Divi 4 to Divi 5 Migration Guide

Use Respira’s Divi 5 readiness toolkit to scan your site for layout patterns, legacy modules, and risk areas.

• Divi 5 Migration Readiness Report
• Divi 5 Migration Copilot
• Divi 5 Migration Prompt Pack

Respira reads representative pages, identifies et_pb_* shortcode usage, and highlights where Divi 5 and compatibility mode are most likely to matter.

Checklist:

• Run a readiness scan on a sample of high-traffic pages
• List pages that rely heavily on custom layouts or dynamic content
• Flag any templates that control critical funnels like checkout or lead gen

Third party modules and custom integrations often decide how much you can rely on Divi 5’s Backward Compatibility Mode.

Checklist:

• Inventory plugins that add Divi modules or custom Divi extensions
• Note modules that render via et_pb_* shortcodes in your content
• Check each vendor’s Divi 5 support status in their docs or changelog
• Use Respira Copilot to search your content for module shortcodes that look custom or uncommon

If a third party module is not yet Divi 5 native, assume Divi 5 will load it in compatibility mode and plan to test those pages carefully.

Treat Divi 5 as a new major version. You want a clean staging environment and a fast way back if something fails.

Checklist:

• Create or confirm a WordPress staging site with the same PHP version, theme, and plugin set as production

• Confirm you can push staging to production safely with your host or deployment process

• Decide whether you will:

  • Clone production to staging, migrate on staging, then push
  • Run Divi 5 on a separate sandbox site for early exploration

• Document how you will roll back:

  • Host-level backup restore
  • Git or file system rollback
  • Database snapshots

Use Respira’s duplicate-before-edit workflow on staging so Copilot always edits safe copies, not your live production pages.

Backups and clear communication keep your team and clients calm during the migration window.

Checklist:

• Schedule a full site backup (files and database) right before migration on staging
• Schedule an additional backup right before you push staging to production
• Confirm how long restores typically take with your host
• Let internal stakeholders and clients know:
  • When migration testing happens on staging
  • When you plan to push to production
  • How you will monitor and fix regressions

Use Respira Copilot to draft internal runbooks and client-facing emails that explain the plan in clear, non-technical language.

Divi’s Migrator is the tool that converts content from et_pb_* shortcodes to divi/* blocks. Respira does not perform this conversion.

Numbered sequence:

1. Make a fresh copy of production to staging.
2. Take a full backup of staging (files and database).
3. Update Divi to Divi 5 on staging following Elegant Themes guidance.
4. Run Divi’s Migrator on staging.
5. Record which site areas migrate cleanly and which fall back to compatibility mode.

Checklist:

• Confirm Divi 5 is active only on staging, not production
• Run Migrator and wait for it to complete without errors
• Capture logs or screenshots in case you need to review later
• Use Respira to compare pre- and post-migration HTML for a few key pages

A good sign is that most layouts convert to divi/* blocks with no visible breakage in the front end.

Divi 5 provides Backward Compatibility Mode so pages that still depend on et_pb_* shortcodes and legacy modules can keep rendering.

Compatibility mode has trade offs:

• Divi may load extra scripts and CSS to support legacy modules, which can affect performance.
• Some editing experiences feel different between native divi/* blocks and legacy layouts.
• Certain new Divi 5 features may not apply cleanly to legacy content until you modernize it.

Checklist:

• Identify pages still using legacy modules after Migrator runs
• Mark them as "compatibility mode" in your migration spreadsheet
• Use Respira’s readiness and Copilot prompts to:
  • List where compatibility mode is active
  • Propose a plan to replace legacy modules with native Divi 5 equivalents

Once staging looks stable, repeat the same process for production: backup, update Divi, run Migrator, then spot-check critical pages.

Use a consistent QA pass so you do not miss issues on important templates and flows.

Numbered sequence:

1. List priority page types: home, key landing pages, product or service pages, blog templates, checkout, login.
2. For each type, open staging and production side by side in two browser windows.
3. Compare layout, forms, navigation, and any dynamic content.
4. Record every visual or functional regression, even if it looks minor.

Checklist:

• Layout alignment and spacing looks consistent
• Forms submit correctly and send notifications or feed CRMs
• Menus, search, and footers behave as expected
• Animations and interactions still trigger correctly
• Performance is at least as good as before, especially on mobile

Respira Copilot can generate customized QA checklists per template and log findings into a structured document you can share with your team.

Treat each regression as a small, tracked change. Combine Respira’s duplicate-before-edit workflow with Divi 5 aware prompts.

Checklist:

• Use Respira to:

  • Duplicate affected pages or templates before editing
  • Extract Divi builder content for inspection
  • Suggest targeted fixes that respect Divi 5 structures and modules

• When a page is in compatibility mode:

  • Decide if a small CSS tweak is enough
  • Or whether you should rebuild the section using native divi/* blocks

• After each fix:

  • Re-run a quick visual and functional check
  • Note whether the page still relies on compatibility mode

Aim to keep fixes narrow and reversible. If a change causes new issues, use your backups or Respira’s audit history to roll back.

Once everything is stable, start replacing legacy layouts with native Divi 5 blocks where it makes business sense.

Checklist:

• Rank pages by business value:

  • Revenue (checkout, pricing, product)
  • Lead capture (contact, demo, quote)
  • SEO value (top organic landing pages)

• For each high-value page:

  • Use Respira to analyze the current layout and traffic role
  • Plan a Divi 5 native layout that removes or reduces et_pb_* dependencies
  • Rebuild sections using Divi 5 modules where safe
  • Keep a snapshot of the previous version for quick rollback

• Monitor metrics after modernization:

  • Conversion rate or form submissions
  • Core Web Vitals and performance
  • Time on page and bounce rate

This staged modernization path lets you benefit from Divi 5 features and performance while keeping risk tightly controlled.