How to Migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2 – Complete Steps 

Today, we will show you the exact steps to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2. 

Our Magento experts follow the same process while migrating any Magento 1 to 2 stores. So, if you carefully adhere to the steps, you can smoothly finish this task. 

Let’s begin.  

6 Steps for Magento 2 Migration in 2025

Step 1: Plan Your Migration

You need to plan your migration to have a clear roadmap to make sure no data is missed. 

First, start by backing up your Magento 1 store. 

Then, create a list of things you need and don’t need in your new Magento 2 store.

❌ You don’t need:

• Unwanted pages or unused CMS pages
• Outdated data of products, customers, categories, etc
• Log files and other unnecessary cache file

You can delete/remove this data to clear space and only have what matters.

✅ You need:

• A list of third-party extensions
• A new store theme
• An SEO report
• List of essential data

You will need Magento 2 compatible extensions since Magento 1 extensions are not compatible with Magento 2.

Similarly, you will have to look for a new Magento 2 theme since the Magento 1 theme is incompatible.

Magento 2 default themes are Luma and Blank.

You can use them or pick from our list of the best Magento 2 themes that meet your brand requirements. 

Step 2: Install Magento 2 on Staging Server

Now, we will lay down the foundation of your new store — install Magento 2 in the staging server.

Here, you should keep in mind to have a proper Magento 2 system requirement and a method to install Magento 2 (from the archive file, via composer,  or Github)

The simplest method is to install Magento is from an archive file:

• Download the Magento 2 package archive (.zip, .tar, and .gz) and upload it to the root directory
• Extract the archive package in the server root directory
• Run the Magento 2 Setup Wizard and complete the
• Create an admin account and start customizing it

Step 3: Install and Configure Data Migration Tool

A Magento data migration tool makes it easy to migrate M1 data to M2.

You will first need to install a Magento Data Migration tool via Composer. Here, your Data Migration Tool and Magento 2 store must have the same version. 

To check the version of your Magento 2 store, head to the root directory via SSH and use the following command:

php bin/magento --version

You also need to update the location of the Data Migration Tool package in the .JSON file. Use the following commands to do so: 

composer config repositories.magento composer https://repo.magento.com
composer require magento/data-migration-tool: {version}

In the above code, replace {version} with the version of your Magento 2 instance.

Then, you will need a developer’s authentication keys to install the Data Migration tool. Follow these steps to get your authentication keys:

• Go to Magento Marketplace.
• Log into your profile and navigate to My Products > Access Keys.
• Click Create a New Access Key.

Use the public key as your username and the private key as your password.

The configuration and script files for the Data Migration Tool will be in the provided directories below:

Magento 1 Open Source to Magento 2 Open Source:

<Magento 2 root dir>/vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/opensource-to-opensource

Magento 1 Open Source to Magento 2 Commerce:

<Magento 2 root dir>/vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/opensource-to-commerce

Magento 1 Commerce to Magento 2 Commerce:

<Magento 2 root dir>/vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/commerce-to-commerce

Now, you need to create a config.xml file in the respective directory to perform the data migration.

For example, if you are migrating from Magento 1 Open Source to Magento 2 Open Source, go to the following directory and rename config.xml.dist to config.xml:

<Magento 2 root dir>/vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/opensource-to-opensource/<Magento 1.x version>

Now, open the config.xml file in an editor and add the following:

Magento1-Encrypted-Key

In the above code:

• The <source> tag contains details of the Magento 1 database.
• The <destination> tag contains details of the Magento 2 database.
• The <crypt_key> is essential to decrypt the data; you can find it in the <Magento 1 root dir>/app/etc/local.xml file.

Save the configuration.

Step 4: Perform Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration

Now start with the migration but before that keep the following things in mind:

• Make sure that the Data Migration Tool has access to the internet
• Stop all other activities in Magento 1 except order processing
• Stop Magento 1.x cron jobs, except the required ones

Magento Settings Migration

Now, navigate to the Magento 2 root directory using the SSH Terminal, and run the following command to perform Magento 1 to Magento 2 settings migration:

php bin/magento migrate:settings --reset <path to your config.xml>

In the above code, replace the <path to your config.xml> with the path of the file we created in the previous step.

Once the settings migration is done, a success message will be displayed on the screen.

Magento Data Migration

Next, you migrate all your Magento 1 data to Magento 2, such as products, categories, orders, customers, wish lists, ratings, etc., by using the following CLI command:

php bin/magento migrate:data --reset <path to your config.xml>

A success message will appear after the Magento 1 to Magento 2 data migration. In case of any error, the data migration process will be paused at the last-known-good state.

Finally, reindex all the Magento 2 indexers.

You can also turn on the incremental changes to update upcoming data and orders from Magento 1 to Magento 2 by running the following command:

bin/magento migrate:delta <path to config.xml>

Step 5: Make Required Changes to Migrated Data

After the data is migrated from Magento 1 to  Magento 2 platform, manually check all the configuration, product details, payments, sales rules, third-party extensions, and other data. 

Step 6: Launch Magento 2 Store on a Live Server

Verify everything, then move your new Magento 2 store from production to the staging site.

Follow these steps to do so:

• Put the Magento 1 store in maintenance mode
• Start Magento 2 cron jobs
• Press Ctrl + C in the Data Migration Tool window to stop incremental updates
• Re-index the Magento 2 stock indexer
• Cache the pages in Magento 2

Again, verify the Magento 2 site in staging. Then, configure the DNS to point to the Magento 2 production and make your store live.

With this, you have completed the Magento 1 and Magento 2 migrations the expert way.

Post-Migration Checklist for Magento 1 to 2 Migration

This post-migration list ensures you move into your new space with all the essential data and security in place for it to function smoothly. 

Navigation & Structure:

• Go through the entire buyer journey to understand if there are any loopholes
• Review payment integration and if they are working properly
• Check the page speed on different devices (mobile, desktop, and tablets)

Setups & Extensions:

• Check if the third-party extensions are working as expected
• Set up cron jobs for reindexing, sending emails, and more
• Add the latest security patches to lock in the store security

SEO:

• Generate and submit a new XML Sitemaps for your Magento 2 store
• Check if all the essential pages are mentioned in your Robots.txt file
• Manage URL redirects and canonical tags

You must highly focus on Magento 2 SEO after migration to reduce the chance of losing traffic and ranking on the search engine results. 

This entire migration should be done carefully. If not:

• There are high chances of missing product data
• It can cause security issues if the patches are not added correctly
• More bounce rate due to broken layout and structure

We recommend that you work with an expert if you are a non-technical Magento store owner, as one slight mistake can cost a lot of time and money.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the cost of Magento 1 to 2 migration?

The migration cost depends on your store. The cost is customized based on your store size, complexity, and other specific requirements.

How long does the migration process take?

Depending on your store data, it can take a few weeks or months. 

Is it better to hire a Magento expert for the Magento 2 migration?

Yes, as they professionally manage the complete migration without losing your data. 

Magento Experts Here to Help 

With these steps, you can carry out a Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration, but remember to take it slow if you don’t have technical depth.  

The safest way to migrate from Magento 1 to Magento 2 is to let the certified Magento experts do that for you. Our Magento 1 to Magento 2 Migration service to make a seamless upgrade now!