How to Export Your Entire WordPress Site

Looking to move your WordPress site, create a backup, or export only selected content? The first step is knowing what type of export you actually need.

In WordPress, “exporting a site” can mean two different things. You may only want to export your posts, pages, comments, categories, and tags. Or you may want to export the entire website, including your database, media files, themes, plugins, and settings.

The method you choose depends on your goal. If you only need content, the built-in WordPress export tool is enough. But if you are moving your full site to a new host, creating a backup, or setting up a staging site, you need a full-site export method.

In this guide, we’ll explain how to export a WordPress site using different methods and help you choose the right one for your website.

Before exporting your site, it is important to understand what WordPress export actually includes. The term “export” can mean different things depending on the method you choose.

For example, the built-in WordPress export tool only exports your site content, such as posts, pages, comments, categories, and tags. It may also include media references, but it does not create a complete copy of your media library. The export file is downloaded in XML format and can be imported into another WordPress site. This method is useful when you want to move content from one WordPress site to another.

However, exporting content is not the same as exporting your full website.

A complete WordPress site export should include your:

• WordPress database
• ThemesPlugins
• Media files
• Uploads folder
• Site settings
• Plugin settings
• Theme customizations
• WooCommerce data, if you run an online store

Export method	Best for	Exports content	Exports media	Exports database	Exports themes and plugins	Beginner-friendly
WordPress built-in export	Exporting posts, pages, and selected content	Yes	Partial	No	No	Yes
Migration plugin	Full-site backup, migration, or staging	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Hosting backup tool	Full-site backup from hosting dashboard	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Usually
Manual FTP + phpMyAdmin	Manual full-site export	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
WordPress.com export tool	Moving from WordPress.com to WordPress.org	Yes	Partial/Separate	No	No	Yes

There are several situations where exporting your WordPress site becomes necessary.

1. Moving to a New Hosting Provider

This is one of the most common reasons to export a WordPress site.

If you are switching to a new web host, you need a complete copy of your website. This includes your files, database, themes, plugins, uploads, and settings.

The built-in WordPress export tool is not enough for this because it only exports your content. Your theme design, plugin settings, media files, and database structure will not be fully transferred.

For host-to-host migration, a full-site export method is the safer option.

2. Creating a Backup Before Major Changes

Making big changes to your site, like updating WordPress, switching themes, or installing new plugins, can sometimes break things.

Creating an export before you make those changes gives you a restore point you can fall back on if something goes wrong.

Think of it as a checkpoint. You know your site is working fine right now, so you save that version before trying anything new.

3. Setting Up a Staging Site

A staging site is a copy of your live website where you can safely test changes without affecting real visitors.

To make staging useful, it needs to be an exact copy of your live site. That means the same content, database, theme, plugins, and settings.

The easiest way to do this is to export your full site and import it into a staging environment, either on a subdomain, another server, or a local setup.

4. Moving From WordPress.com to WordPress.org

If you are moving from WordPress.com to a self-hosted WordPress.org site, exporting your content is part of the migration process.

WordPress.com lets you export your posts, pages, comments, categories, tags, and media-related content. However, your full design setup, plugins, and some site settings may not move exactly as they are.

After importing your content into WordPress.org, you may need to set up your theme, plugins, menus, widgets, and settings again.

5. Exporting Specific Content

Not every export needs to include the entire site.

Sometimes, you may only want to export:

• Blog posts
• Pages
• A specific category
• Content by a specific author
• Content from a specific date range
• Custom post types

For this, the built-in WordPress export tool is usually enough.

6. Exporting a WooCommerce Store

If your WordPress site runs WooCommerce, exporting becomes more sensitive.

A WooCommerce store includes important data such as products, orders, customers, coupons, subscriptions, payments, shipping settings, tax settings, and product images.

For a complete WooCommerce migration or backup, you should use a full-site export method. If you only need specific store data, such as products or orders, you can use a dedicated WooCommerce import export plugin.

The right export method depends on your situation. Here’s a quick way to match your use case with the best approach:

Your Goal	Recommended method
Export only posts and pages	Built-in WordPress export tool
Move full site to a new host	Migration plugin or hosting backup tool
Create a full website backup	Migration plugin
Set up a staging site	Migration plugin
Export a large site manually	FTP/SFTP + phpMyAdmin
Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org	WordPress.com export tool + manual setup
Export a WooCommerce store	Full-site export or WooCommerce-specific export plugin
Export selected content	Built-in WordPress export tool

If you’re unsure, a good rule of thumb is this:

If you need your entire website, go with a full-site method. If you only need content, the built-in export tool is usually enough.

