Do you want to move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org? Many beginners often start with WordPress.com soon realize its limitations and want to switch to the self-hosted WordPress.org platform. In this step by step guide, we will show you how to properly move your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
Why Move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
WordPress.com allows anyone to start a blog by creating an account. However, beginners soon realize that there are a lot of limitations on their free WordPress.com blog like limited ability to monetize, can’t install plugins, third-party ads on your users, etc.
This is why users soon switch to the more powerful and popular self-hosted WordPress.org platform.
To understand the differences between the two platforms, see our full comparison of WordPress.com vs WordPress.org.
We recommend using WordPress.org, because it gives you complete ownership of your website and 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 take a look at how to properly migrate your blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
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 using Bluehost because they are one of the largest hosting companies in the world, and they an officially recommended WordPress hosting provider.
They are also offering WPBeginner users a free domain name and 60% discount on web hosting. Basically, you can get started for $2.75 / month (and this also includes free SSL).
→ Click Here to Claim This Exclusive Bluehost Offer ←
If your WordPress site already has a custom domain name, then you will still need web hosting. Go ahead and signup with Bluehost and under the domain step, add your blog domain. We will show you how to keep the same domain while transferring from WordPress.com to WordPress.org without losing search rankings in the later steps.
Aside from the hosting account, you will of course need access to your WordPress.com account, so you can easily move all of your posts, pages, images, comments, and other data over to your self-hosted WordPress site.
Bonus Free Offer: Since a lot of you asked for this, we are now offering free migration service from WordPress.com to WordPress.org as part of our free WordPress blog setup service. This means one of our expert team member 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 are someone who likes learning and doing things yourself, then you can follow our step by step tutorial below.
Step 1: Exporting Data from WordPress.com
First you need to sign in to your WordPress.com account and go to your blog’s dashboard. From the left column, you will need to click on the WP Admin link to open your blog’s admin area.
Next, you need to visit the Tools » Export page.
Clicking on the Export tool will take you to a new page where you will be asked to choose between Free or Guided Transfer. You need to choose the free option by clicking on the ‘Start Export’ button.
On the next screen, you will be asked which data you want to export. Select “All Content” and press the Download Export File button.
The exporter will now download an XML file in your computer. This file will have all of your posts, pages, images, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, navigation menus, and other information.
Step 2: Setting up WordPress
Now that you have exported your WordPress.com data, the next step is to set up a fresh WordPress install on your web hosting.
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, 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 Self Hosted WordPress Site
To import your old content from WordPress.com to your new WordPress.org site, you will need to login 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, you need to click on the ‘Run importer’ link to continue.
It will take you to a screen where you will be asked to upload your WordPress.com XML file that you downloaded in step 1 of this tutorial.
Note: if your file size is larger than 2MB, then you have two options. One is to ask your web hosting company to increase that limit temporarily, so you can get on with the process. The other option would be to split your file by using a WXR file splitter.
When you start importing, you will have the option of assigning imported content to a current user or create a new user. You’ll also have the option of importing your old attachments. It is very important that you check this box, so your image files are imported properly.
Step 4: Importing Your Blogroll Links
If you had 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.
Blogroll links are exported in OPML format. It is an XML format which 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 example with your WordPress.com blog’s subdomain. If you are using a custom domain with your WordPress.com blog, 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 that it hasn’t been updated in last two 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 in your WordPress admin bar labeled ‘Links’.
Your WordPress site is now capable of managing blogrolls, and you can safely import them. Visit Tools » Import and click on Blogroll to install the OPML importer.
Upon installation, you will be redirected to the importer. Where you need to upload the OPML file you saved earlier and click on import OPML file button.
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, then this will be your final step.
You need to go to the Settings » Reading page on your WordPress.com blog’s admin area. Under the ‘Site Visibility’ section, select the last option “I would like my blog to be private, visible only to users I choose”.
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 in 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 new location with the 301 header is a standard solution to keep search rankings while moving a site from one location to another. Since you don’t have access to .htaccess on WordPress.com, you cannot make any changes by yourself to retain search engine rankings. However, WordPress.com offers a paid upgrade feature called, Site Redirect, which provides this functionality.
Simply go to WordPress.com blog’s dashboard and click on the Settings menu item. Under the ‘Site Address’ option, click on the ‘redirect’ link.
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, we personally think that 2 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, then those links have to be updated. You can use our article on how to update URLs when moving your WordPress site.
