Transitioning your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org offers greater flexibility and control. Many beginners start with WordPress.com but soon run into its limitations and seek more advanced features.
By moving to the self-hosted WordPress.org platform, you gain access to a wider range of themes, plugins, and customization options that aren’t available on WordPress.com.
At WPBeginner, we have 15+ years of expertise using WordPress.org. So, you can rest assured that we have a deep understanding of carrying out this transition. Plus, if you want more control over your WordPress site, we know that making the switch is worth it.
In this step-by-step guide, we’ll show you how to properly move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, ensuring a smooth and seamless transition.
Why Move From WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
WordPress.com allows anyone to start a blog by creating a free account. This makes it easy for beginners to start blogging quickly without dealing with any technical issues.
However, many users realize their free WordPress.com blog has some limitations. These include the limited ability to monetize, the inability to install plugins, third-party ads displayed to users, and more.
This is why users often switch to the more powerful and popular self-hosted WordPress.org platform. Alternatively, you could upgrade to a paid WordPress.com plan.
We compared WordPress.com and WordPress.org thoroughly. This side-by-side analysis explains both platforms’ differences, advantages, and disadvantages.
We recommend using WordPress.org because it gives you complete ownership of your website and the freedom to control all its features. To learn more about all these features, see our complete WordPress review with pros and cons.
That being said, let’s look at how to migrate your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org properly.
Things You Need Before You Start
To start with self-hosted WordPress.org, you’ll need a WordPress hosting account and a domain name.
We recommend Bluehost because it is one of the largest hosting companies in the world and an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
They are also offering WPBeginner users a free domain name and a huge discount on web hosting. You can get started for $1.99 / month (and this also includes free SSL).
You’ll still need web hosting if your WordPress site has a custom domain name. Go ahead and sign up with Bluehost, and under the domain step, add your blog domain.
In the later steps, we will show you how to keep the same domain while transferring from WordPress.com to WordPress.org without losing search rankings.
In addition to the hosting account, you’ll also need access to your WordPress.com account to easily transfer your posts, pages, images, comments, and other data to your self-hosted WordPress site.
Bonus Free Offer: Since many of you asked for this, we are now offering a free migration service from WordPress.com to WordPress.org as part of our free WordPress blog setup service. During this guided transfer, one of our expert team members will do the entire migration for you (100% free). This means you can switch from WordPress.com to WordPress.org without any risk.
However, if you like learning and doing things yourself, you can follow our step-by-step tutorial below.
Video Tutorial
If you’d prefer written instructions, then just keep reading.
Step 1: Exporting Data From WordPress.com
First, you need to sign in to your WordPress.com site and go to your account dashboard.
From there, you will need to switch to the WP Admin view for the blog or website you want to migrate. Simply click on the three-dot menu next to your site name and then select WP Admin.
This will bring you to the traditional WordPress admin dashboard.
From the left column, you need to click on the Tools » Export menu and then click on the ‘Export All’ button.
This allows you to export your WordPress site. Once the export file is ready, a download link will be visible. You can click to download the zip file on your computer.
WordPress.com will also email the link to your email address.
Once you have downloaded the file to your computer, you need to unzip it.
Inside it, you’ll find an XML file with all your posts, pages, images, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, navigation menus, and other data.
Step 2: Setting Up WordPress
Now that you have exported your WordPress.com data, setting up a fresh WordPress install on your web hosting is next.
WordPress is very easy to install, and it only takes a few clicks. If you signed up with Bluehost like we mentioned above, then WordPress will be automatically installed for you.
Alternatively, if you choose a different hosting service, then you can follow our step-by-step tutorial on how to install WordPress within 5 minutes.
Once you have installed WordPress, it is time to import your content into your new self-hosted WordPress website.
Step 3: Importing Content into a Self-Hosted WordPress Site
To import your old WordPress.com site content to your new WordPress.org site, you will need to log in to your freshly installed WordPress website’s admin area.
From here, you need to visit the Tools » Import page and click on the ‘Install Now’ button below WordPress.
WordPress will now install the WordPress importer for you.
Once it’s done, click on the ‘Run importer’ link to continue.
It will take you to a screen where you will be asked to upload the WordPress.com XML file that you downloaded in step 1 of this tutorial.
Click on the ‘Choose File’ button to select the file, and then click on the ‘Upload file and import’ button.
Note: If your file size is larger than 2MB, you have two options. One is to ask your web hosting company to temporarily increase that limit so you can proceed with the process. The other option is to split your file using a WXR file splitter.
