How to Export Import WordPress Posts and Articles from Your Site to Others?

Last updated - February 23, 2024

WordPress is an excellent CMS for blogging and creating websites. The platform allows you to export import WordPress posts and articles from one website to another. Generally, this feature is useful when you want to merge two WordPress sites, change the domain name for any reason, or manually migrate a website to WP Engine. Also, this process is extremely simple and requires no technical prowess to make the shift.

The built-in feature to import/export WordPress helps easily sync new posts and blogs without needing to re-import the entire database. Thus reducing the hassle involved in the whole process. While exporting, you will not create duplicate pages rather the posts/pages will be created as a new one.

Import and export WordPress articles through a straightforward process under three scenarios using the WordPress dashboard. You can either transfer content from Hosted WordPress to another Hosted WordPress, wordpress.com to Hosted WordPress, or Hosted WordPress to wordpress.com.

Let us go through a step-by-step guide to creating a backup for your WordPress content:

Table of Contents

Export Import WordPress Posts by Following Simple Steps

Before you import the content, it is a better idea to understand the process of exporting your website articles and posts. So let us dive deeper into the entire process.

Steps to Export WordPress Articles

To export the posts and articles follow the steps mentioned below,

Step 1: Log in to Your WordPress Dashboard

Access your WordPress site and log in to your website’s admin dashboard.

Step 2: Navigate to the Export Tool

In the dashboard, go to the Tools section and then select Export.

Tools>Export

Step 3: Choose the Type of Content to Export

In the Export screen, you’ll see different options for what to export. You can choose from Posts, Pages, Media, or all content at once.

You can also export these content pieces in bulk by selecting a category, date range, specific author, and even the status of the article.

Step 4: Finally, download the Export File

Once you click on the “Download Export File” button, the system will generate an XML file for the content you selected. The extension of the exported file will be .xml

NOTE: With an XML file you can only export text-based data up to 2 MB in a go. The export file will not include media files but only links, even if you choose media as a content type.

Hence, it is advisable to export your WordPress content at fixed intervals for better backup. Also, if there are multiple images within the file, then it will take even longer to export.

Create an Import for Your WordPress Posts

To import the posts and articles follow the steps mentioned below,

Step 1: Log in to the WordPress Dashboard on the Target Site

Step 2: From the Tools section, navigate Import option

In the dashboard, go to Tools>Import

Step 3: Choose from a list of Systems

Now, as you won’t find an import plugin on the dashboard, a notification will pop up suggesting multiple options to install from.

Once you have decided on the system, click on ‘Install Now’ and then ‘Run Importer’. You will get a pop-up like the one below,

Step 4: Upload an Export File with .xml format

Select the export file that you downloaded earlier in the post.

Step 5: Choose an Author as an optional feature

Map the author in case the authors on the source site are different from those on the target site.

Step 6: Submit to import the file

Click on the “Submit” button to start the import process.

Step 7: Review the Import and Finish

The importer will display a summary of the imported content. You can then review the information and click on the “Finish” button to complete the process.

Once the process is over, a success message will be displayed, saying “All done”. Now, you can import another file as you please.

NOTE: If your file will be larger than 2 MB then the import will not be completed and will be disrupted with an error message. Hence, it is advisable to import the WordPress files at regular intervals.

Conclusion

That’s it! You should by now have the information to be able to transfer your website to a new target site. Keep in mind that the process to export import WordPress posts may vary slightly depending on the versions of WordPress or specific plugins you are using. Always back up your content before performing imports or exports to prevent data loss. For more such informative posts stay connected with LearnWoo and grow faster.

Check out the video below for an interactive demo of the entire process.