¿Quieres trasladar tu blog de WordPress.com a WordPress.org?
Muchos principiantes empiezan con WordPress.com, pero pronto se dan cuenta de sus limitaciones y quieren pasarse a la plataforma autoalojada WordPress.org.
En esta guía paso a paso, le mostraremos cómo trasladar correctamente su blog de WordPress.com a WordPress.org.
¿Por qué cambiar de WordPress.com a WordPress.org?
WordPress.com permite a cualquiera crear un blog creando una cuenta.
Sin embargo, los principiantes pronto se dan cuenta de que hay un montón de limitaciones en su blog gratuito de WordPress.com, como la capacidad limitada para monetizar, no puede instalar plugins, anuncios de terceros que se muestran a sus usuarios, y mucho más.
Por eso los usuarios suelen pasarse a la plataforma de autoalojamiento WordPress.org, más potente y popular.
Para entender las diferencias entre las dos plataformas, consulte nuestra comparación completa de WordPress.com frente a WordPress.org.
Te recomendamos que utilices WordPress.org porque te ofrece la propiedad total de tu sitio web y la libertad de controlar todas sus características. Para saber más acerca de todas estas características, consulte nuestra completa reseña / valoración de WordPress con sus pros y sus contras.
Dicho esto, veamos cómo migrar tu blog de WordPress.com a WordPress.org correctamente.
Lo que necesita antes de empezar
Para empezar con WordPress.org autoalojado, necesitarás una cuenta de alojamiento de WordPress y un nombre de dominio.
Recomendamos utilizar Bluehost porque es una de las empresas de alojamiento más grandes del mundo y un proveedor de alojamiento de WordPress recomendado oficialmente.
También ofrecen a los usuarios de WPBeginner un nombre de dominio gratuito y un gran descuento en alojamiento web. Puedes empezar por 1,99 $ / mes (y esto también incluye SSL gratis).
Seguirás necesitando alojamiento web si tu sitio de WordPress tiene un nombre de dominio personalizado. Sigue adelante y regístrate en Bluehost, y en el paso de dominio, añade el dominio de tu blog.
En los pasos siguientes, le mostraremos cómo mantener el mismo dominio durante la transferencia de WordPress.com a WordPress.org sin perder posiciones en las búsquedas.
Minientrada a la cuenta de alojamiento, también necesitarás acceso a tu cuenta de WordPress.com para trasladar fácilmente tus entradas, páginas, imágenes, comentarios y otros datos a tu sitio WordPress autoalojado.
Oferta adicional gratuita: Como muchos de vosotros nos lo habéis pedido, ahora ofrecemos un servicio gratuito de migración de WordPress.com a WordPress.org como parte de nuestro servicio gratuito de instalación de blogs en WordPress. Durante esta transferencia guiada, uno de los miembros de nuestro equipo de expertos realizará toda la migración por usted (100% gratis). Esto significa que puede cambiar de WordPress.com a WordPress.org sin ningún riesgo.
Sin embargo, si te gusta aprender y hacer las cosas por ti mismo, puedes seguir nuestro tutorial paso a paso a continuación.
Tutorial en vídeo
Si prefiere instrucciones escritas, siga leyendo.
Paso 1: Exportar datos de WordPress.com
En primer lugar, debe acceder a su sitio WordPress.com e ir al escritorio de su cuenta.
En la columna de la izquierda, haga clic en el menú Herramientas ” Exportar y, a continuación, en el botón “Exportar todo”.
Esto le permite exportar su sitio WordPress. Una vez que el archivo de exportación esté listo, aparecerá un enlazar de descarga. Puede hacer clic para descargar el archivo zip en su ordenador.
WordPress.com también enlazará a tu dirección de correo electrónico.
Una vez descargado el archivo en tu ordenador, tienes que descomprimirlo.
En su interior, encontrarás un archivo XML con todas tus entradas, páginas, imágenes, comentarios, campos personalizados, categorías, etiquetas, menús de navegación y otros datos.
Paso 2: Establecer WordPress
Ahora que ha exportado los datos de WordPress.com, lo siguiente es establecer una nueva instalación de WordPress en su alojamiento web.
WordPress es muy fácil de instalar, y solo requiere unos pocos clics. Si te registraste con Bluehost como mencionamos anteriormente, entonces WordPress se instalará automáticamente para ti.
Como alternativa, si elige otro servicio de alojamiento, puede seguir nuestro tutorial paso a paso sobre cómo instalar WordPress en 5 minutos.
Una vez que haya instalado WordPress, es hora de importar su contenido a su nuevo sitio web autoalojado con WordPress.
Paso 3: Importar contenido a un sitio WordPress autoalojado
Para importar el contenido de su antiguo sitio WordPress.com a su nuevo sitio WordPress.org, deberá acceder al área de administrador de su sitio web WordPress recién instalado.
Desde aquí, tienes que visitar la página Herramientas ” Importar y hacer clic en el botón “Instalar ahora” debajo de WordPress.
WordPress instalará el importador de WordPress.
Una vez hecho esto, haga clic en el enlace “Ejecutar importador” para continuar.
Le llevará a una pantalla donde se le pedirá que suba el archivo XML de WordPress.com que descargó en el paso 1 de este tutorial.
Haga clic en el botón “Elegir archivo” para seleccionar el archivo y, a continuación, haga clic en el botón “Subir archivo e importar”.
Nota: Si el tamaño de su archivo es superior a 2 MB, tiene dos opciones. Una es pedir a tu empresa de alojamiento web que aumente ese límite temporalmente para que puedas continuar con el proceso. La otra opción sería dividir el archivo utilizando un divisor de archivos WXR.
Al iniciar la importación, puede asignar el contenido importado a un usuario existente o crear uno nuevo.
También tendrá la opción de importar archivos adjuntos. Debe marcar / comprobar esta casilla para que sus archivos de imagen se importen correctamente.
Paso 4: Importar los enlaces de su Blogroll
Si ha estado utilizando la característica Enlaces en su blog WordPress.com para almacenar el blogroll u otros enlaces, entonces necesita seguir estas instrucciones para importarlos. Los usuarios que no utilizaban esta característica pueden omitir el paso 5.
WordPress no es compatible con la característica de blogroll de forma nativa. Si no tiene demasiados enlaces en su blogroll, consulte nuestra guía sobre cómo añadir enlaces de blogroll en WordPress sin usar un plugin.