When you start importing, you can assign imported content to an existing user or create a new user.
You’ll also have the option to import file attachments. You must check this box so your image files are correctly imported.
Step 4: Importing Your Blogroll Links
If you have been using the Links feature on your WordPress.com blog to store blogroll or other links, then you need to follow these instructions to import them. Users who were not using this feature can skip to Step 5.
WordPress does not natively support the blogroll feature. If you don’t have too many links in your blogroll, then see our guide on how to add blogroll links in WordPress without using a plugin.
However, if you have too many links or you would like to keep the blogroll functionality, then continue reading.
Blogroll links are exported in OPML format. It is an XML format that allows you to export and import your links and link categories. Your WordPress.com links have an OPML file located at an address like this:
http://example.wordpress.com/wp-links-opml.php
Replace the example with your WordPress.com blog’s subdomain.
If you are using a custom domain with your WordPress.com website, then your OPML file can be accessed by visiting a URL like this:
http://www.example.com/wp-links-opml.php
Your OPML file will open in your browser window, and you need to save it to your desktop. Press CTRL+S (Command+S on Mac) to save the file on your computer.
Now that you have a backup of your WordPress.com links, the next step is to import them into WordPress. However, self-hosted WordPress does not have a link manager enabled by default.
You will need to install and activate the Link Manager plugin. The plugin’s page says it hasn’t been updated in many years. That’s because it didn’t need updating, and you can confidently install this plugin.
Upon activation, the plugin will add a new menu item labeled’ Links’ to your WordPress admin bar.
Next, you need to install and activate the OPML Importer plugin. This plugin enables a new importer tool that allows you to import blogroll links.
Upon activation, you need to visit the Tools » Import page and click on the ‘Run Importer’ link below the Blogroll importer.
On the Blogroll importer page, you need to upload the OPML file you saved earlier.
Click on the ‘Choose File’ button to select the file, and then click on the ‘Import OPML File’ button to continue.
WordPress will now import your links and link categories from the OPML file.
You will be able to see the progress, and on completion, you will see the success message.
Step 5: Setting Your WordPress.com Blog to Private
Now, if you don’t want to redirect your old users to your new site, this will be your final step.
First, visit your old blog’s WordPress.com dashboard. From the left menu, you need to click Settings » General menu and scroll down to the ‘Privacy’ section.
From here, you need to select the ‘Private’ option and then click on the ‘Save settings’ button.
This will make your old WordPress.com blog private, and it will only be visible to you or other logged-in users that you approve.
Attention: If you have been writing for some time and you have a loyal audience, then it does not make sense to leave them hanging.
Furthermore, if your blog has been out there for a while, then chances are that it is indexed by Google and other search engines.
You can keep all the search engine rankings and easily redirect your old users to your new blog by following Step 6 (highly recommended if your site is established).
Step 6: Redirecting Visitors and Preserving SEO
Redirecting users to the new location with the 301 header is a standard solution to keep search rankings while moving a site from one place to another.
Since you don’t have access to the .htaccess file on WordPress.com, you cannot make any changes to retain search engine rankings.
However, WordPress.com offers a paid upgrade feature called ‘Site Redirect’, which provides this functionality.
Simply go to the Site Redirect page. If you have multiple sites on WordPress.com, you will be asked which one you would like to redirect.
On the next screen, you will be asked to provide the domain name where you want visitors to be redirected. Enter your new WordPress.org site’s domain name and click on the go button.
Note: Site redirect is a paid upgrade and costs $13 per year. It will add a 301 redirect, which redirects your WordPress.com blog’s visitors and search engines to your new site.
Some of you will ask: how long should I keep paying for this Offsite redirect feature?
The answer is for as long as you want to. However, two years would be enough time for your old users to memorize your new domain name.
If you are changing domains, then another thing you want to do is update all in-post URLs. If you ever inter-linked your posts, those links must be updated. You can use our article on how to update URLs when moving your WordPress site.
If you have a custom domain on WordPress.com, you don’t have to worry. Simply change the DNS record to your host, and you will retain all the SEO benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
We wrote the first version of this article in January 2013. Since then, we’ve received tons of great questions. We’ve answered a lot of them via email or in comments, so we thought it would be nice to compile the popular ones in one place where everyone can see them.
What happens with my WordPress.com Subscribers?
Thankfully, WordPress.com allows you to migrate your subscribers with one condition. You must use their Jetpack plugin, which adds the same subscriber functionality that you had at WordPress.com.
Once you install and activate the Jetpack plugin, you will need to contact the WordPress.com team and ask them to migrate the subscribers for you. We hope that this will become easier in the later versions of Jetpack, and users will be able to do it themselves.
