Link a Staging Site to a Live Site

If your live site and its staging copy are both connected to InstaWP with the InstaWP Connect plugin, you can link them from the Manage page. Linking tells InstaWP which site is the live (parent) site and which is its staging copy. Once they are linked, you can use 2-Way Sync to move changes between them.

This is the step you need when the staging site was not created through InstaWP, for example a staging site made by your hosting provider's control panel, or a copy you set up yourself. A staging site created with the Connect plugin's Create Staging option is linked automatically, so you do not need to do this for it.

💡 Is your site hosted on InstaWP? Hosted sites have their own built-in staging environment and do not need the Connect plugin or linking. See Staging Environment.

In this documentation, we will explore:

• Before you start
• Step 1: Connect both sites
• Step 2: Open the Staging Sites panel
• Step 3: Link the staging site
• After linking
• Unlinking a staging site
• Troubleshooting

Before you start

• Both sites must be connected to InstaWP with the Connect plugin, under the same team.
• The staging site should be a copy of the live site. 2-Way Sync matches content by page slug, so linking two unrelated sites gives unexpected results.
• A site can be the staging copy of one live site only. A site that already has staging sites linked to it cannot itself be linked as a staging site.
• Decide which site is live before you start. The link always starts from the live site's menu.

Step 1: Connect both sites

If either site is not on your Manage page yet, connect it first. Follow Add Connect Plugin to Site for each site, the live one and the staging one.

When both are connected, each appears as its own row on the Manage page.

Step 2: Open the Staging Sites panel

Step 1: Go to the Manage page in your InstaWP dashboard.

Step 2: On the live site's row, click the More Actions (⋯) button, then choose Staging Sites under Common Options.

A Staging Sites panel slides in from the right. If nothing is linked yet, it says No staging sites found!

Step 3: Link the staging site

Step 1: In the Staging Sites panel, click Link Staging Site.

Step 2: A list of your team's connected sites opens. Select the site you want to use as the staging copy.

Step 3: Click Link.

A Staging Site is Linked. message confirms it, and the staging site now appears in the live site's Staging Sites panel.

After linking

• The staging site is now listed under the live site, in its Staging Sites panel, instead of as its own row on the Manage page. Open the panel from the live site's More Actions menu to reach it.
• Use Magic Login in the panel to open the staging site's WP admin.
• In the staging site's WP admin, the InstaWP Connect plugin now shows a Staging tab instead of Create Staging, which confirms the site knows it is a staging copy.
• You can now record changes on the staging site and sync them to the live site. See 2-Way Sync for how to record and push changes.

Unlinking a staging site

There is no unlink option in the dashboard at the moment. If you linked the wrong site, or you want to remove a link, contact our support team and we will remove it for you.

Troubleshooting

What you see	What it means
The Link Staging Site list says No sites found!	No other site on your team can be linked. Check that the staging site is connected under the same team as the live site, and that it is not already linked to another live site.
The staging site is missing from the list	A site that already has staging sites of its own, or that is already a staging site of another site, is not offered. The live site itself is never listed.
The staging site disappeared from the Manage page	This is expected. A linked staging site is shown in its live site's Staging Sites panel instead.
The link fails with an error	InstaWP could not reach the staging site. Make sure the site is online and the InstaWP Connect plugin is active and still connected, then try again.

Related Articles

• Add Connect Plugin to Site: connect each site first
• 2-Way Sync: sync changes between the linked sites
• Create Staging Site: create a staging site with the Connect plugin, linked automatically
• Link Two Sites Programmatically: do the same through the API