Sin embargo, si tiene demasiados enlaces o desea mantener la funcionalidad del blogroll, siga leyendo.
Los enlaces del blogroll se exportan en formato OPML. Es un formato XML que le permite exportar e importar sus enlaces y categorías de enlaces. Tus enlaces de WordPress.com tienen un archivo OPML enlazado en una dirección como esta:
http://example.wordpress.com/wp-links-opml.php
Sustituya el ejemplo por el subdominio de su blog WordPress.com.
Si utiliza un dominio personalizado con su sitio web WordPress.com, podrá acceder a su archivo OPML visitando una URL como esta:
http://www.example.com/wp-links-opml.php
Su archivo OPML se abrirá en la ventana de su navegador, y deberá guardarlo en su escritorio. Pulsa CTRL+S (Comando+S en Mac) para guardar el archivo en tu ordenador.
Ahora que tienes una copia de seguridad de tus enlaces de WordPress.com, el siguiente paso es importarlos a WordPress. Sin embargo, WordPress auto-alojado no tiene un gestor de enlaces activado / activo por defecto.
Tendrás que instalar y activar el plugin Link Manager. La página del plugin dice que no ha sido actualizado en muchos años. Eso es porque no ha necesitado actualización, y puedes instalar este plugin con confianza.
Una vez activado, el plugin añadirá un nuevo elemento / artículo en su barra de administrador de WordPress llamado ‘Enlaces’.
A continuación, debe instalar y activar el plugin OPML Importer. Este plugin activa una nueva herramienta de importación que le permite importar enlaces de blogroll.
Para activarlo, debe visitar la página Herramientas ” Importar y hacer clic en el enlace “Ejecutar importador” situado debajo del importador de Blogroll.
En la página del importador de Blogroll, deberá subir el archivo OPML que guardó anteriormente.
Haga clic en el botón “Elegir archivo” para seleccionar el archivo y, a continuación, haga clic en el botón “Importar archivo OPML” para continuar.
WordPress importará sus enlaces y categorías de enlaces desde el archivo OPML.
Podrá ver el progreso y, al finalizar, verá el mensaje de correcto.
Paso 5: Establecer su blog de WordPress.com como privado
Ahora, si no quieres redirigir a tus antiguos usuarios a tu nuevo sitio, este será tu último paso.
En primer lugar, visita el escritorio de WordPress.com de tu antiguo blog. En el menú de la izquierda, haz clic en Ajustes “ Menú general y desplázate hasta la sección “Privacidad”.
A continuación, selecciona la opción “Privado” y haz clic en el botón “Guardar ajustes”.
Esto hará que tu antiguo blog de WordPress.com sea privado, y solo será visible para ti o para otros usuarios conectados que apruebes.
Atención: Si llevas tiempo escribiendo y tienes un público fiel, no tiene sentido dejarles colgados.
Además, si su blog lleva tiempo en la red, es probable que esté indexado en Google y otros motores de búsqueda.
Puede mantener todas las posiciones en los motores de búsqueda y redirigir fácilmente a sus antiguos usuarios a su nuevo blog siguiendo el paso 6 (muy recomendable si su sitio está establecido).
Paso 6: Redirigir a los visitantes y preservar el SEO
Redirigir a los usuarios a la nueva ubicación con la cabecera 301 es una solución estándar para mantener los rankings de búsqueda mientras se traslada un sitio de un lugar a otro.
Dado que no tiene acceso al archivo .htaccess de WordPress.com, no puede realizar ningún cambio para conservar la posición en los motores de búsqueda.
Sin embargo, WordPress.com ofrece una característica de actualización de pago llamada “Redirección del sitio”, que proporciona esta funcionalidad.
Sólo tiene que ir a la página Redireccionamiento del sitio. Si tiene varios sitios en WordPress.com, se le preguntará a cuál desea redirigir.
En la siguiente pantalla, se le pedirá que indique el nombre de dominio al que desea redirigir a los visitantes. Introduzca el nombre de dominio de su nuevo sitio WordPress.org y haga clic en el botón Ir.
Nota: La redirección del sitio es una actualización de pago y cuesta 13 $ al año. Añadirá una redirección 301, que redirige a los visitantes de tu blog WordPress.com y a los motores de búsqueda a tu nuevo sitio.
Algunos se preguntarán: ¿durante cuánto tiempo debo seguir pagando por esta característica de redirección fuera del sitio web?
La respuesta es todo el tiempo que quiera. Sin embargo, dos años sería tiempo suficiente para que tus antiguos usuarios memorizaran tu nuevo nombre de dominio.
Si va a cambiar de dominio, otra cosa que debe hacer es actualizar todas las URL de las entradas. Si alguna vez enlazaste tus entradas, esos enlaces deben ser actualizados. Puede utilizar nuestro artículo sobre cómo actualizar las URL al mover su sitio de WordPress.
Si tienes un dominio personalizado en WordPress.com, no tienes que preocuparte de nada. Simplemente cambia el registro DNS a tu alojamiento y conservarás todas las ventajas SEO.
Preguntas más frecuentes (FAQ)
Escribimos la primera versión de este artículo en enero de 2013. Desde entonces, hemos recibido montones de preguntas fantásticas. Hemos respondido a muchas de ellas por correo electrónico o en comentarios, así que hemos pensado que estaría bien recopilar las más populares en un solo lugar donde todo el mundo pueda verlas.
¿Qué ocurre con mis suscriptores de WordPress.com?
Afortunadamente, WordPress.com te permite migrar tus suscriptores con una condición. Debes utilizar su plugin Jetpack, que añade la misma funcionalidad de suscriptores que tenías en WordPress.com.
Una vez que instales y actives el plugin Jetpack, tendrás que ponerte en contacto con el equipo de WordPress.com y pedirles que migren los suscriptores por ti. Esperamos que en las versiones posteriores de Jetpack esto sea más fácil y los usuarios puedan hacerlo por sí mismos.
¿Pueden ayudarme a pasar de WordPress.com a WordPress.org de forma GRATUITA?
Por supuesto. Ofrecemos la migración desde WordPress.com como parte de nuestro servicio gratuito de instalación de blogs en WordPress. Si necesitas nuestra ayuda, sólo tienes que acceder. Es gratis 
¿Cuáles son los costes de cambiar a WordPress.org?
WordPress es gratuito. Sin embargo, existen unos costes mínimos de alojamiento web. Le recomendamos que lea este artículo sobre: ¿Por qué WordPress es gratis? ¿Cuáles son los costes y cuál es el truco?
