Moving wordpress to root folder = internal server error

Question

I moved my Wordpress contents to the root folder. (I read somewhere that moving the wordpress installation can be done by simply moving the directory contents.) It works almost fine, with the notable exception of being unable to run the administration. It tries to find it in the original subdirectory, then (not finding it) throws "internal server error".

Do I need to change an item in the database or something?

Answer 1

You should look at the Codex (a great place to find answers) for information about moving a WordPress site. See https://codex.wordpress.org/Moving_WordPress . Follow those steps.

You'll find (among your tasks) that you need to change the two URL entries in the wp-options table (which you already discovered), and then do a search/replace to change the old URL to the new URL. (Media, for example, stores the complete URL in the item's database entry.)

I use the "Better Search and Replace" plugin to do that, but there are other options.

You may also need to look at your htaccess file when you are done. And, of course, make a backup of your database.