How to import and export WordPress users the easy way

WordPress is one of the easiest, faster and user friendly platforms for creating interactive websites. Various themes, widgets and plugins available here ease the development and help to get a working website on time. Besides, development it also eases customer data migration from one account to another or importing and exporting the data while merging two different WordPress sites.

Customer data with all the fields in the database is very important. Before moving from one account to other it is necessary to import and export the data. In WordPress this task is convenient with the help of plugins- Export users to CSV plugin, Import Export WordPress Users Plugin, WP for export plugin.

Why do you want to export WordPress users?

WordPress has many features to manage your users data but still there can be reasons where you will need to export and import user data.

The probable reasons are:

• When you have a new site: Your business requires a new website and you have created one, now what about the user data on the old website? Here import and export is the only option to get the old user data safely and seamlessly.
• Offline access to users: The other reason where you will have to export data is when you need to go through your user data offline. Export user data plugin helps in exporting the online data to csv file on your system.
• A duplicate site: A duplicate or clone site will need the user data too, so to duplicate the users its best to follow the export import process.

WordPress user data migration needs a lot of consideration. The users must know that their data is being transferred from the existing site to the other site. It’s better if you take the legal permission and be on the safer side.

1. Import and Export WordPress users Plugin

Export Import users to csv plugin is used when you want to do both the tasks. It helps you export the entire user data in a csv file with all the fields and then import it on the new site. Using this plugin you can even export only selective data as required. If you do not want certain fields to be exported you can easily sort the data and export. This plugin generates a cs file after exporting which can be used to upload on the new site.

How to use the plugin
Import export user data plugin first needs to be activated. Once it is activated follow the below steps:

Exporting the data

• Go to user/customer export and Click on the User Roles Field from the User/ Customer Export screen. The dropdown will appear, select the role.
• For large user data you can even skip any corresponding record by using the offset field. It helps you in exporting the data in groups. If you have to work with certain number of records you can select limit field.
• When you will scroll down you will see all the fields, select those fields that you want to export.
• At the bottom, click on the Export Users button, It will produce the CSV file. Download that file to import it on the other site.

Importing the data:

• Using the same plugin, Go to Users, click on User Import Export and choose the User/ Customer Import tab
• Click on the Choose File Button
• Click on the ‘Upload file and import’ button and select the same CSV file that you exported. It will be easily imported to the desired location.

If the requirement is just for exporting you can also use Export user plugin that only helps in exporting the user data.

One important thing to keep in mind before using this plugin is to ensure that you export the user data from one site and import it to the other site on the same network. Import and export user data plugin allows the migration only between the sites that are in the same network.

How to export import WordPress subscribers?
Exporting and importing WordPress subscribers is easier using this plugin when the subscriber data is on your site. If the subscriber data is gathered using a mailing list plugin then you will have to export the users from that list and then import it to the other site.

2. Import and export users and customers Plugin

Import and export users and customers plugin is the other way to migrate your users. It offers some extraordinary benefits too. Such as, it helps in direct importing of CSV files with the users or customers, offers faster migration of user data, permits role assignment during import of user data, editing the metadata and a lot more.

How to use this plugin?

Exporting users

• Activation is the first step. Post activation follow the below steps:
  Click on the Tools section and go to Import and Export users and customers page from the WordPress admin area.

  

• Select the Export tab
• Select the users that you want to export from the Roles dropdown. You can choose for specific ones or select all of them to export
• You can also select the user on the basis of date of creation
• Click on the download button to export the users and download a CSV file

Importing users:

• Go to Tools and click on Import and export users and customers

  

• Go to the ‘Import’ tab.
• Click on the ‘Choose File’ button and select the CSV file that was exported by you
• You can customize the plugin settings. Select from Roles if you want any specific role
• Once the reviewing is done, click the “Start Importing” button.

  

Sending an email through the plugin:
With this plugin, you can send the email to the users notifying them about the migration. You can easily change the email with your own customized messages. Make sure that your WordPress site is enabled for sending email notifications.

• Go to Tools-> Import and Export users and customers page
• Select the Mail Options tab
• You can create your own message to the email with details and send

Conclusion

These two plugins are mostly used by WordPress developers, it is simple and faster way to migrate the users. The most important thing already discussed above is about notifying the users that their data is being used on some other site. WordPress is an easy platform for faster and robust website building and the plugins available here make many tasks even easier.