Ya he pagado a WordPress.com. ¿Puedo obtener un reembolso?
Sí que puedes. Si has adquirido recientemente un dominio personalizado o un plan de pago de WordPress.com, puedes solicitarles un reembolso completo.
Nota: Los registros de dominio pueden cancelarse en las 48 horas siguientes al registro. Los planes y otras compras pueden cancelarse en los 30 días siguientes a la compra.
¿Se romperán mis imágenes?
No, no lo harán. Al transferir utilizando el archivo de importación, se descargan todas las imágenes adjuntas y se actualiza el enlace.
Sin embargo, hay una advertencia que hemos notado. Si la URL de tus imágenes empieza por archivos.wordpress.com, no se convertirán. Si adviertes que la URL de la imagen no ha cambiado y sigue apuntando a WordPress.com, te recomendamos que utilices el plugin de importación de imágenes externas, que se encargará de ello.
He registrado mi dominio a través de WordPress.com. Todavía puedo mover?
Pues sí. WordPress cree en la capacitación de los usuarios y en darles el control total de su contenido. Si ya tienes un nombre de dominio a través de WordPress.com, lo único que necesitas es una cuenta de alojamiento web.
Te recomendamos que lo establezcas con Bluehost o cualquiera de estos otros proveedores de alojamiento WordPress. Durante la fase de registro, se te preguntará si tienes un dominio o quieres registrar uno nuevo.
Sólo tienes que seleccionar la opción “Tengo un nombre de dominio” e introducir el dominio que registraste en WordPress.com.
Lo siguiente que tendrá que hacer es cambiar los servidores de nombre para que apunten al proveedor de alojamiento. Podemos ayudarle con esto como parte de nuestro servicio de configuración gratuito. También puede pedir soporte a su proveedor de alojamiento web.
¿Se caerá mi sitio web al cambiar?
Si lo hace correctamente, entonces NO. El método que hemos sugerido anteriormente asegurará que su sitio web nunca se caiga. Si está preocupado, sepa que estamos aquí para ayudarle. Puede utilizar nuestro servicio de configuración gratuito en cualquier momento.
¿Puedo añadir una tienda online a mi sitio web WordPress.org?
Sí, puedes añadir fácilmente una tienda online a tu sitio web WordPress.org autoalojado sin ningún coste adicional. Dado que Bluehost y otros alojamientos web populares ofrecen certificados SSL gratuitos, basta con instalar un plugin de comercio electrónico de WordPress para añadir una tienda online.
¿Cuáles son los plugins de WordPress imprescindibles que recomienda?
Ahora que ha cambiado a WordPress.org autoalojado, puede instalar tantos plugins como desee.
Aquí está nuestra selección recomendada:
- AIOSEO – para mejorar el posicionamiento SEO de su sitio web (utilizado por 3 millones de sitios).
- WPForms – para añadir un formulario de contacto inteligente en su sitio web (utilizado por 6 millones de sitios).
- SeedProd – para personalizar fácilmente sus páginas de destino con arrastrar y soltar maquetador – funciona con todos los temas de WordPress.
- MonsterInsights – para ver cómo la gente encuentra y utiliza tu sitio web. Es imprescindible para blogueros y propietarios de pequeñas empresas.
- PushEngage – para conectar con los visitantes después de que abandonen su sitio web.
- Duplicador – para crear copias de seguridad diarias de su nuevo sitio web en caso de emergencia.
- OptinMonster – para ayudarle a conseguir más suscriptores de correo electrónico y tener éxito en su viaje de blogging.
Minientrada, también te recomendamos que eches un vistazo a nuestra selección de plugins para WordPress y herramientas útiles para gestionar y hacer crecer tu blog.
Puedes instalar todos estos plugins desde tu escritorio de WordPress. Hemos creado una guía paso a paso sobre cómo instalar un plugin de WordPress.
Quiero cambiar el tema de WordPress de mi sitio, ¿puedo hacerlo?
Sí, puedes cambiar tu tema de WordPress en cualquier momento. Otra gran ventaja de cambiar a WordPress.org es que dispones de opciones de personalización adicionales y de una mayor colección de temas entre los que elegir.
En la barra lateral del administrador de WordPress, haga clic en el menú desplegable Apariencia y seleccione “Temas” para instalar un tema.
Hemos seleccionado algunos de los mejores temas para ayudar a los usuarios a evitar la parálisis de la elección. Consulta nuestra guía sobre los mejores temas gratuitos para blogs y los mejores temas polivalentes para WordPress.
También puede consultar nuestra guía sobre cómo cambiar correctamente un tema de WordPress.
Esperamos que este artículo te haya ayudado a trasladar correctamente tu blog de WordPress.com a WordPress.org. También puedes consultar nuestra lista de las cosas más importantes que debes hacer después de instalar WordPress y nuestra guía definitiva para aumentar el tráfico de tu blog.
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Pamela Wright says
Incredibly useful article! Your instructions are user-friendly and easy to understand (even for a novice).
I just moved from http://thefilledlocket.wordpress.com to http://www.pamelockets.com in a matter of minutes WITHOUT FRUSTRATION.
Thanks so much!!
Marlene says
Thanks for this post!
I have a question which I didn’t see covered (if it was, sorry for the repeat!).
I have a blog that is currently on WordPress.com, but I registered a domain THROUGH WordPress.com. Now that my blog is growing, I want to switch to WordPress.org. But I want to keep the name “jadeandfern.com”. Since the domain was purchased through wp.com, how do I keep it when switching over?
Editorial Staff says
Marlene,
You would need to purchase hosting through Bluehost or another provider. During the process choose the option to use an existing domain (which would be your domain). Once setup, go to WordPress.com domain management and change the nameservers to point to the hosting provider. Alternatively, you can also transfer the domain out.
Administrador
Piotr Pluta says
Did just that, i.e. got a Bluehost account and used the ‘existing domain’ option. Where do I find the name Bluehost name servers?
Thanks
Editorial Staff says
It is in your email receipt. Usually looks like: ns1.bluehost.com and ns2.bluehost.com
Monica says
Hi!
I have done just what this person has done, I have a nameserver in my receipt, but I am not finding where I input that in the domain menu on WordPress. Help!