Can you help me transfer from WordPress.com to WordPress.org for FREE?
Absolutely. We offer migration from WordPress.com as part of our free WordPress blog setup service. If you need our assistance, then simply sign up. It’s free 
What are the costs of switching to WordPress.org?
WordPress is free. However, there are some minimal web hosting costs. We recommend that you read this article on: Why is WordPress free? What are the costs, and what is the catch?
I already paid WordPress.com. Can I get a refund?
Yes, you can. If you recently purchased a custom domain or a paid plan from WordPress.com, then you can ask them for a full refund.
Note: Domain registrations can be canceled within 48 hours of registration, and plans and other purchases can be canceled within 30 days of purchase.
Will my images break?
No, they will not. When you transfer using the import file, all attached images are downloaded, and the link is updated.
However, we noticed one caveat. If your image URL starts with files.wordpress.com, then they will not be converted. If you notice that the image URL has not changed and still points to WordPress.com, we recommend that you use the import external images plugin, which will take care of that.
I registered my domain through WordPress.com. Can I still move?
Yes, you can. WordPress believes in empowering users and giving them complete control of their content. If you already have a domain name through WordPress.com, then all you need is a web hosting account.
We recommend that you set up with Bluehost or any of these other WordPress hosting providers. During the signup phase, you will be asked if you have a domain or want to register a new one.
Simply select the ‘I have a domain name’ option and insert the domain you registered at WordPress.com.
The next thing you will have to do is change the nameservers to point to the hosting provider. We can assist with this as part of our free setup service. You can also ask your web hosting provider for support.
Will my website go down when I switch?
If you do it correctly, then NO. The method we’ve suggested above will ensure that your website never goes down. If you are worried, then know that we are here to help. You are welcome to use our free setup service at any time.
Can I add an online store to my WordPress.org website?
Yes, you can easily add an online store to your self-hosted WordPress.org website without any additional costs. Since Bluehost and other popular web hosts offer free SSL certificates, you simply need to install a WordPress eCommerce plugin to add an online store.
What are some of the must-have WordPress plugins that you recommend?
Now that you have switched to self-hosted WordPress.org, you can install as many plugins as you like.
Here’s our recommended pick:
- AIOSEO – to improve your website’s SEO rankings (used by 3 million sites).
- WPForms – to add a smart contact form on your website (used by 6 million sites).
- SeedProd – to easily customize your landing pages with drag & drop builder – works with all WordPress themes.
- MonsterInsights – to see how people find and use your website. It’s a must-have for bloggers and small business owners.
- PushEngage – to connect with visitors after they leave your website.
- Duplicator – to create daily backups of your new website in case of emergency.
- OptinMonster – to help you get more email subscribers and succeed in your blogging journey.
In addition to these, we recommend looking at our expert pick of the must-have WordPress plugins and useful blogging tools for managing and growing your blog.
You can install all of these plugins from inside your WordPress dashboard. We have created a step-by-step guide on installing a WordPress plugin.
I want to change my site’s WordPress theme, can I do that?
Yes, you can change your WordPress theme at any time. Another big benefit of switching to WordPress.org is that you get additional customization options and a larger collection of themes to choose from.
In your WordPress admin sidebar, click on the Appearance Menu dropdown and select ‘Themes’ to install a theme.
We have hand-picked some of the best themes to help users avoid choice paralysis. See our guide on the best free blog themes and best multi-purpose themes for WordPress.
You may also want to see our guide on how to properly change a WordPress theme.
We hope this article helped you properly move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. You may also want to see our checklist of the most important things you need to do after installing WordPress and our ultimate guide on increasing your blog traffic.
If you liked this article, then please subscribe to our YouTube Channel for WordPress video tutorials. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook.
Lori J.
I am very, very new with a WP blog (learning curve!), it is set on private with just a small amount of content. I do plan to monetize in the future and now see where there would be limitations. I have the Premium .com plan, and now see that it does not allow access to plug-ins and outside templates. I understand that SEO is very important for visibility and gaining followers which then shows affiliates that your blog is of interest, etc., and a plug-in assists with this, correct? ANYWAY….. I will probably use your assistance to migrate. But, one question: How will WP know to stop billing me for annual service and for me to pay them just the $13 annually for my domain name? Or should the domain name move also, if that is even possible? And, will my controls/dashboard be similar or the same? I have pulled my hair out a few times learning already! Thank you in advance for your response.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Lori,
Once you have migrated your website and pointed your domain to your self-hosted WordPress.org website, you can then go to manage purchases page to make sure that auto-renewals are turned off. Contact WordPress.com support to make sure your are not rebilled. After that you can just wait for your subscription to expire.
