Import a Site’s Content

If you want to move content to WordPress.com from another WordPress site (either WordPress.com or a WordPress.org site), use the Import Content option. This option will import a copy of your pages, posts, and media to your new WordPress.com site, but not plugins, the theme, or other design elements.

In this guide

1. Import the Content
2. Wait for Media Files
3. After Importing

Import the Content

To import content from another WordPress site, follow the steps below. This option will not delete or overwrite your site’s current content.

Select the appropriate tab for your admin interface style:

Default ViewWP-Admin

1. First, export your site’s content by going to Tools → Export. Learn more in our Export Your Website’s Content guide.
2. Visit the dashboard of the new site you’re importing to.
   • To create a new site in your account, create a new site here.
3. Navigate to Tools → Import and select the “WordPress” option.
4. Under “What WordPress site do you want to import?”, click the link that says “upload it to import content.”

5. Drag your .xml or .zip file into the box, or click the box to select the file from your computer:

6. Wait a few moments for the file to finish uploading.
7. You’ll be asked to reassign the authors of the imported items to an existing user on the new site. Choose your username here.
   • If you’re importing content from a site with multiple admins, authors, or other users, you can streamline the import process by adding those user accounts to your new site before importing.
8. Click the “Start Import” button.

For large sites, the import process may take some time. You can safely navigate away from the import screen. We’ll send you a notification and an email when the import has been completed.

1. First, export your site’s content by going to Tools → Export. Learn more in our Export Your Website’s Content guide.
2. Visit the WP-Admin dashboard of the new site you’re importing to.
   • To create a new site in your account, create a new site here.
3. Navigate to Tools → Import.
4. Under “WordPress” click the “Install Now” link.
5. Wait a few moments and click “Run Importer” when it appears.
6. Click “Choose file” and select your .xml or .zip file from your computer.
7. Click the “Upload file and import” button.
8. You may be asked to reassign the authors of the imported items to an existing user on the new site. Choose your username here.
   • If you’re importing content from a site with multiple admins, authors, or other users, you can streamline the import process by adding those user accounts to your new site before importing.

Wait for Media Files

An XML import will move your images and other media. However, XML files contain no actual images or media files. They contain links to those files, which will be uploaded to the new site after you import the XML file by following the steps above.

For this reason, the site you exported from must remain publicly accessible until all images are present on your new site. You’ll know when all images have been copied over when the number of items in Media is the same on the new site as what you had on the original site.

After Importing

After completing a content import, you might want to do any of the following:

• Review the pages and posts that have been imported to your new site.
• Add a domain to your site.
• Choose a new theme for your site.
• Upgrade to a paid plan for more benefits.