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Free Plugin by WordPress.org v0.9.6

WordPress Importer

Import posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags and more from a WordPress export file.

WordPress Importer

The facts

Rating
3.1★ from 327
Active installs
2M+
Price
Free
Last updated
27 Aug 2026
Added
May 2010
Requires WP
5.2
Tested up to
WP 6.8.8
Requires PHP
7.2
Downloads
70,690,293

Our analysis

AI-assisted

The WordPress Importer is a plugin that allows you to import various types of content from a WordPress export file. This includes posts, pages, custom post types, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, and authors. It provides options to control user creation and attachment fetching during the import process.

This plugin is suitable for users who need to migrate content from one WordPress site to another or consolidate multiple sites. It offers filters and actions for customisation during the import process, making it flexible for different user needs.

Best for: This plugin suits users looking to migrate or consolidate WordPress content.

What it does well

  • ✓Imports posts, pages, and custom post types
  • ✓Supports comments and custom fields
  • ✓Allows control over user creation and attachment fetching
  • ✓Active installation base of 2,000,000

Where it falls short

  • •Limited documentation on usage
  • •No advanced features beyond basic import functionality

Verdict

The WordPress Importer provides essential functionality for content migration, but its limited advanced features may not meet all user needs.

From the developer

WordPress.org's own description of WordPress Importer, lightly tidied.

The WordPress Importer will import the following content from a WordPress export file:

  • Posts, pages and other custom post types
  • Comments and comment meta
  • Custom fields and post meta
  • Categories, tags and terms from custom taxonomies and term meta
  • Authors

For further information and instructions please see the documention on Importing Content.

Filters

The importer has a couple of filters to allow you to completely enable/block certain features:

  • import_allow_create_users: return false if you only want to allow mapping to existing users
  • import_allow_fetch_attachments: return false if you do not wish to allow importing and downloading of attachments
  • import_attachment_size_limit: return an integer value for the maximum file size in bytes to save (default is 0, which is unlimited)

There are also a few actions available to hook into:

  • import_start: occurs after the export file has been uploaded and author import settings have been chosen
  • import_end: called after the last output from the importer

Read the full description on the official page →

Tagged as

purpose Import & Export Custom Fields & Post Types
topic Importer Comments Comment Fields Categories Tags Field Category

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