You can keep your domain on WordPress.com and pay them annual domain renewal fee. You can also move it to your new hosting provider.
Self-hosted WordPress.org websites have a slightly different user interface but some parts of the admin area are similar to WordPress.com.
Admin
petra
obviously something went wrong I only get my titles in my new wordpress. I don’t get the blogpost itself and no photo’s. What do I do?
Eugene
have you completed uploading all of the content? it could be a faulty database setting. which part of the process are you at? maybe i can help.
Adrianne
Hello and thanks for the great article – it is very handy.
I migrated my blog from a wordpress.com site to a wordpress.org site. I have moved my followers also and can see the old comments on my posts at my site.
The one thing missing is the likes from my old site on my posts. Are they gone now from the content, only existing on the old site, or is it possible to transfer them across too?
Cheers!!
Chad
I transferred my Wordpress.com to self-host on a different server. I thought for some reason that after the migration I would have my original set-up at Wordpress.com and then my new set-up with new theme on the new server. What surprised me was that the Wordpress.com site I had is now updated with my self-hosted site. What could have caused this and better yet, if I cancel or delete the Wordpress.com membership will it affect my new site on the new server?
Zin Nwe Kyaw
I am totally new to this. I found wp.com first and saw my favourite theme from wp.com. However, I am going to use wp.org and start creating it for my website but I cannot find my fav theme from wp.com in wp.org. So what should I do?
Oluwadare
Hi. If I purchase a premium theme under WordPress.com, when I do migrate to WordPress.org – will my premium theme be exported as well?
Ron berant
Hi,
I created an XML file and tried to transfer my site but I got an error message that all my media hadn’t been transferred. Is there a way to fix that?
Thx,
Ron.
WPBeginner Support
Hey Ron,
You can run the importer again. It is smart enough not to import content already imported. If it fails to fetch all your media, then you may need to import those files manually.
Admin
Gregory
Hi,
I am trying to export my XML file from Wordpress.com to create my own website without Wordpress.
But I have problems with the XML from Wordpress.com and the SQL from Wordpress.com (I already import the XML to get a SQL).
Do you know if we can leave Wordpress and use our DB, or if we have to create a new one and do Htaccess redirection?
Thanks
Yvette
Hi, I wanted to change my wordpress.com site to wordpress.org so I rushed ahead and cancelled my premium account and deleted the wordpress.com site.
I think now I have lost my domain name. Have I? Is there anything i can do?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Yvette,
Domains are registered for yearly terms. You can still login to WordPress.com dashboard and manage your domain. You can point to your new hosting provider.
Admin
Yvette
I think I deleted everything. The domain name is no longer available. How do I ask wordpress if they can release it to me? The worst thing is, I am doing this for a friend, so really I have lost his domain name. I feel terrible.
Yvette
I did get a warning that I wouldn’t be able to use the domain again, but i thought it meant that I wouldn’t be able to create a new wordpress.com site with that name, not that I’d never be able to register it anywhere ever again.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Yvette,
Please contact WordPress.com support, they will be able to guide you.
mike
This is great. I’d like to utilize the setup service and transfer my wordpress.com site/blog to wordpress.org, (including bluehost hosting). I’d like to keep the same domain to maintain traffic levels.
A few questions first:
1. I have a premium theme from wordpress.com. Will that transfer? If not, can I repurchase the same theme for the new site? I checked and that theme is available for purchase (but ideally i’d like to keep it if I already paid for it under wordpress.com). Either way, does the setup service include helping me get the theme setup?
2. I have lots of links within my site. They’re links from blog posts to other blog posts, links from blog posts to pages, etc.. Can all of those permalinks and subdomains maintain the same URLs so that all links throughout my site/blog continue to operate after the migration? Even on older posts that link to other old posts?
3. How much downtime should I expect in the migration process? Can the old site still be operational while the new site is being set up? How does that work? Should I plan to do it over a weekend (when I have less traffic)? I am interested in keeping my same domain.
Once I get these questions answered, i’m ready to move forward. Thanks for your time.
Mike
WPBeginner Support
Hi Mike,
Please send your questions using the contact form. Include your blog’s address and one of our team members will take a look and get back to you.
Admin
Mae
Hi! Whenever I decided to move my site to wordpress.org and Bluehost, will I still be paying the yearly cost for the domain name I purchased with wordpress.com? thanks
WPBeginner Support
Hi Mae,
Yes, you will be paying the yearly domain renewal fee regardless of where you website is hosted.
