Back to Support Move Your Site Import from Tumblr

Import from Tumblr

Are you making the switch from Tumblr to WordPress.com? This page explains how to import your Tumblr blog content to a WordPress.com site.

Step One: Run the Importer

From your WordPress.com dashboard go to Tools → Import:

Click Choose from full list. Under Tumblr, click Run Importer. You may need to click Install Now first.

The Tumblr importer option, with the 'Run Importer' link shown.

Step Two: Authenticate with Tumblr

Click the “Connect to Tumblr to begin” button:

Connect to Tumblr to begin button

You will then be directed to your Tumblr account to connect it to WordPress.com. Click Allow as shown in the image below:

The permissions screen to connect Tumblr to your WordPress.com account, with the 'Allow' button in green.

Once you click Allow, your Tumblr account and WordPress.com account will be connected.

Step Three: Import Your Content

The importer will then fetch a list of your Tumblr blogs and let you pick which one to import. Click Import this blog next to the Tumblr blog you wish to import.

A Tumblr blog is listed, with the Import This Blog button on the right.

Once you start the import, progress will be shown on the import page and you’ll receive an email when the import is finished.

We try to ensure that all of your Tumblr content, including your videos, is imported into your WordPress.com site. Videos you had uploaded to Tumblr are imported into VideoPress and other embeds are converted to use shortcodes.

Sometimes the importer finds an embed it can’t convert. A list of these is included in the import completion email for you to check.

If your Tumblr site has a custom domain (like yourgroovydomain.com instead of automattic.tumblr.com), then you’ll need to disable the custom domain temporarily while the import is processed. You can do this on Tumblr by clicking on the Settings button, choosing the blog you’d like to update, then toggling the “Use a custom domain” marker to the off position:

The 'Use a custom domain' option is circled in red.

Then you’ll want to set up Domain Connection on your WordPress.com site so that your readers can use the same domain to reach your site as before.

Step Four: Start Using WordPress.com

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