WordPress comes with a default export tool that lets you export site content without installing a plugin.

This method is best when you want to export posts, pages, comments, categories, tags, navigation menus, custom fields, or custom post types.

Steps to Export WordPress Content

• Go to the WordPress admin panel.
• Navigate to Tools > Export.
• Choose what you want to export.
• Select All content if you want to export posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, navigation menus, and custom post types.

• Click on Download Export File.

WordPress will download an XML file to your computer.

You can later import this file into another WordPress site using the WordPress importer tool.

What This Method Is Good For

Use this method if you want to:

• Move blog content to another WordPress site
• Export only selected content
• Archive posts or pages
• Transfer content without moving the full website

What This Method Does Not Include

This method does not fully include:

• Themes
• Plugins
• Plugin settings
• Theme settings
• Complete media library files
• WordPress database
• WooCommerce order data
• Full site configuration

If you need those, use a full-site export method.

A migration plugin is the easiest option if you want to export your entire WordPress site.

Unlike the built-in export tool, a migration plugin can export your database, media files, themes, plugins, uploads, and other important site files.

This method is ideal for beginners because you do not have to manually download files or export the database separately.

Exporting With the WebToffee WordPress Backup and Migration Plugin

The WordPress Backup and Migration plugin by WebToffee helps you back up and migrate your WordPress website with minimal effort.

You can use it to export your:

• WordPress database
• Media files
• Themes
• Plugins
• Uploads
• Site files

The plugin also supports manual one-click backups and scheduled backups.

Steps to Export Your Site Using the Plugin

1. Install and activate the WordPress Backup and Migration plugin.
2. From your WordPress dashboard, go to WordPress Migration > Backup & Migration.

As you can see in the screenshot above, the plugin supports both manual one-click export and scheduled export for your WordPress site. 

One-Click Export

Upon clicking the ‘Backup Now’ button, all your WordPress files and database will be exported as a zip file that you can download to keep offline.

However, if you only need to export the selected content and want to store it in a third-party location, you can configure this using the plugin under the Configuration options.

Configuration Options

For more control over your export, the plugin offers configuration settings that let you:

• Select specific content to export
• Choose a backup destination
• Adjust export speed based on your server’s performance

Let’s explore each option in more detail:

What to Back Up

By default, both the WordPress files and the database are selected for export. You can customize this by:

• Deselecting either option if you don’t want to export both
• Choosing specific folders or files for export:
  • A folder list appears on the right-hand side
  • Click a folder to expand it and select individual files to include in the export

Where to Back Up

You can store the exported backup locally or send it to a third-party storage location.

This section lets you choose the export location for your WordPress website content. Other than local storage, which is the default export location, you can export to third-party storage platforms such as:

• Google Drive
• Amazon S3
• FTP/SFTP

The content will be exported to the chosen location. For authentication and connection purposes of the third-party services, you can visit the settings section of the plugin from the WordPress sidebar.

Advanced Options

This section is for advanced users who understand their server’s performance and can adjust the data processed per request. If you have a high-performing server, you can increase the amount of data and the number of database records accordingly. This will speed up the export process. If you are not, you can leave it to the default values. 

Once you are done with all the configurations, click the export/backup button to complete the export. 

Schedule Automatic Exports

If you want to create backups regularly, you can schedule automatic exports.

Scheduled backups are useful when:

• You publish content frequently
• You run an online store
• You update plugins often
• You want a regular restore point
• You manage client websites

Instead of manually exporting your site every time, scheduled backups help you keep recent copies of your site ready.

When to Use This Method

Use a migration plugin if you want to:

• Move your site to a new host
• Create a full backup
• Set up a staging site
• Save backups to cloud storage
• Avoid manual FTP and database export
• Reduce the risk of missing important files

For more details, refer to WordPress Backup & Migration – User Guide.

Manual export gives you full control over your site files and database. However, it requires more technical effort.

This method involves two main steps:

1. Downloading your WordPress files using FTP or SFTP
2. Exporting your WordPress database using phpMyAdmin

Step 1: Connect to Your Server via FTP

To get started, you’ll need:

• An FTP client (we’re using FileZilla in this example)
• Your FTP credentials (host, username, password, and port), which are typically available in your hosting account

Steps:

1. Open FileZilla.
2. Enter the FTP credentials in the top input bar.
3. Click Quickconnect.
4. Once connected, you’ll see folders appear on the right-hand side of the interface (server view).