Admin
Nur
If I won’t use the paid SiteRedirect from wordpress.com, will search ranking and traffic be affected tremendously after migrating? And if no redirect (just export into site.mydomain.com) will the old site.wordpress.com be gone?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Nur,
Yes, initially it will affect search ranking and traffic. However, if you unpublish posts on your old WordPress.com website then your new website will start ranking for some of those terms. It may take a while for you to recover all your search rankings and traffic.
Admin
sahil saifi
helpful post
Ryan
How long does your guys free setup take?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Ryan,
It takes 2 business days after you send us your purchase receipt.
Admin
Amber
I am trying to migrate my blog content from wordpress.com to my self-hosted wordpress.org site. I ran the export/import process (which I’ve done before without any trouble), but for some reason, the importer on my self-hosted site is only importing 6 of my 37 published posts. I looked through the XML file to see if perhaps it downloaded incomplete, but everything is there. The importer successfully added my pages, menus, tags, categories, and six of my published posts WITH their attached images. But i can’t figure out why it stops and doesn’t finish importing the rest of my content. Is there another way to get that information loaded into my site?
WPBeginner Support
Hey Amber,
Feel free to run importer again, it doesn’t import duplicate content. If that doesn’t work, then you can try generating a new XML file from WordPress.com. This time before running the export tool, send the posts you have imported to the trash. This way those posts will not be included in the new export file.
Hope this helps.
Admin
Gregorio Durante Suapero II
If I migrate to self-hosting, will my views at my post back to zero? Thanks ^ω^
Larissa
why isn’t anyone answering this great question?
WPBeginner Support
Hey Larissa,
Thanks for pointing out, we just replied to the original comment.
Admin
WPBeginner Support
It depends.
If you had custom domain on WordPress.com, then you can save those views by using JetPack plugin on your self-hosted WordPress.org website.
You will need to ask WordPress.com support to transfer them for you.
Admin
Lucy
Hi,
What do I need to do if I would like you guys to transfer my wordpress.com to a bluehost?? How long will it take and will my subscribers also be transferred??
Thanks
WPBeginner Support
Hi Lucy,
Please see our free WordPress blog setup page for details and feel free to contact us using the form on the page.
Admin
Enzo
Hi! Thanks for the how to first of all. I have a question. Can I do this if I have already a domain with wordpress.com?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Enzo,
Yes, you can point your domain to your self-hosted WordPress.org website by changing its DNS settings.
Admin
therlife
If i just change the nameserver from Wordpress.com to bluehost.com , then i will have the same domain and url at my wordpress.org blog? or i have to do also redirection from adress site with extra cost 13 euros.Because i started my blog through wordpress.com, paid the personal package and my domain so i have a domain and my blog, so i am wondering if i can use the same url on my wordpress.org so i can delete my account at wordpress.com and keep only the blog at wordpress.org with bluehost web hosting.
Thank you for your time!
WPBeginner Support
You can transfer the domain to BlueHost and the domain will be the same, the redirection service is to make sure any links in the WordPress.com reader points to your site at the new location.
Sierra
Am I able to transfer my WP.com premium plan to WP.org? I purchased it months ago and cannot cancel.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Sierra,
Yes you can transfer from WordPress.com to WordPress.org at any time. Transferring your website to WordPress.org will not cancel your account and you can keep it until it expires.
Admin
John
WordPress.com should offer .htaccess redirects for free-it’s like you don’t own anything with WordPress.com
Priyanka
Hi,
I started a blog on wordpress.com last month with a free plan and self-hosting. Now I want to migrate my self-hosted blog to a hosting site. I’m trying to do that from last week and I made lots of effort to do that. First I tried to host my blog with Godaddy, I could not export my blog backups. Now I want to migrate my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org but still having the same problem. Now I’m stuck with these things and want to get out of it. please suggest me what should I do and how I can migrate my blog to Wordpress.org
WPBeginner Support
Hi Priyanka,
See our guide on how to start a WordPress blog. You can also take advantage of our free blog setup service.
Admin
Tine
Hi,
I have the same question as Paul.
When moving from WP.com to WP.org is it then possible to keep the same theme?
Thx!
Tine
WPBeginner Support
Hi Tine,
Most WordPress themes available for WordPress.com websites are also available for WordPress.org websites. You will need to search for the theme to see if it is available for WordPress.org websites.
