Import from YouTube to WordPress

Publish your videos previously uploaded to YouTube directly to your WordPress.com site using our VideoPress player. This guide will walk you through importing your YouTube videos to your WordPress.com Media Library.

In this guide

1. Step 1: Export Videos from YouTube
2. Step 2: Wait for the Export File
3. Step 3: Import Videos to the WordPress Media Library
4. Step 4: Edit Your Videos
5. Step 5: Add Imported Videos to your Site

This feature is available on sites with the WordPress.com Explorer, Creator, and Entrepreneur plans. For sites on the free or Starter plan, upgrade your plan to access this feature.

Step 1: Export Videos from YouTube

You can export your YouTube videos from Google’s data transfer page following the steps below:

1. Log into your Google or YouTube account and visit https://takeout.google.com.
2. Next to Products, click the “Deselect all” link to unselect all of the export options.

Deselect all in order to select just your YouTube content

3. Scroll down the list of data to the “YouTube and YouTube Music” section and tick the box to select that data to be exported.
4. Click the “Next Step” button:

Check the box next to YouTube and click Next Step

5. Next, you’ll choose your export options. We recommend the following settings:
   • Destination: Send download link via email (default).
   • Frequency: Export Once (default).
   • File type & size: zip (default).
   • File size: 10 or 50 GB, depending on the number of videos you are downloading.
6. Click “Create export“.

Step 2: Wait for the Export File

Once the export is complete, you will receive an email with a link to download the YouTube export. Generating the file can take hours or days, depending on the file size.

Once you receive the email:

1. Download the zip file and note where the file was saved on your computer.
2. Locate the zip file on your computer and double-click to uncompress the videos.

The videos will now be in a subfolder in the same directory as the saved zip file. Look for Takeout → YouTube and YouTube Music → Videos. You will need access to this folder for the next step.

Step 3: Import Videos to the WordPress Media Library

Next, you will upload the videos from the directory to your WordPress Media Library:

1. Visit your WordPress.com dashboard.
2. Navigate to Media and click the “Add New” button.
3. Navigate to the folder you extracted from the email in the previous step.
4. Select the videos you want to upload to your Media Library and click Open to start the upload.

You can multi-select files by holding down the cmd (Mac) or ctrl (PC) keys while clicking on the files. We recommend adding videos in groups of 10 or less so you don’t overwhelm your browser or internet connection.

The videos will be immediately uploaded to your Media Library and converted using VideoPress for optimal playback on your site.

Step 4: Edit Your Videos

Now that you have uploaded your YouTube videos to your WordPress site, you can edit the video settings, including the title, caption, description, sharing, and privacy settings:

1. Visit your WordPress.com Dashboard.
2. Navigate to Media and click the video you want to edit.
3. If you’re using the Default View, click the “Edit” button. If you’re using WP-Admin, clicking the video will open the video editor automatically.

Editing the thumbnail allows you to select a frame from the video or upload a specific image. Scroll down on the right to find additional options for Sharing, Privacy, Download options, and details about the video.

Step 5: Add Imported Videos to your Site

Now that you have imported your videos to the WordPress site, you’re all set to add them to your content by using the Video block or as a background to a Cover block.