Thanks in advance,
Monica
Editorial Staff says
Store > Domain (scroll to the bottom). You should see an option to create a new password along with the customer ID. Create the new password. Then use the customer ID and the new password to login to the domain panel using the link that is also on that page.
Then you will see a Godaddy style domain manager where you would need to click on the domain, and then edit the nameservers.
Holly says
I’m wanting to move to self-hosted (from wordpress.com) and I’m considering the Free WP Blog Setup. I figured there would be less frustration for me.
I’m wondering what the downtime would be for my site. Also, is there a catch?
Editorial Staff says
There is no downtime. The way we do setup, we migrate all the data first, so when you switch the user will either see the new site or the old site (which are both identical). The only thing you have to do is stop publication for 24 hour period
Administrador
Holly says
Thanks! I think it is almost done. The transfer was easy for me and it sounds like it save me a ton of headache that others have experienced. It took me a while to figure out how to change the nameserver but that is done now.
Liz @ I Heart Vegetables says
I’m so excited about this! You guys have made it so simple! I’m just SO scared of accidentally erasing my blog! When I install wordpress.org, to my domain name, is it going to erase everything from my old domain? Or would I still be able to access it at example.wordpress.com just in case something goes wrong? I’m SO scared of losing all my content!
Editorial Staff says
You would still be able to access everything on example.wordpress.com. You are not deleting any old content, so you can revert back at anytime.
Administrador
Alexis Girault says
Hey all,
Thanks for your article, I think it will be very usefull.
Before I start transfering my website, I wanted to know if the theme I am using right now, the designs, and the customizations I made will be saved and transfered too? And if not, if you know any way to do it?
Thanks a lot.
Editorial Staff says
No the themes do not transfer over. You would have to find the theme and install it separately. You would have to re-add the widgets and such as well.
Administrador
Alesis Girault says
Ok thanks, but if the design was free on wordpress.com, is it available too on wordpress.org?
Editorial Staff says
Most of the time it is.
Alexis Girault says
Thank you for your answer.
Can I install the same theme I was using on wordpress.com if it was a free theme? What I mean is, are those themes&designs also available on wordpress.org?
Thank you.
Michael says
Hii. Of all the posts i have read on migration to .org, this is certainly the best by all standards.
I have a similar challenge like Stacey. Firstly what is a nameserver?
Secondly, i have a ….wordpress.com blog. I do not plan on changing anything. I just want to move my contents to .org. In this case, do i have to do any redirect?
Lastly, will my new url end with “.com or .org?
I would really appreciate it if you can help me with these 3 questions the way you have helped other readers of your awesome post.
Bill says
A nameserver is what is used to point a domain to a hosting account. They generally come in pairs and look like this:
ns1.example.com
ns2.example.com
If you have a .com blog you want to host on WordPress.org, you will need a hosting account which means you will need a domain name for hosting. It can end in whatever you wish it to end in. Whether it is whatever.com or whatever.org You have almost total freedom over what domain you register.
The only real redirect you would need to do is to point you domain to your hosting account at the host. Most hosting companies, will do this for you if you register your domain through them.
As far as moving the site, a good web hosting company can move the site for you for free within the first 30 or so days of the account.
Eugenio says
Hi,
Your blog is great! Thanks indeed for your services. So, yesterday I decided to make an affiliations with amazon for my blog http://semanto.me It turned out that you cannot doing untill you’re on WP.COM ; so after looking through the web I finally found your guide. It took 5 hours to start completing successfully the shifting to WP.ORG
-The blog was hosted on wp.com first level domain with a (.me)
– I decided to move the blog on wp.org
– I followed your guide
– I changed the host-name to bluehost (using your cookie)
– the WP.ORG site is on when I digit semanto.me
– this morning I woke up and going to .me site but it redirected me to the old wp.com blog
– so i thought it was about transfering, then I start to do the steps for transfering
– I realized that my . me domain is not supported by bluehost, so I couldn’t transfer the domain to it, but just redirect it
– but now again semanto.me now redirect me again (but slowly) to the new wp.org blog on bluehost
QUESTION:
1 Do I have to make the redirect 301 through wp.com, or change other settings on wp.com ? Like now it’s public, should I turn it back on private through the wp.com dashboard or do other stuff?
2 Also, what I have to do to have a faster access to the contents? (I’ve already put supercache)
3 If bluehost doesn’t allow the transfer of the domain .me; should I keep my domain with wp.com or should I change host ? (consider that I’ve already payed a 3 year subscription with bluehost, so I cannot move to another host again and keep all in the same place)
4 What is the best plugin to manage Amazon affiliations (I’d like to change the link if my visitor is from EU (UK; IT; SP; FR; DE) – or in US)
Thanks for your support!
Best,
Eugenio
Editorial Staff says
The best way to do this would be to change the nameservers and point that to Bluehost. It’s upto you to leave the domain at WP.com or move to another more affordable registrar like NameCheap or Godaddy.
Administrador
Eugenio says
Thanks, I’ll do it before the expiring date….
I know it’s OT, but:
– what I have to do to have a faster access to the contents? (I’ve already put supercache)
– What is the best plugin to manage Amazon affiliations (I’d like to change the link if my visitor is from EU (UK; IT; SP; FR; DE) – or in US)
Best,
Eugenio
Editorial Staff says
Speed optimization is a very broad subject. It has to do with the plugins, themes, and the server. All 3 can have an impact on your performance. As for amazon plugins, we can’t recommend any that changes links for each country.
Raj says
I have already moved my wordpress.com blog to self hosted domain. But I am unable to add plugins and other stuufs.
Shall I move my original blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org?
OR what should I do?
Editorial Staff says
Custom domain upgrade doesn’t enable plugins. You have to move to a self-hosted WordPress site which requires following this process.
Administrador
Barbara Hughes says
Hello!
I just successfully moved a rather massive blog from wordpress.com to my own domain on Hostgator. It turns out that I couldn’t do it without Hostgator’s advice, through numerous emails with their Migration expert.
The problem I encountered was that the blog is darn large, so that it didn’t get imported in one try. I tried twice and still nothing changed on the new blog, except that I did notice images getting imported. They just weren’t attached to any posts.
Unlike your instructions, which say that the maximum file size is 2MB, when I went to import, WordPress told me my maximum file size is 64MB. Since my XML file was only 5.8 MB, I figured I was good to go.
But when it didn’t work, I panicked and tried to get help from Hostgator. They told me the best thing to do would be to have them import the file for me. Also, unlike your instructions, they do NOT offer temporary lifting of their size restrictions on shared servers. They do that only for dedicated servers.
