be used for the Joomla website.

Point the New Domain to the Existing Directory

Instead of creating a new website directory, configure the new website to use the directory that already contains the Joomla installation.

Step 1

Locate the option:

Website Directory

or:

WWW Account Directory

Step 2

Select the existing directory where Joomla is currently installed.

You can verify the current website path in the website details section of the Mybox control panel.

Step 3

Save the changes.

After a few minutes, the website should begin responding under the new domain name.

Update Joomla Configuration

Joomla stores several filesystem paths in its configuration file.

Step 1

Connect to your hosting account using:

• FTP
• SFTP
• SSH

Step 2

Open the Joomla root directory.

The file:

configuration.php

is usually located in:

public_html

Step 3

Open the file for editing.

Step 4

Locate the following variables:

public $tmp_path

and

public $log_path

Example:

public $tmp_path = '/home/account_username/newdomain.com/public_html/tmp';

public $log_path = '/home/account_username/newdomain.com/public_html/logs';

Step 5

Verify that the paths correspond to the current Joomla installation directory.

Update them if necessary and save the file.

Verify the Website

After completing the configuration:

1. Open the new domain in a browser.
2. Verify that the website loads correctly.
3. Test the Joomla administration panel.
4. Check forms, extensions, and media uploads.

Troubleshooting

Website Loads but Some Features Do Not Work

Verify that:

• tmp_path points to the correct tmp directory.
• log_path points to the correct logs directory.

Incorrect values can cause extension installation, updates, or logging functionality to fail.

Redirects to the Old Domain

Check:

• Joomla Global Configuration settings.
• .htaccess redirect rules.
• Third-party SEO extensions.

SSL Certificate Issues

If you are using HTTPS, ensure that an SSL certificate has been issued and activated for the new domain.

Summary

To change the domain of a Joomla website:

1. Create a new website entry for the new domain.
2. Point it to the existing Joomla installation directory.
3. Edit the configuration.php file.
4. Verify the values of:

public $tmp_path

and

public $log_path

5. Save the changes and test the website.

After these steps, your Joomla website should be fully accessible under the new domain name.