In short
Magento 1 has had no official security patches since June 30, 2020. To migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2 in 2026, you move the data with Adobe’s Data Migration Tool (its version must match your Magento 2 version exactly), rebuild the theme and extensions from scratch, and protect your rankings with a full 301 redirect map. If your catalog and processes are simple, moving to Shopify can be the cheaper path.
If you still run a store on Magento 1, you are six years past end of life. This guide explains how to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2 in 2026: what the Data Migration Tool does (and what it leaves to you), why the theme and extensions have to be rebuilt, how to keep your SEO intact, and when it makes more sense to leave Magento entirely.
A Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration is closer to a replatforming project than an upgrade. The database schema, the frontend stack and the extension architecture all changed. Planning for that up front saves weeks later.
Why a Magento 2 migration can’t wait any longer
Adobe ended support for all Magento 1 versions, Open Source and Commerce, on June 30, 2020. Since then, no official security patches have been released for the 1.x codebase. Any vulnerability discovered after that date stays open unless a third party patches it.
That creates three practical problems:
- Security. Checkout and admin pages are the usual targets for card-skimming scripts. An unpatched platform makes your store an easy target.
- Compliance. PCI DSS requires you to protect systems against known vulnerabilities, typically by applying vendor security patches. Running unsupported software makes that requirement hard to meet, so talk to your payment provider or QSA about your status.
- Hosting and PHP. Magento 1 was built for PHP versions that are long out of support themselves. Finding hosting, payment modules and developers for that stack gets harder every year.
The current Magento release is 2.4.9, released on May 12, 2026. Adobe’s lifecycle policy lists regular support for 2.4.9 until May 31, 2029, so a migration today gives you a supported platform for several years.
What it takes to migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2
Adobe’s own migration guide splits the work into four parts: data, extensions and custom code, themes, and customizations. Only the first one is handled by a tool.
| Component | How it moves | Typical effort |
|---|---|---|
| Data (products, customers, orders, configuration, promotions) | Data Migration Tool plus mapping files | Medium, depends on custom attributes and extension tables |
| Media files | Copied manually from media to pub/media | Low |
| Extensions and custom code | Replaced with Magento 2 versions or rewritten | High |
| Theme | Rebuilt (Luma-based or Hyvä) | High |
| SEO (URLs, redirects, metadata) | Redirect map and crawl comparison | Medium |
The Magento Data Migration Tool in 2026
The Magento Data Migration Tool is a command-line tool that transfers data from a Magento 1 database to a Magento 2 database. It checks structural consistency between the two databases, tracks progress, writes logs and runs verification tests.
Supported source versions
According to the tool’s README on GitHub, it supports migration from Magento Open Source 1.6.x to 1.9.x and Magento Commerce 1.11.x to 1.14.x.
The version-matching rule
Adobe’s install documentation is explicit: the Data Migration Tool version must match your Magento 2 version exactly. For Magento 2.4.8 you use tool version 2.4.8, and so on.
This matters for 2.4.9. At the time of writing, the latest release listed in the public GitHub repository is 2.4.8.1, and we could not find a 2.4.9 tag. Before you plan, check which versions are available to your account on repo.magento.com. If there is no 2.4.9 package, a common approach is to:
- Install Magento 2 at the latest version the tool supports.
- Run the migration and validate the data.
- Upgrade the migrated store to 2.4.9 as a separate step.
Keep in mind that the 2.4.8 and 2.4.9 release lines have different system requirements (2.4.9 lists PHP 8.5, for example), so plan both environments.
Installing the tool
From your Magento 2 root, as the file system owner:
composer config repositories.magento composer https://repo.magento.com
composer require magento/data-migration-tool:<version>Replace <version> with the exact version of your Magento 2 codebase. You will be asked for your Commerce Marketplace access keys.
The three migration modes
The tool runs in three modes, in this order:
bin/magento migrate:settings --reset vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/<edition-and-version>/config.xml
bin/magento migrate:data --reset vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/<edition-and-version>/config.xml
bin/magento migrate:delta vendor/magento/data-migration-tool/etc/<edition-and-version>/config.xml- Settings moves websites, stores and system configuration such as shipping, payment and tax settings.