Step 2: Locate and Export Your Site Files

1. Locate the site’s root folder. Generally labeled as public_html (or as site’s domain name). All your site’s files are stored here.
2. Drag and drop the required folders or files from the right (server) to the left (your local computer) to complete the download.

Exporting WordPress Plugins, Themes, And Media Files

To export, all your plugins, themes, and media files:

• Drag and drop wp-content. All the required data will get downloaded.

To migrate or back up the entire site:

• Highlight everything in the public_html directory.
• Drag the same to your local computer.

All your site’s files will get exported.

Step 3: Export Your WordPress Database Using phpMyAdmin

To complete your site export, you’ll need to download the WordPress database via phpMyAdmin. Here’s how:

1. Log in to phpMyAdmin from your hosting control panel (like cPanel or Plesk).
2. In the left sidebar, select your WordPress database.
3. Click on the Export tab at the top.
4. Select the export method: Quick or Custom
5. Set the format to SQL.
6. Click Go to download the database file to your computer.

When to Use This Method

Manual export is useful when:

• Your site is very large
• A plugin export fails
• You want full control over the export process
• You are moving a site manually
• Your hosting provider does not offer easy backup tools

If your site is hosted on WordPress.com and you want to move to a self-hosted WordPress.org website, you can export your content from WordPress.com.

This method is different from exporting a self-hosted WordPress site.

What You Can Export From WordPress.com

You can usually export:

• Posts
• Pages
• Comments
• Categories
• Tags
• Navigation menus
• Some media-related content

However, WordPress.com export does not move your full site exactly as it appears.

You may need to manually set up:

• Theme
• Plugins
• Widgets
• Menus
• Site settings
• Custom design elements

Basic Steps to Export From WordPress.com

1. Log in to your WordPress.com account.
2. Open the dashboard of the site you want to export.
3. Go to Tools > Export.
4. Choose the content you want to export.
5. Download the export file.
6. Import the file into your new self-hosted WordPress site.

After importing, check your posts, pages, images, menus, and design carefully.

WordPress exports are usually straightforward, but you may run into issues depending on your site size, hosting limits, plugins, or the export method you use.

Here are some common problems and how to fix them.

1. Export File Is Too Large

Large websites may create very large backup files. This can cause timeout errors or failed downloads.

How to fix it:

• Use a migration plugin that supports large-site backups
• Export files and database separately
• Increase server memory and timeout limits
• Store the backup in cloud storage instead of downloading it directly
• Contact your hosting provider if exports keep failing

2. Media Files Are Missing After Import

If you used the built-in WordPress export tool, media files may not always import correctly.

This usually happens when the old site is unavailable, private, or blocking access to image files.

How to fix it:

• Keep the old site live until the import is complete
• Select the option to download and import file attachments during import
• Use a full-site migration method if you need all media files
• Manually upload missing images if needed

3. XML Import Fails

Sometimes, the WordPress importer may fail while uploading or processing the XML file.

How to fix it:

• Check the file size limit on the new site
• Split large XML files into smaller files
• Increase PHP upload limits
• Re-export the content and try again
• Disable conflicting plugins temporarily

4. Plugin Export Gets Stuck

A plugin-based export can get stuck if your server has low memory, limited execution time, or restricted file permissions.

How to fix it:

• Lower the backup processing speed in plugin settings
• Exclude unnecessary folders from the backup
• Increase PHP memory limit
• Clear the cache before exporting
• Try exporting during low-traffic hours

5. Database Export Fails

If the phpMyAdmin export fails, the database may be too large, or the server may be timing out.

How to fix it:

• Use the Custom export option in phpMyAdmin
• Export tables in smaller batches
• Ask your host for a database backup
• Use a database backup plugin
• Export from the command line if you are comfortable with technical tools

6. Broken Links After Migration

After importing or restoring a site, links may still point to the old domain.

How to fix it:

• Update the site URL
• Resave permalinks from Settings > Permalinks
• Use a search and replace tool to update old URLs
• Check menus, buttons, internal links, and media URLs

Exporting your WordPress site—whether for migration, backup, or staging—is super important for keeping your website in good shape and secure. It ensures your data is safe and can be restored or moved whenever you need it, without any fuss. Whether you’re tackling a technical issue, planning a redesign, or switching to a new domain or hosting provider, having a full export gives you peace of mind.

While you can manually export using FTP and phpMyAdmin, the smartest and most user-friendly option is to use our WordPress migration plugin. It makes the whole process easier, saves you time, and cuts down on the risk of errors—no need for technical know-how.

If you have any questions or run into any issues, feel free to drop your thoughts in the comments below. Our team is always here to help and will respond as quickly as we can.