Admin
Azhar Ismail
This article really helped me a lot. I managed to transfer my wordpress.com website to Bluehost web hosting with no glitches at all. Your guides are really awesome.
Paul Trunk
I am going to switch from Wordpress.com to WP.org. I have changed the DNS in my ISP so I can use my domain in WP.com If I switch to WP.org, will I have to switch my DNS in my ISP again? I once used Dreamweaver but recently switched to WP.com. Now that I realize I can use WP.org for more flexibility, I would like to switch. Thanks.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Paul,
Yes, in this case you will make the DNS changes in your ISP again.
Admin
Joanna
Hi – I am totally new to this and have not really launched a blog yet other than to play around with writing a home page. I signed up with Bluehost and have a domain name through them. Wordpress was automatically installed via Bluehost. However, I noticed that it is Wordpress.com and having done some reading, I want Wordpress.org as I want to be able to use Adsense, Amazon Affiliates etc etc. But it looks like from everything I’ve read that if you sign up via Bluehost, you should automatically get Wordpress.org. Thoroughly confused. I’ve tried downloading wordpress.org on my iPad but it doesn’t work. Do I need to do it on a full laptop, mac or PC? And considering I don’t really have any content to move, is it complicated to get started?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Joanna,
The only reason your domain may still be pointing to WordPress.org if you previously used it on a WordPress.com website. In that case you will need to point your domain’s DNS settings to Bluehost servers.
Admin
yarik
I recently started a blog on wordpress.com and didn’t do enough research (I was bit in a hurry to have it up and running). Searching for several help topics I’ve landed on this site couple of times already. Now I’ve seen this option. Has been 24 days since I bought a “Premium Plan” with WordPress, but afterwards I realized that I’m not able to install plugins. The basic HostGator plan allows to install plugins and do some extra configurations that wordpress.com do not allow? If yes, how much time take your “Free Blog Setup” service, can I still be reimbursed from the Premium plan I bought on WordPress.com? Thanks.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Yarik,
Yes, basic HostGator plan allows you to install plugins and do other things you cannot do on WordPress.com premium plan. You can ask for a refund with in 30 days of purchase. Domain names cannot be refunded after 48 hours of purchase.
Admin
Brittany H
I started with a Wordpress.com blog a couple months ago. Two days ago, I decided to move ahead with self-hosting through Bluehost and got my posts imported, my theme changed, and everything. But now when I log in through bluehost and go to wordpress.org, all that comes up is a 0 for my webpage. I can still type in my domain and get to my wordpress.com blog. What’s happening?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Brittany,
It seems your site’s domain name is still pointing to WordPress.com’s name servers. You need to login to your WordPress.com account and then change your domain settings. Point the name servers to Bluehost.
Admin
Paul
Hi,
I wanted to know if I get the same theme on wordPress.org or will it copy it the same, if I switch to .org ?
Secondly, Can I change the structure of permalink in wordpress.com site? I have a business upgrade, If yes, then I don’t mind to continue using .com site. Please suggest.
Thank you!
Rodgers
So I ran into an issue where I created a wordpress.com first (which apparently is super common, go figure.)
I discovered this immediately so I didn’t need to import anything.
It would appear I’ve followed all the other steps, I added the domain to Bluehost, I setup a new webpage through Bluehost, I’ve set my wordpress.com page to private. And set the .com DNS to point to the Bluehost DNS.
The problem is the domain URL still points to the .com default site that you get when you initially create a wordpress.com account. And I have not found a way to get it to work.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Rodgers,
DNS changes take some time to take effect. Sometimes it can take up to 48 hours for changes to propagate across the internet.
Admin
Hartford
Hi, thanks for all the great info you post and publish…I use it all the time!
I’ve set up a new site in WP, have many pages, and I’d now like to move my .com posts over to it.
I’ve set the front/home page set up as a static page…home page for the site. And my blogs to appear on a different page. I think I have that set up correctly.
But looking at the export/import process, will WP know to put my blogs on the page I indicate as my blog page, rather than on the front/home page? I’d hate to go through the process only to discover that all my imported blogs were in the wrong place.
Thanks.
Bobby
i have completed the steps. I don’t know what to do now. I see something on the blog page, but am stymied now. Is there a next step I am missing?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Bobby,
On your .org website, login to the admin area and then go to Posts to see if all your posts have been imported. If they are then you probably need to setup your theme to display them. Head over to Appearance » Customize page and then click on ‘Front page settings’ tab. There you can select front page to display your latest posts. Hope this helps.