- Data moves the bulk of your catalog, customers and orders. It also installs deltalog tables (prefixed
m2_cl_) and triggers in the Magento 1 database. - Delta moves only records created in Magento 1 since the last run, which lets you keep the old store live until cutover.
Two limits to plan around. Delta mode only handles data from Magento’s own modules, so third-party extension tables need their own mapping or handling. And if the tool finds structural differences that are not declared in the map files, it stops with an error instead of guessing.
A safe run order
- Install a clean Magento 2 instance and do not start its cron jobs.
- Back up the fresh Magento 2 database.
- Make sure the tool can reach both databases over the network.
- Run settings, then copy
mediatopub/media, then run data. - Test the migrated store, fix mapping issues, and re-run if needed.
- On launch day, put Magento 1 into maintenance, run delta one last time, then switch DNS.
Themes and extensions: plan a rebuild
Magento 1 themes and extensions do not run on Magento 2. The layout system, templates, JavaScript stack and module structure are all different.
Extensions. Start with an audit of every Magento 1 module. Remove what you no longer use, find Magento 2 equivalents on the Commerce Marketplace or from the original vendor, and scope custom rebuilds only for the logic that is truly unique to your business. Many Magento 1 extensions covered features that Magento 2 now ships in core.
Theme. You will build a new frontend anyway, so pick the stack deliberately. The two common choices are a Luma-based theme or Hyvä. The Hyvä Theme became free and open source in November 2025, which removed its license cost. For most new builds we recommend it because of its lighter frontend and simpler development model. Our Hyvä theme development team can scope this for you.
Custom code. Adobe published a Code Migration Toolkit years ago to help port Magento 1 code. Treat any automated output as a starting point. In practice, custom modules are usually rewritten against Magento 2’s dependency injection and service contracts.
Protecting SEO when you migrate Magento 1 to Magento 2
Rankings are lost in migrations when URLs change without redirects. Magento 2 can reuse your category and product URL keys, but URL structures often shift during a rebuild, for example when suffixes or category paths in product URLs are configured differently.
- Crawl the Magento 1 site before you touch anything. Export every indexable URL, title, meta description and canonical.
- Pull your top landing pages from Google Search Console and analytics. These need the most attention.
- Build a one-to-one 301 redirect map from old URLs to new ones. Avoid sending everything to the home page.
- Crawl the staging site and compare it against the original crawl. Check status codes, titles, canonicals and structured data.
- After launch, submit the new XML sitemap, monitor 404s in Search Console and fix gaps quickly.
Customer passwords and saved payment tokens also need a plan. Test customer login on staging and check with your payment provider how stored cards or tokens are handled.
Is Magento 2 the right target, or should you move to Shopify?
Since a Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration means rebuilding the theme and extensions anyway, it is a good moment to ask whether Magento is still the right fit.
| Choose Magento 2 if | Consider Shopify if |
|---|---|
| You have complex B2B pricing, many store views or heavy custom logic | Your catalog and checkout are fairly standard |
| You need full control over hosting, data and code | You prefer a hosted platform with no server management |
| You have, or can hire, Magento development capacity | Your team is small and wants to focus on marketing and operations |
We handle both directions. Our Magento migration servicePlatform moves to Shopify or WooCommerce are a separate service; see our migration page. For a Magento 2 build, see our Magento development services.
Frequently asked questions
Can I still use the Data Migration Tool with Magento 2.4.9?
The tool’s version must match your Magento 2 version exactly. At the time of writing, the latest public GitHub release is 2.4.8.1. Check repo.magento.com for a 2.4.9 package. If none is available, migrate onto the matching 2.4.8 version and then upgrade to 2.4.9.
Does the tool migrate images and media?
No. Adobe’s migration plan tells you to copy files manually from the Magento 1 media directory to pub/media in Magento 2.
Will my Magento 1 extensions work on Magento 2?
No. Magento 1 extensions are not compatible with Magento 2. You need a Magento 2 version from the vendor, a Marketplace alternative, core functionality, or a custom rebuild.
How long does a Magento 1 to Magento 2 migration take?
It depends mainly on the number of custom extensions, the theme scope and the data quality. A store with a standard catalog and few customizations moves much faster than one with years of custom code. A free audit is the quickest way to get a realistic estimate.
Still on Magento 1?
We will review your store, extensions and SEO footprint and tell you whether Magento 2 or Shopify is the better move, with a clear scope.
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