When they got to my ticket and offered to import the file, they told me that they’d also have to install a fresh version of WordPress… but I had just done that! Not only that, I had already begun to modify the new theme. So that wasn’t an option. Then the expert told me something. She said, “The upload max filesize is 64MB. However this doesn’t mean that the size of the import file was not a factor when it did not import correctly. Sometimes an import needs to be attempted multiple times before all data is successfully imported. This has more to do with the PHP memory limit, which is 256MB on shared plans. When an import has succeeded, WordPress will print, “All done. Have fun!” If this output never occurs then the import needs to be re-attempted.
I ended up doing the import myself, and I lost track of how many times I tried after 10+. It took maybe 15 attempts to reimport the whole blog. Each time, I could see that new data was being added (in this case, a massive number of images) as the importer did its thing, so I could tell that progress was being made and I just needed to persevere.
So I think that you’d really be doing your readers a service if you addressed the issue of very large blogs. You should emphasize that it may take many multiples of attempts to import, and might have more to do with the PHP MEMORY LIMIT on shared hosting, rather than on any file size limits. You should also alert people to the fact that the message “All done. Have fun!” is output when the process is complete. Because I didn’t know these things in advance, I panicked unnecessarily. Your instructions make it sound like this is just a one-two click and you’re done process. It IS simple, but make sure people know what to expect in terms of how many times they’ll have to keep doing it, and there’s nothing wrong if they do!
Additionally, I would suspect that more hosts than just Hostgator will refuse to temporarily lift any size restrictions on shared hosting.
Thanks for listening!
Paul Brodie says
Thank you for this comment Barbara!
I followed these instructions and after I clicked import it sat for a while and then the main screen in the dashboard went blank. The toolbar remained, so I assumed it was done importing. I started clicking around and customizing things and found that only my first two months of archived posts came over to display, but all of my posts and pages were accessible through the dashboard. I reread the instructions here and then the comments. Your comment comforted my fears.
I reran the import, and as my xml file isn’t very large (just under 2MB) it took on the second try.
Thank you very much, you saved me a lot of hassle!
Barbara Hughes says
I’m glad at least one person was helped by my comment, Paul!
It would be great if they changed their instructions here on this page, because obviously this is iimportant enough to include… but they haven’t done it yet, so I hope others find this. It’s a simple enough problem to solve, but if you don’t know enough to expect it, you’ll go through a ton of hassle like I did!
Barbara Hughes says
OK… I need to know what’s going on. I have followed every instruction to the letter. I set up a new installation of WordPress on my domain, I exported from wordpress.com and imported to my new domain. I chose to export ALL CONTENT and all attachments. The XML file that was created took almost no time to download, and the file size is 5,981 KB. This is for posts that go all the way back to August 2010.
The result of importing is that I have 339 images that are unattached, and no posts, no categories, no nothing. The importing took about 5 minutes. The dialog box I was shown said my maximum file size was 64 MB, not 2 MB.
I don’t understand. I followed each step so carefully. Where is everything?
Editorial Staff says
Did you get the error before that sais unable to import author? Usually this happens when the export file is corrupted in WordPress.com. Out of all the users we have helped, 3 have had this issue. For one user, we were able to import the content by importing one post type at a time. So we import only posts, then only pages, etc.
For another user, we turned on Jetpack, and the importer magically worked fine.
For the third user, we were unable to get it to work. We sent an email to WordPress.com, and never heard back.
WPBeginner is an unofficial resource site, and we are not connected to WordPress.com (automattic). We hope that one of the tricks above works for you. IF not, then try getting in touch with support folks at WordPress.com
Administrador
Barbara Hughes says
Hello!
I did not see this message prior to writing my message above, which resolved my problems. I do feel that you need to modify your instructions slightly to account for situations like mine.
Thank you for posting these instructions!
John McAndrew says
Can I have more than 1 wp.org site I have 1 wp.org website, and 1 wp.com blog can I move the blog to an additional wp.org website both have self hosted domains. I also have purchased a third address which I would like one of the sites to link to. Am I expecting too much?
Editorial Staff says
Yes you can
Administrador
Dwayne says
I am planning to learn WordPress this summer and thought it would be a good opportunity to start blogging and basically chronicle my adventure. The next step i think would be to create my portfolio with WordPress and migrate to that site instead of WordPress.com. The thought came of how i would migrate those blog postings to the new site when the time came. I went googling for answers and found your post. Thanks for the info and i shall now be adding this link to Delicious
Editorial Staff says
Always a pleasure to help Dwayne. Let us know if we could help any further.
Administrador
Theresa Frederick says
I recently changed from host gator to a new company which i thought was a hosting company. At hostgator i was using Joomla which i paid someone to set up for me. At this new company i got word press and it is much easier to use. The problem is that it is set up as a blogging site and i want a website with blogging facilities which is different.
I want static pages etc but the new hosting company says it is not just a hosting company but it offers other services which i accept but in my site some of the things have been disable e.g. i cannot import plugins, export anything, background and header are removed, you cannot change or customize themes, there is no colour wheel to name a few.
This is what i am looking for – a theme that will allow me to have widgets on some pages and not others so i can run it as a website, someone to help me transfer my website to this new theme and web hosting. i do not understand the conversation with .org or com but i was concerned in that some one of them said you were not allowed plugings- i need to be able to download plugins that i require. can you recommend something for me.
Editorial Staff says
Hey Theresa,
Which hosting company did you switch to? Yes, you need to have WordPress.org to get everything that you are looking for.
You would also have to use Widget Logic or another plugin of that sort to control which widget shows up where.
Administrador
Mellers says
quick question:
I have a custom domain name with my wp.com account, so would I still need a re-direct method if I’m not changing it?
Editorial Staff says
No you don’t need the redirect option. You would simply change the nameservers on your domain.
Administrador
maaike says
great post! it helped me to make the desicion to finally move ;-).
and the move went very well! Exactly as you described and so easy!!
Thanks!
Only thing I am not sure about is how to move my existing followers…
Editorial Staff says
Use Jetpack and then ask WordPress.com to transfer the followers.
Administrador
maaike says
Thanks.
It worked perfectly that way!
:-))
Viney Dhiman says
thanks for the tutorial, but I’m looking for tutorial about How to import and make 301 redirection from one WordPress blog to another without loosing any ranking
if you have anytutorial on that please share with me a link
Saima says
I’ve done all of the above for my blog LDNshopaholic.com – apart from the make this private – is this a must?
