# What to know before moving Content Central to a new server

The five decisions and preparations that determine whether your server move is a smooth afternoon or a long weekend — read this before touching anything.

Product: content-central · Versions: 7.x · Audience: system-administrator · Time: 10 minute read · Last verified: 2026-08-30

Canonical: https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/before-you-move-content-central

**When you finish this page, you'll know exactly what has to move, the one decision that controls how hard the move is, and what to prepare so migration day has no surprises.** The move itself is covered step-by-step in [How to move Content Central to a new server](/content-central/administration/move-content-central-to-a-new-server).

## What actually moves

A Content Central installation is four things, not one. All four move together — a database that doesn't match its files causes missing-document errors that are painful to untangle.

| What | Where it lives | How it moves |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **SQL database** | SQL Server | A `.bak` backup file, restored on the new server |
| **Document files** | Your storage folders (default: `C:\ProgramData\Ademero\Content Central\`) | You copy them — this is usually the longest part |
| **Search indexes** | One folder per catalog under `...\System\Indexes\` | Copied with the files; re-pointed or rebuilt after |
| **Configuration** | `C:\ProgramData\Ademero\Content Central\` | Recreated by a fresh install; the Migration Assistant checks the rest |

And two things that **cannot move** and get recreated on the new machine:

- **Your license activation.** It's tied to the old server's hardware. After every migration the license shows a warning until you re-activate — this is expected, not a problem.
- **Server-specific web settings** (only relevant if your organization uses single sign-on — your IT team will know).

## The one decision that matters most: keep the same folder paths

Content Central stores the **exact folder path** of every document — if your documents lived in `E:\CCDocuments` on the old server, the database says `E:\CCDocuments` thousands of times.

> **IMPORTANT:** If you copy your folders to the **identical paths** on the new server (same drive letter, same folder names), the migration skips its two hardest phases entirely and your search indexes stay valid with no rebuild. Same paths = a much shorter, simpler move.

Different paths are fully supported — the Migration Assistant rewrites every stored path and rebuilds the search indexes for you — but that costs two extra stages and a full re-index of every catalog (minutes to hours, depending on how many documents you have). Change paths only when you have a real reason, like a different drive layout on the new server.

## Prepare these before migration day

- [ ] **A new Windows server with IIS installed**, and SQL Server the **same version or newer** than the old server (an older SQL version cannot restore the backup).
- [ ] **Know your current Content Central version** — in Content Central, go to **Admin > About**. You do **not** need to install that same version on the new server: install the **current stable release** there, and the Migration Assistant restores your older database onto it (one extra **Create/Update Database** click in the Configuration Manager brings the database up to date). If you're coming from a version before 7.8, skim the "older version" sections of [Upgrade Content Central](/content-central/administration/upgrade-content-central) so the one-time activation doesn't surprise you.
- [ ] **Know where your documents live.** If you're not sure whether previous admins relocated storage off the default location, check before migration day — surprise folders discovered mid-move are the #1 cause of long migrations.
- [ ] **A maintenance window.** The safest move happens with Content Central stopped, so users aren't adding documents to a server you've already backed up. For most systems an evening is plenty; very large document stores need time for the file copy — test-copy a sample to estimate.
- [ ] **Your license key**, for re-activating on the new server.
- [ ] **Outbound internet access from the new server**, so the license can activate — if your servers sit behind a restrictive firewall, ask Ademero support for the current allow-list requirements ahead of time.
- [ ] **The Migration Assistant installer** (provided by Ademero support) on the new server.

## The golden rule: keep the old server intact

> **WARNING:** Do not uninstall or wipe the old server after the move. Stop its Content Central services and website, and leave everything in place until the new server has run through at least one full business week — including scheduled workflows and capture jobs. The old server is your rollback plan; two live servers, however, will corrupt each other's view of the data. Stopped and intact is the only safe state.

## What's next

- [How to move Content Central to a new server](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/move-content-central-to-a-new-server)
- [Back up your Content Central database](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/back-up-your-content-central-database)
- [Troubleshooting a Content Central migration](https://help.ademero.com/content-central/administration/troubleshooting-a-content-central-migration)