Admin
Danielle
Hi – I transferred a wordpress.com blog to a wordpress.org blog back in 2016. At the time, I changed the domain name. Fast forward to now – I am in the middle of a server migration, and I’ve realized that I don’t have “access” to my domain name. As in – I know that I purchased it through wordpress during the change in 2016 to .org (via Wild West Domains), but I’d like to transfer my domain to a different company so that I can best manage it. I cannot find any information on how to do so, and I would so so helpful for some advice. I called Wild West Domains and while they confirmed that they do own the domain name, they are only the “back end host” and they informed me that I need to get in touch with Wordpress to obtain the EPP code so that I can properly transfer my domain name. Please help! Thanks!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Danielle,
You need to contact the WordPress.com support. They will be able to provide you step by step instructions you need to follow in order to generate the EPP code.
Admin
Jana J
Hi! Your tutorial was great and super simple. I had no problem with the process but somehow not all my content was in the XML file? OR it was not imported? I have been trying to troubleshoot for hours now and cannot find any information to help
I have tried exporting from both my wp-admin interface and the blog editing interface on wordpress.com. I got two different sized xml files which is strange. The first one was 729kb and the second one was in a zip file but when extracted was just one file of 1.1mb. I have tried importing them both multiple times to my new blue hosted wordpress.org interface, and only a small portion of my content is there…. like 2 of 8 blog posts, 1 of 25 pages, and 20 of 75 photos, no menus or theme or settings transferred. Anyway, any ideas or resources you could point me to!?!? Thank you
WPBeginner Support
Hi Jana,
Try running the importer again, it is smart enough to avoid duplicates. To troubleshoot this issue, try exporting your data from WordPress.com and then open the export file in a plain text editor like notepad. See if your missing posts are inside the file. If they are not there, then please try exporting again.
Admin
Jana J
Hi!
Thanks for the response. So, I tried importing about 10 times….and it would import like one more post or page sometimes, and a few more photos each time. But no matter how many times I do it again and again, not all the content is importing. I just checked the export file as you suggested, and I do see information in the file for blog posts and pages that are not showing after my import attempts…but I was not able to tell if the file indeed contains ALL my posts and pages. I also did try exporting multiple times from both the wp-admin interface (which gives me 729kb file) and the blog editing interface (which gives me a 1.1mb file)…. and I tried importing each file multiple times. I also tried exporting just blogs or just pages and then importing those smaller xml files individually to see if that would get all the content, and it still does not successfully import all the content
Not sure what else to try. Any ideas? Thank you for the support!!
'Dami
This has been really helpful. Any idea why I only got 26 posts imported instead of 46?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Dami,
Feel free to run the importer again. It is smart enough to avoid duplicate content and will be able to import remaining posts.
Admin
Joylee
Hi! I am trying to do this now by my smartphone. I am onto step 2 but feel I am stuck. Is it possible to do all this using smartphone and the wordpress app?
Cody
Would you happen to know how the switch would affect a Gmail GSuite subscription purchased through wordpress.com? I currently have the wordpress.com premium plan with custom domain name and a two gmail accounts for business associated with the custom domain.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Cody,
If you continue to manage your domain on WordPress.com while hosting your site elsewhere, then it will keep working. However, if you transfer the domain to some other domain registrar or your web host, then you may need to setup the DNS records to point them to Gsuite.
Admin
Tiff
Can I still keep my old Wordpress.com blog for a while AFTER I have moved it onto Wordpress.org? Or will my old Wordpress.com blog disappear completely after it’s been moved? Just trying to get myself mentally ready for the big move!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Tiff,
You can keep your old WordPress.com site, it will not be accessible but you can still access it by logging into your WordPress.com account and visiting the WordPress.com dashboard.
Admin
Nickeisha
I followed the steps indicated above and only two of my blogs were uploaded
Jana J
Hi Nickeisha, I am having the same issue! Did you ever find a solution?
Unathi
Thank you so much for this, was very helpful!
Liz
Hi, could you clarify something please? I am with wp.com i have bought new hosting with siteground (using your affiliate link for transporting my site) But… if I want to build a new site and theme over on site ground, how do i do this while still keeping my wp.com blog live until the new one is ready?? I want to use all of the same posts and images and logos but its going to take me at least a week to build the new site and where do my readers go in the meantime? Thanks for any help!
WPBeginner Support
Hey Liz,
If you haven’t yet moved your WordPress.com site to Siteground then you can continue using it. Meanwhile you can build your site using a temporary subdomain. Please ask the support staff at Siteground and they will set it up for you.
Admin
Elaine
I had my .com site content moved to .org with Siteground last night. They migrated the content over but the domain is not being pointed to their servers yet.