I can’t figure out how being self-hosted has made a difference, my admin login just takes me to wordpress.com and logs me in as it did before I did any of this.
Any help would be much appreciated!
Thanks
Editorial Staff says
Hey Saima,
While your admin panel will look similar, it is definitely different. You should be seeing a new menu like Plugins. You should also see more features under other menus as well. As for making it private, it is not necessary. However if you care about SEO, then it is. The best solution is to get offsite redirect from WP.com unless you were using the same domain. If you were using the same domain, then you are good to go.
Administrador
Fifi says
Hi guys, thanks for the tutorials. I’m in the process too and need a little clarification.
When I purchased a subdomain update (premium) for my blog, I got offered a free .com site. What I need is a .com site that allows me to upload and use wordpress plugins. Should I go ahead and accept this and then point this new .com site to the old one?
1. Will doing this change my address to mysitename.com automatically or is there more I need to do?
2. Will I be able to use plugins with this new mysitename.com?
Thanks in advance
Editorial Staff says
Even if you get the .com upgrade from WordPress.com, you still will NOT be able to use plugins.
Administrador
Rachel says
Hello. Great tutorial! If I sign up with Bluehost with you, you will transfer for me for FREE? Can I use a theme of my choice if I choose to have you transfer? Thanks!
Editorial Staff says
Yes, you can use the theme of your choice.
Administrador
Bill says
What about themes? Is there any way to move the theme over if I bought one that I am using on wp.com?
Editorial Staff says
Unfortunately that is not possible. However most paid themes that are available on WordPress.com are usually available to purchase for WordPress.org as well. You would have to repurchase the theme.
Administrador
Stacey says
Thank you – this is the most helpful tutorial I’ve read. I have one important question before I go through with it though. My current blog is hosted on WordPress.com. I understand one option is to redirect, but instead can I move my blog to WordPress.org and keep the same domain name/URL? (In other words, I have http://www.staceyalevine.com – can I keep that and move it to wordpress.org?) Thank you!
Editorial Staff says
Yes you can keep that same domain. All you have to do is change the nameservers to the new host.
Administrador
Erin says
Thanks for a great tutorial! I had been putting off a transfer thinking it would take a long time, but it was pretty straight forward.
I had my own domain and just transferred the name servers over. I’m still waiting for the changes to propogate, but I had a question on my images. I had all my images hosted through wordpress.com previously. I chose to export then import into my new wordpress.org hosted site – what happens if someone was linking to my images from the wordpress site or they were indexed in google images. Would these show up as broken images. Do I need to do the redirect service so this won’t happen?
Thanks!
Editorial Staff says
During the export/import, all images are migrated. Since you are using the same domain, nothing will break.
Administrador
Candace Jo says
Help! I have my own domain name and host through blue host. Transferring my blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org I am all set to complete the process but I do not know what to do to shut down the .com ? I am confused! Please help! Thank you!
Editorial Staff says
The best course of action is to do a off-site redirect to preserve the SEO rankings.
Administrador
Brandi Domin says
Hello, I have a couple of questions. I just purchased Bluehost account. I currently already have a WordPress blog thehealthyflavor.com. I want to change my theme and just simply transfer everything currently to the new design/theme which is a WordPress upgraded theme. Do I do this before I do the whole WordPress install transfer thing to self-hosting? Or do I do it all after I transfer?
Also, I’m no longer going to use thehealthyflavor.com but instead TheVegan8.com which I just got today when I purchased a Bluehost account…I selected purchase a new domain.
How do I transfer a new theme and new domain name without messing everything up…basically what order do I do this in? Thank you so much!
Editorial Staff says
You would follow the same steps. In the last steps, simply point the old domain to the new one.
Administrador
Steve Scroggs says
What if you first downloaded wordpress.org and then later connected with free wordpress.com?
do i have to go through all of the same steps to put is all back under the .org?
Thanks for your insight.
Shirsha says
Great tutorial. Helped me immensely with my move from wordpress.com to wordpress.org.
I do have a couple of questions though – I purchased the site redirect package and now if you type in the old blog name, it redirects you to the new site, which is fine. However, I still get emails saying “XYZ subscribed to the [Old Blog Name]”. Is that normal? Shouldn’t the messages be reading as “XYZ subscribed to the [New Blog Name]?
Also, since I have purchased the site redirect package, should I be making my wp.com blog private or even opting for search engines to not index the site?
Editorial Staff says
The redirect upgrade takes care of everything. If you connect your new site with Jetpack, you can ask the WordPress.com staff to move your subscribers to the new site.
Administrador
Julio Moreno says
This is what I did:
I signed up for Dreamhost and clicked that I already owned a domain (so I didn’t get a new domain). I have already purchased (travelworldheritage.com) from wordpress.com.
Then I did a wordpress.org install. When it asked what domain, I picked the one I already owned. [Currently, I am still updating and working on the site through wordpress.com.]
I got a link through my email that the installation was successful, but when I click on that link, it directs me to my old subdomained site (http://juliosworldmarvels.wordpress.com/wp-admin/install.php) website which isn’t even the one I use now since I bought a domain. It also says “oops that page cannot be found.”
I am super confused.
1) I can still update my site through wordpress.com. But my dreamhost account says that the site is not “fully hosted.” Which site really is hosting my site right now?
2) Why don’t the links that dreamhost sent me work? Did I miss something?
Editorial Staff says
You cannot work and update the site from WordPress.com. The moment you decide to switch, you have to stop all updates. Download the export file. Point the DNS of your domain to your hosting provider in this case (Dreamhost). Then install WordPress and import everything. Once done, your site is ready to use.
From this point on, you will login to your site to manage and do updates (not WordPress.com).
Administrador
Ann says
Thank you, thank you, thank you so much for this! My current webhost is Namecheap. I would love to switch over to Bluehost because I keep hearing such great things about it. Is there an easy way to do that?
Thanks again for your time!
ke wang says
hi, thanks for your tutorial!
i have couple questions.
1, i ow a domain of my old wordpress.com site. how can i transfer it to my new wordpress.org site? i got the domain from godaddy.
2. i paid $99 for that wordpress.com site. can i get it back?
thanks for you help.
Editorial Staff says
Hey,
1. All you have to do is point the nameservers on your Godaddy account to your new host (Bluehost, or whichever one you decide to go with). They will be able to assist you with that.
