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Widget Importer & Exporter
Import and export your widgets.
The facts
- Rating
- 4.7★ from 117
- Active installs
- 200k+
- Price
- Free
- Last updated
- 23 May 2026
- Added
- Jul 2013
- Requires WP
- 3.5
- Tested up to
- WP 7.0.4
- Requires PHP
- 5.2.4
- Downloads
- 5,330,041
Our analysis
AI-assistedWidget Importer & Exporter is a WordPress plugin designed to facilitate the transfer of widgets between sites. It allows you to back up your current widgets and provides theme developers with a way to offer sample widgets to users.
The plugin enables importing by uploading an export file created by it, displaying the results in a table format. It handles various scenarios, such as non-existent widget areas and existing widgets, ensuring a smooth import process.
Best for: This plugin is suitable for WordPress users who need to manage widgets across multiple sites or back up their widget settings.
What it does well
- ✓Allows easy transfer of widgets between WordPress sites
- ✓Supports backing up current widget configurations
- ✓Provides clear import results in a formatted table
- ✓Offers features for theme developers, including hooks for customisation
Where it falls short
- •Limited information on specific features beyond basic import/export functionality
Verdict
Widget Importer & Exporter provides a straightforward solution for widget management, particularly useful for users and developers looking to streamline their workflow.
From the developer
Steven Gliebe's own description of Widget Importer & Exporter, lightly tidied.
Widget Importer & Exporter is useful for moving widgets from one WordPress site to another, backing up widgets and for theme developers to give users sample widgets. See the details on ChurchThemes.com.
Importing
Importing is done by uploading an export file created by the plugin. The results of an import are shown in a nicely formatted table with an explanation of what happened with each widget area and widget.
Importation takes into consideration widget areas not existing in the current theme (widgets imported as Inactive), widgets that already exist in the same widget area (widgets not duplicated) and widgets that are not supported by the site (widgets not imported).
Exporting
Widget Importer & Exporter can create an export file (in JSON format with .wie extension) out of currently active widgets. This file can be imported into other sites using this plugin or used to restore widgets to the same site later.
Developers
The wie_before_import action fires after a file is uploaded but before the data is imported. wie_after_import fires after the data is imported. The wie_import_data filter can be used to filter data before it is imported. Other filters are used throughout. Make a pull request on GitHub if you need another hook.
Please jump on GitHub to report issues and follow development.
Tagged as
feature
Import & Export
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