Content and metadata carried over from WordPress exports
The importer covers core content and related data from a WordPress export.
- Posts and pages: imports standard posts, pages and custom post types.
- Comments and metadata: includes comments, comment metadata, custom fields and post metadata.
- Categories and terms: handles categories, tags, custom-taxonomy terms and term metadata.
- Authors: carries author records into the import. This breadth suits sites moving a varied content archive rather than just published articles.
Controls for user mapping and attachment imports
Filters let site owners restrict user creation and attachment downloads, while actions mark the start and end of an import.
- User mapping:
import_allow_create_users can be set to false to limit imports to mapping content to existing users.
- Attachment downloads:
import_allow_fetch_attachments can be set to false to prevent downloading attachments.
- File-size limit:
import_attachment_size_limit sets the maximum attachment size in bytes; 0 means unlimited.
- Import hooks:
import_start runs after file upload and author settings, while import_end runs after the importer's final output. These controls are useful when an import needs tighter user or media handling.
Handling memory limits with large export files
Large XML exports can exceed the host's PHP memory limit, resulting in an error or blank screen.
The recommended options are to split the export into smaller files or consult the host about temporarily raising the limit or running the import. For shared hosting, checking with support before starting a large import can help avoid repeated failures.
A focused importer with limited evidence of support responsiveness
WordPress Importer has a narrow role, broad adoption and a mixed rating record, but its support data is too limited to establish responsiveness.
It is among the directory's most widely installed plugins, with ratings described as mixed across a moderate number of reviews. The plugin was updated recently; however, its one support thread has no recorded resolution. Treat that as limited evidence, not a performance record, and check whether the import controls and hosting arrangements fit your migration needs.