2. You can ask them to see if they would refund you, but we cannot make any guarantees.
Administrador
Allie says
So right now I have a wordpress.com site (www.lovexcess.net) & as you can see, I’ve purchased a custom domain from wordpress.com. I’m now wondering… doesn’t that make wordpress.com my host? or do I need an additional host? I’m confused. I want to transfer for more customization of my website. I want the same domain name also.
Editorial Staff says
Yes that makes WordPress.com your host, but as a host they have restrictions. They are not like other web hosts that give you full control. If you want more customization, then you would have to find a new host. Yes, you can use the same domain on the new host like Bluehost.
Administrador
Eliz says
Hello, great tutorial. Very clear. Thank you.
Question: I was confused about one thing. Do I have to use the Offsite redirect feature if I am transferring the exact domain name like http://www.blogsite.com from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. Also, would I still need to set my site on wordpress.com to private if I am using the same domain?
I haven’t even started my blog yet, I’m just doing all my research first. Deciding on wordpress.com or wordpress.org.
Thank you!
Editorial Staff says
You don’t need the offsite redirect if you are transferring custom domain like yoursite.com.
Administrador
Lucila says
Hello
And i had posts with more than a 100 likes. Is it possible to transfer also this to .org?
Tks a lot for the tutorial. I have transfer my blog to .org and everything seems to be ok, unless the “likes” and “twitts” i had on every post (the number of them) had all gone
Editorial Staff says
Hey Lucila,
If you were using the subdomain and have switched to your own domain now, then yes you will lose the tweets. If you are on the same domain, then you shouldn’t lose them. As for Likes, you would need to use the Jetpack plugin, and contact the WordPress.com staff to see if they would be able to move all your subscribers and likes from the .com account to .org account that is using Jetpack.
Administrador
Lucila says
Tks a lot for ur answer.
daisy says
Hello,
Thank you for the post.
There is something I’m not sure I understand though:
If I want a custom design (editing CSS or changing theme to a theme that isn’t on the WordPress.com site) I will have to pay anyway ?
I mean, if I stay on wp.com, I’ll have to pay for tweaking my code.
Besides, if I go to wp.org, I’ll have to pay for a hosting.
So basically I’ll have to pay any way.
Sorry this is confusing I’m still young and english is not my native language so I may have done some mistakes
Editorial Staff says
Hey Daisy,
With WordPress.com, you are limited to the themes that they have made available. With WordPress.org, you can get many other free themes. If you get commercial themes, then yes you have to pay. However, you don’t have to pay anything to modify an existing theme. You can also modify much more than just CSS.
Just to modify an existing theme’s CSS, you have to pay WordPress.com for that upgrade.
Yes, you will have to pay for hosting. But for most small sites, a simple $3.95 / month plan of Bluehost would work. Let’s say you use WordPress.com, buy their custom domain ($17 per year), pay for ad-free option ($29.97 per year), and get custom design upgrade ($30 per year). That total is $76.97, and you are still not in full control.
For WordPress.org, you can use Bluehost (officially recommended by WordPress) which costs $3.95 per month so $47.4 per year, and it includes a free domain name.
You are also free to place all type of advertisement on your site and earn money.
Administrador
Amy says
But what if you bought your domain name for the 18 or $26 a year? Do you still have to pay that after transferring to wordpress.org?? Or do you only have to pay the Bluehost fee? I just don’t understand the domain transfer, how do I do it with Bluehost?? Thanks!! -Amy
Editorial Staff says
I believe there is a transfer fee. You can ask the Bluehost folks to confirm it.
-Syed
vecoya says
Do the stats (blog hits) transfer when you export your blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org?
Editorial Staff says
No they do not.
Administrador
vecoya says
Okay thanks. I may wait and pay for the guided transfer. While I was waiting on your reply, I found under the WP Guided Transfer FAQ that the stats do transfer. I also asked BlueHost if the stats transfer and they indicated that they do. I wonder what’s the difference between the stats transferring and not transferring …… maybe it’s if you take the export route.
Pete says
Hi guys,
Just wondering if you do the transfer to wpengine – because I can’t find that option in the drop down menu when selecting the web host? Cheers
Editorial Staff says
No we do not.
Administrador
Paul Mountney says
I have a question about the sign up process with BlueHost.com. I’ve got a domain name for my website, but i haven’t purchased it yet. I’m on the page where you pay for the service, and it has the line that shows the $3.95 charge for the monthly fee, plus 4 other, what i would call options, that you can pay for. It works out to about $85-90 a year, which isn’t that much, considering all they offer. I’m nervous about signing up for something like this that i’m not too sure about.
OK, my question is: do i absolutely need all those other things to make my website active online, or can i go without them and get them later?
Editorial Staff says
Hey Paul,
You don’t need any of the upsells. You simply need the hosting and that’s it.
Administrador
Sandy says
Great tutorial. I think I did it right. The question I have right now (and there may be more), will the WordPress.com blog “go away?” Right now, when I try to go to my new WordPress.org site, it just takes me to the old .com one. Did I do something wrong, or do I just need to wait a while for everything to get into place. I just did the transfer, using BlueHost, half an hour ago.
Thank you,
Sandy
Editorial Staff says
Hey Sandy,
Did you change the DNS (name server) of your domain? That can take from few hours upto 48 hours to propagate.
Administrador
Sandy says
No, I kept the same custom domain name that I had (purchased a few months ago) at WordPress.com. Maybe I should give it a day or two?
Thanks for your reply,
Sandy
Sandy says
Okay, I knew I should have let you all do the moving of my blog from WP.com to WP.org. I think I’ve really messed it up.
It still takes me to the old .com blog when I type in the URL (somewhereinthesand.com), and it’s now a day later. Also, the posts do not show on the Home page of the new site (they did yesterday), and some of the other things I did yesterday are not showing.
I would really appreciate any help I can get. I’m sorry to be such a pain.
Thank you so much,
Sandy
Editorial Staff says
You are more than welcome to hire us to do this for you
MArk says
Hi, I am fairly new to all this, but confused about one point. I currently have a blog running on wordpress.com http://serenephotographyblog.wordpress.com I never know of the differences between .com and .org until a few days ago. I managed to download wampserver and wordpress.org and have it all set up, with a new database but not sure if it is live online or even the http.
I get the export thing from .com to .org but you mentioned hosting.
