How to Import / Export WordPress Theme Customizer Settings

Have you spent hours getting your WordPress theme to look just right, only to realize you have to do it all over again for another website?

Trust us, we’ve been there! It’s a problem we see all the time while helping people with their WordPress sites.

But don’t worry, you don’t have to rebuild everything from scratch.

Since we spend our days tinkering with WordPress themes and helping beginners like you, we’ve discovered some helpful techniques.

We’ll show you the easy way to save your theme settings and use them on any site you want.

Why Import / Export Customizer Settings in WordPress?

The main reason to export customizer settings is to save time. Instead of manually configuring colors and layouts on a new site, you can simply upload a file to apply the exact same design instantly.

Here are the most common situations where this comes in handy:

• Moving Local to Live: If you designed your site on a local server (localhost), you can easily move those settings to your live website.
• Site Migrations: When moving a WordPress site to a new domain, this ensures your theme settings transfer correctly without data loss.
• Creating Backups: It allows you to save a snapshot of your current design before making major changes or updates.
• Sharing Designs: If you created a custom child theme, you can export the settings to share your design with other developers or users.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to easily import / export theme customizer settings in WordPress.

How to Import / Export WordPress Customizer Settings

First, you need to install and activate the Customize Export/Import plugin on both sites where you want to export/import. For more details, see our step-by-step guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, visit the Appearance » Customize page from the WordPress dashboard of the website you want to export from.

From here, click on the ‘Export/Import’ panel in the left column to open further settings.

Next, click the ‘Export’ button to download your customizer settings and send them to your browser in a .dat file.

The plugin will export your core theme settings, such as colors, layout options, and header media.

However, it’s important to know what is not included in the export file. You will need to set up the following items separately:

• Navigation Menus
• Widgets
• Site Title and Tagline
• Content like posts and pages

Now, to import customizer settings, head over to the WordPress site where you want to import these settings.

From here, visit the Appearance » Customize page from the WordPress admin sidebar and click on the Export/Import panel.

After that, click on the ‘Choose file’ button under the ‘Import’ section to select the file you exported earlier.

You also need to check the box next to the ‘Download and import image files?’ option to import the header and other image files.

Next, click on the ‘Import’ button to start uploading the customizer settings from your export file.

Once it is finished, you can review your changes in the customizer and then click on the ‘Save & Publish’ button to make those changes live.

Bonus Tip: How to Separately Import / Export Navigation Menus

If you have multiple WordPress sites, then you may want to transfer the navigation menu from one site to the other. You can easily do this using the WPS Menu Exporter plugin.

Upon plugin installation, visit the Tools » Export page from the WordPress dashboard. Here, simply check the ‘Navigation Menu Items’ option and click the ‘Download Export File’ button.

Once you do that, your navigation menu will be stored as an .xml file on your computer. You can then import the navigation menu to the new site by visiting the Tools » Import page.

Under the ‘WordPress’ option, you will first need to click the ‘Install Now’ link. After a moment, the link will change to ‘Run Importer.’ Go ahead and click ‘Run Importer’ to proceed.

This will take you to a new screen where you can import the navigation menu file.

Simply click the ‘Choose File’ button and select the .xml file you downloaded earlier. Then, click the ‘Upload file and import’ button.

You have now successfully imported and exported a navigation menu on your new WordPress site.

For detailed instructions, see our tutorial on how to import/export the navigation menu in WordPress.

Frequently Asked Questions About Importing/Exporting WordPress Theme Customizer Settings

Having helped thousands of WordPress users, we’ve heard just about every question there is about moving theme settings. Here are the answers to some of the most common ones.

Does the Customize Export/Import plugin work with all WordPress themes?

Yes, this plugin works with most classic themes that use the standard WordPress Theme Customization API.

However, it may not work with modern Block Themes (FSE). These themes typically use the Site Editor and theme.json file instead of the Customizer API.

Will importing theme settings affect my posts, pages, or widgets?

No, the plugin is built to only handle settings saved within the Theme Customizer. It will not alter your website’s content, such as posts, pages, navigation menus, or widgets.

Can I use this plugin to create a backup of my theme settings?

Absolutely. Exporting your settings is a great way to create a quick backup before you make significant changes or update your theme.

If something goes wrong, you can just import the .dat file to restore your previous configuration.

What’s the difference between exporting customizer settings and using a full backup plugin?

Exporting customizer settings only saves your theme’s appearance options, like colors and layouts.

A full backup plugin like Duplicator saves your entire site, including posts, plugins, and the database, which is vital for complete site restoration.

We hope this article helped you learn how to import/export theme customizer settings in WordPress. You may also want to see our beginner’s guide on how to use the WordPress theme customizer like a pro and our comparison of Thrive Architect vs Divi vs Elementor.

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