Can they set up a temporary domain still so I can work on it before it goes live over there? My theme didn’t transfer so I don’t want it to go live unformatted if possible and am considering purchasing a custom theme to apply first.
WPBeginner Support
Hi Elaine,
Yes, you can contact their support via chat and they will set up a temporary domain so you can access and work on your website.
Gina
I have a hosting plan for one year through BlueHost
I have a Domain name. A .com name
I want it to be a .org So I can start my blog with affiliate marketing
How do I do this, I have not set up anything yet, no theme, and I have not Paid for Wordpress. I have added some plugins.
What do I do next, I am really confused, as the above shows how to move everything over, but I have nothing to move over (I think) at this stage – well I tried and didn’t get any pages looking like you had.
Do I have to pay for Wordpress first? If so for how long?
Help? Please. I don’t know what to do next, but I want to start with a .org site
Sarah
Can I keep the theme I am using on Wordpress.com?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Sarah,
Some of the themes on WordPress.com are also available for WordPress.org websites.
Admin
Cal
Thanks for the insights! Does migrating the old data to new website take up the memory space on my new website?
The reason why I upgraded to my own domain because I run out of space for my old Wordpress.com. So if I were to migrate my Wordpress.com to .com, will it affect the storage space?
Hope you can understand my question. I am not familiar with technical jargons.
Hope someone can assist. Thanks!!!
Sacha
I had no idea there were 2 different wordpress sites. I’ve been blogging at wordpress.com for years, thinking it was the only one.
I’ve begun creating a website for a new business on wordpress.com and want it to be a membership site. After a bit of research (too little, apparently), I found that to do this, you must have the ability to add plugins, and the only way to that is to get the business plan, so that’s what I did. Now I’m seeing everywhere that I STILL can’t do it on wordpress.com.
Have I just thrown away my $279?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Sacha,
You can cancel WordPress.com plans within 30 days of purchase for a refund.
Admin
Jeff
Hi, I’ve been using Wordpress.com for my own blogsite. I recently purchased hosting from a web hosting company. I followed the steps on this page but when I access my domain that is connected to my wordpress site, it;s still showing the default wordpress.org site. Not sure what I did incorrectly.
WPBeginner Support
Hey Jeff,
If you had a custom domain on WordPress.com, then you’d need to point that to your new host. If you are using a new domain, then you will need to import your content from WordPress.com. Please see the instructions above.
Admin
Lesley Jones
Hi there! I’ve been using Wordpress.com for about four years, but I’m not good with the terminology. I have a current web site on one domain, which is where I want to eventually have a combined web site/blog using Photocrati on Wordpress.org. My current blog is on another domain (not a Wordpress one) on Wordpress.com. However… I would like to take advantage of the free 60 day trial with Photocrati and create the new site tucked behind my current web site – so something along the lines of realwebsite.uk.com/test_area – so I can get it how I want before going live. I did something like this creating a site for a charity a few years ago. I hope I can do the same with this. Could you give me brief instructions on what I should do please? I’ve already downloaded Photocrati, but I’m already stuck. Thank you!
Deepthi
I am trying to hange the DNS server from my wordpress.com account to my new hosting service which is siteground (wordpress.org) and it is saying the DNS server cant be found? I asked siteground directly and they provided me with the DNS server addresses.
Carolin
Hi,
thanks for the helpful article! I followed it step by step, however, when I tried to import the xml-file into my new blog, I got this message on the screen for part of the files:
Failed to import “”: Invalid post type jetpack-portfolio
What did I do wrong? Thanks für your help!
WPBeginner Support
Hi Carolin,
It seems like you were using JetPack’s portfolio post type on your WordPress.com blog. Try installing free version of JetPack on your self-hosted WordPress.org blog. After that enable the portfolio module and then try to import your xml file.
Once you have imported the content successfully, you can use any other portfolio plugin and convert jetpack-portfolio post type to any other post type in WordPress.
Admin
Jodi
It says that I need to install the JetPack plug in to migrate my existing subscribers to the new wordpress.org site. Can I install the free version of Jetpack to do this?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Jodi,
Yes, you can install the free version of JetPack on your self hosted WordPress.org site.
Admin
Spenser Smith
I want to switch to WP.org. My website is… Will my theme stay the same if I transfer it?
WPBeginner Support
Hi Spenser,
Many of the themes used by WordPress.com websites are also available for self-hosted WordPress.org sites. You’ll need to Google your theme name and you may be able to find it on WordPress.org as well.
Admin