Better Search Replace Plugin Tutorial (2025 Guide)

When managing your WordPress site, making small changes usually doesn’t cause a big problem. However, when you need to update multiple elements at once, the Better Search Replace plugin is a must-have. This plugin helps you search and replace content on WordPress efficiently and quickly, saving you a lot of time and effort.

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Need to quickly update links, text, or URLs across your entire WordPress site? The Better Search Replace plugin makes it easy — without requiring advanced SQL skills.

In this tutorial by Thememin (https://thememin.com), we’ll walk you through how to use Better Search Replace to safely perform bulk updates in your WordPress database.

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🔍 What is Better Search Replace?

Better Search Replace is a free plugin developed by WP Engine (formerly Delicious Brains). It allows you to run a search and replace operation directly within your WordPress dashboard — perfect for fixing broken links, replacing old domain names, or migrating content.

Common Use Cases:

• Replacing http with https across your content
• Changing old URLs after a domain change
• Fixing hardcoded paths in page builders
• Updating image links, shortcodes, or embed codes

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🔧 How to Use Better Search Replace (Step-by-Step)

Step 1: Install the Plugin

1. Go to Plugins > Add New in your WordPress dashboard
2. Search for “Better Search Replace”
3. Click Install Now, then Activate

Step 2: Open the Plugin Interface

Go to Tools > Better Search Replace to open the interface.

Step 3: Configure Your Search & Replace

• In the Search for field, enter the old text (e.g., http://oldsite.com)
• In the Replace with field, enter the new text (e.g., https://newsite.com)
• Select the tables you want to scan (usually all tables, especially wp_posts, wp_postmeta, and wp_options)
• Check the box Run as dry run? if you want to test it first (recommended)

Step 4: Run the Operation

• Click Run Search/Replace
• If doing a dry run, review the results (number of affected rows)
• Uncheck dry run and run it again to apply the changes

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⚠️ Important Notes Before Running

• Always back up your database before running a real operation
• Avoid replacing serialized data incorrectly, as it can break widgets and options
• The plugin automatically handles serialized data properly in most cases
• On large sites, it may time out — use WP-CLI or run in smaller chunks if needed

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💡 Pro Tips from Thememin

• Use the dry run feature every time — it’s your safety net
• Run search/replace in maintenance mode to prevent live user disruption
• Double-check all inputs — especially when changing domain URLs

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🏁 Final Thoughts

The Better Search Replace plugin is one of the most powerful tools for any WordPress site owner or developer. Whether you’re rebranding, migrating, or fixing site-wide issues, this plugin gets the job done — fast and safe.

At Thememin, we recommend it as a go-to tool for database cleanups and seamless transitions.