I am not sure about this and would really need a bit of help.
1 I dont know if my wordpress.com site already has a custom domain name. All i did was sign up with log in details, I have not bought anything from .com
2 is wampserver a hosting company, for I have it installed on localhost (hope im making sense here, sorry) and database set up for new wordpress.org, but it is different files from my .com
Basically I have installed wordpress through wampserver looking to transfer my .com to .org but not sure if i have a custom domain name or if I have a hosting company?
Sorry if this all sounds foolish, but its genuine confusion on my part.
Many thanks
Mark
Editorial Staff says
Hey Mark,
First of all no question is a stupid one. All of your concerns are fairly common and others have them too.
1. No, you do not have a custom domain name. A custom domain name looks like wpbeginner.com. What you have is called a subdomain which looks like xyz.wordpress.com
2. Yes, you will need a web hosting company. WAMP is a local server (i.e not connected to the internet). So only you can see your site. With web hosting, anyone in the world with internet access can see your site. Developers use WAMP or other local servers for testing and development purposes.
https://www.wpbeginner.com/wordpress-hosting/ << Here is an article that will explain more about hosting. https://www.wpbeginner.com/how-to-install-wordpress/ << Here is an article on how to easily install WordPress
Administrador
Mark says
Hi Guys, many thanks for you reply. That has clarified a lot for me. Have signed up with bluehost and got domain, so the fun probably begins here!!
Take care and your site is amazing, thank you again
Jared says
Hi, I read that if you currently have private domain registration and you plan to transfer your blog and domain to wordpress.org, then you need to take your registration off private before you transfer your blog/domain?
Editorial Staff says
Yes that is correct.
Administrador
Pete says
Thankyou for this article. I have a custom domain from wordpress.com, so just to double-check… does your free setup service from wordpress.com to wordpress.org transfer this domain to the new wordpress.org site? I also want to keep my SEO and search ranking so do I need to purchase the site redirect or is that part of the setup service as well? Cheers
Editorial Staff says
Pete,
Yes we can help with that.
Administrador
Pete says
Cheers, I’ve noticed that you recommend WPEngine as a Host provider, but it’s not actually an option in the drop-down menu for ‘Which host did you sign up with?’
Zane says
Thank you for the useful article. I have 2 beginner questions concerning themes. If I have a free wordpress.com site that I move to self hosted site with wordpress.org, would the wordpress.com ad still be displayed at the bottom of the page?
Also, if I am using a wordpress.com theme, won’t that theme still have its customization limitations that are imposed by wordpress.com’s free service? Or would I have to pick a new theme altogether? It doesn’t appear that the library of available themes is the same with wp.com and wp.org.
Editorial Staff says
Hey Zane,
1. When you switch, the WordPress.com ads will no longer be there. You would be free to add your own ads if you choose to.
2. If that theme is available on .org, then you would be able to use/customize it in any way you want. If it is not available for .org, then you would have to find another theme.
Administrador
erricgunawan says
One other thing bothering when moving from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress is replacing the old URLs in the post content to the new URL domain.
Here’s some tricks to overcome that:
http://www.wikihow.com/Move-a-Wordpress-Blog-From-One-Domain-and-Host-to-Another
http://gabrielharper.com/blog/2012/10/replace-changed-url-in-wordpress-posts/
Or these plugins also could be useful:
– Search & Replace
– Velvet Blues Update URLs
*Hope this won’t end in spam since I’ve posted some links
Editorial Staff says
Updated the article
Can’t believe we didn’t interlink one of our older articles that covered this 
Administrador
War Julian says
Thank you so much for this post!
I’m a newbie yet I did it all perfectly because of your tutorial!
Michael says
I’m confused. I successfully made this whole switch thing so I could (eventually) monetize my site. But I didn’t go from wordless.com to wordpress.org
i went from
talespinsbooks.wordpress.com to talespinsbooks.com (The latter has a web
Is this the same thing? Thanks!
Michael says
sorry – typo!
“But I didn’t go from wordpress.com to wordpress.org … “
Editorial Staff says
Yes it is the same thing.
Administrador
Danasia Fantastic says
Once you transfer your wordpress.com blog to your wordpress.org blog is the wordpress.com posts automatically published or can you pick and choose what to put up?
Editorial Staff says
All of your posts will be transferred over as they were on WordPress.com. So if they were published, then they will be transferred over as a published post (with the right published on date, comments, images, and everything).
Administrador
Muhammed Abdullahi Tosin says
Thanks for this post. As you advised, if the Offsite Redirect is terminated after 2 years, the site viewers should have noted the new URL. But what happens to the pagerank?
Editorial Staff says
Google too would have transferred all the URL juice by then. But again, if you are worried, then you can keep it for as long as you want.
Administrador
Asif Billah says
I have allso moved a wordpress this way. Only thing you have to remember is, that images dont allways gets exported.
Barbara says
Hmmm… Moderator, can you comment on this please? Under what circumstances would images not get exported? Thank you!
Editorial Staff says
All images gets imported from what we see unless you are linking to external images (i.e flickr image) because those external images stay on their respective sites.
Administrador
Ryan Naylor says
Excellent tutorial. Good deal on the bluehost service too…they were the first hosting company I chose years ago and still prefer them over others because of their support staff.
M Asif Rahman says
Nice and neat guide, nothing could go wrong for a new WP user now.
zimbrul says
Moving WordPress site is a difficult business. I always relied on manual handling rather than on plugins. But to move a site with everything and preserve its functionality looks to me like a hit and miss thing.
I think would be very interesting to have a series of articles about moving WordPress blof form local server to a live server, moving WordPress from one server to another server preserving the domain and moving to another domain and another server, etc.
What I find tricky is the part with the database: renaming database and stuff and disabling and enabling cache plugins.
Editorial Staff says
Moving from WordPress.com to self-hosted is not that hard. The tutorial above shows you exactly how to do it. The sites you are talking about are not simple like WP.com sites which is why it can be tricky.
Administrador
zack says
I have had problems in the past with importing large amounts of images. On several different hosts, and with upload limits changed accordingly, the import would hang aftef a few hundred images. I solved this by installing a local wordpress installation and iimporting my images to it.
Editorial Staff says
Thank you for sharing your experience because it will be handy for those who run into that issue. From our experience when we have migrated blogs from WordPress.com, we simply ask the host to temporarily increase the upload limit. This takes care of most problems.
Administrador