How do I Change My Servers Region?

Can I change my server region?

VPS and VDS without additional SSDs can be moved to a different Region upon request. You can start this process in your Customer Control Panel. You can learn about regions available on the Contabo website here before moving your server. 


It is not possible to change the location of a dedicated server as it's location bound to the Contabo data center it was originally purchased in.


Are there any region and location fees? 

For some Regions there is a Location Fee which you can be seen in this overview on the Contabo website. It is worth keeping this in mind before changing your region so you're prepared for any change in costs.


What methods can I use to change my servers region?

There are two ways you can use to change your servers region which you find detailed below:


New Deployment:
Using the new deployment method all data of your current instance will be deleted and a new instance with a new IP address will be created in a desired Region. This method is free of charge.


Live Migration:
In this case, Contabo will migrate your server including all server data to the desired Region. Your server will stay online during the data transfer. The duration of a Migration depends on the amount of data which needs to be transferred and some other technical conditions. It is not possible to give an exact estimation of how long this process will take.


After the completion of data transfer the server needs to be rebooted and reconfigured. During that downtime Contabo will reconfigure the main IP address of the server.

There is an one-time service charge of €33.00 / $38.50 / £33.00 plus VAT (where applicable) for the migration since there is some manual effort on our end required.


How can I move my server to a different region?

  1. Log in to the Customer Control Panel.
  2. Click "Your services" from the blue "control panel" section on the left hand side of the page.
  3. Click the blue "Manage" button next to the server you would like move.
  4. Click "Move to other Region" and a window will pop up.
  5. Choose the region you would like to move your server to from the available list and click the "OK" button.
  6. Click either the "Live Migration" or "New Deployment" button and then click OK. The different between the two options is explained in the section above.
  7. You will then be given details on the price of this process based on the options you have selected. If you're happy with these click "Yes" and then click the "OK" button.
  8. Confirm the order and you will then be updated on the progress of this move by the


Will my IP address change after migrating my server to a new region?

The main IPv4 address of your server must be changed to a completely different one.

In most cases Contabo will undertake this task to make sure you can reach the server over the new IPv4 address. In some cases, however, it might be necessary for you to configure the new IP address yourself via VNC once the migration is completed.


The VNC address of your server must be changed. Contabo will undertake this task to make sure you can reach your server over the new VNC address.


Also, all of your additional IPv4 addresses and all IPv6 addresses will be replaced. Contabo will not undertake the configuration work for these IP addresses.


Contabo will tell you all new IP addresses right after the Migration.


The PTR record of the main IPv4 address will be set automatically. The configuration of PTR records for additional IPv4 and all IPv6 addresses is up to you.


Additional configuration for certain services after moving to a different Region:

It will be necessary to adapt the DNS configuration of domains; Contabo will update DNS records on the Contabo name servers, while you will have to update DNS records on other name servers.


You would have to reconfigure all additional IP addresses. Any other service using your IP address statically also needs to be reconfigured.


Procedure for additional Add-Ons:

If you have a Backup-Space Add-On: Data on it will not be available at the new Location. Contabo will delete the Backup Space at the old Location and create a new and empty Backup Space at the new Location. If required, you should temporarily move and store all data elsewhere (not on the Backup Space and not on the server).


If you have a Full-Monitoring Add-On: The monitored IP will be updated automatically.


If you have a Floating-IP Add-On: Floating IP addresses will not work across Locations.


Any other previous benefits such as a free location will also be lost when the region is changed.

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Modified on 15 Mar 2024

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