If you had a custom domain on WordPress.com, then you don’t have to worry about anything. 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. A lot of which we’ve answered via email or in comments, so we thought it would be nice to compile the popular ones at 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 would need to contact the WordPress.com team and ask them to migrate the subscribers for you. Our hope is that in the later versions of Jetpack, this will become easier 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 signup. 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. Plans and other purchases can be canceled within 30 days of purchasing.
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 there is one caveat that we noticed. 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, then we recommend that you use import external images plugin, and it will take care of that.
I registered my domain through WordPress.com, can I still move?
Yes you can. WordPress believe in empowering users and giving them full 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 setup with Bluehost or any of these other WordPress hosting providers. During the signup phase, you will be asked do you have a domain or want to register a new one. Simply select the option that I have a domain name, and insert the domain that you registered at WordPress.com. Next thing you would have to do is change the nameservers to point to the hosting provider. We’re able to assist with this as part of our free setups 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’re worried, then know that we are here to help. You’re welcome to use our free setups service at anytime.
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.
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.
Hello,
I have followed your instructions and moved my site from com to org, but it has been more than 48 hours and my new WordPress.org website is still blank with a temp domain. However all my followers and content is gone from the old .com site. Is this normal? How long should I wait for the WordPress.org site to be up and running? I had a custom domain.
Kind wishes,
Kat
Hi Kat,
48 Hours is enough and your site should be up by now. You need to login to your WordPress.com dashboard and see that your domain name is pointing to correct DNS nameservers of your new host.
Hello,
I have tried to move from .com to .org. I had a custom domain name so I was wondering if you could explain the last step to me – how do change the DNS record to my host?
Kind wishes,
Kat
Hi Kat,
First you need to find out the DNS nameservers used by your host. After that you will need to edit your domain settings under WordPress.com account and point your domain to your new host’s nameservers.
Hello guys
I’m stuck up.
I’ve got a domain registered on website wordpress.com, but I would like to move the domain to wordpress.org.
On the page is nothing at the moment, so I don’t need to export and import.
But I can’t find any informations how to move the domain from com to org.
Could you please help me? Thank you
I read it and tried doing this. .but I am stuck up.
I purchased Hosting from Hostgator .
I already have a domain purchased in wordpress.com .
I installed WordPress on Hostgator but it’s taking me to wordpress.com where I want wordpress.org
I created separate account in wordpress org with same domain .
I did export from wordpress com
But I don’t know how I can access dashboard in wordpress.org
Nothing working out.
I can just see my Old site
Please help
Hi Asmita,
You will need to point your domain name to your WordPress.org hosting provider. Please see the domains section in your WordPress.com dashboard. There you will need to edit the Nameserver settings.
I moved over my wordpress.com blog to .org about 4 months ago and have now set up site redirect. Thank you for your clear tutorial, should have read your blog earlier!
The permalink structure includes the date but I would like to change that to just post name. Will site redirect still work and handle this change?
Do I need to do anything to redirect new posts I’ve written and are there any other problems I should be aware of?
Hi Annabel,
Please contact WordPress.com support for questions about site-redirect addon. You can continue writing new blog posts on your WordPress.org website. If everything went smoothly, there shouldn’t be any issues.
On September 18 I opted for your free migration service from WordPress.com to WordPress.org as part of your free WordPress blog setup service (I also took a hosting account with Blue Host). Up to now, I didn´t hear from you, not even a reply mail that you received my application and that you will get back to me a.s.a.p., within two weeks, or something like that. Is this your normal procedure or did something go wrong?
Regards, Ad
Hello,
Thank you for reaching out. Our team replied to your request the same day but didn’t hear back from you. Can you please check spam folder? If you cannot find the email, please drop us another message using the contact form. Our support team will try to reach out again.
Thankyou for this help (love wpbeginner) but I just have one issue and im not sure how to fix it.. I chose to only import my posts from my old wordpress.com site, which is has done, however it has not brought across the pictures on each post etc. Why is that? what can I do? many thanks
Hi Harriet,
You can importer again. It will not create duplicate content and may be able to import missing images.
I have a small question about the redirecting to the new site. If I am keeping the domain name the same and simply moving it over to Bluehost instead of wp.com, why would I need to redirect anybody? Shouldn’t my domain name be the same?
Hi Justin,
If you had a custom domain name, then you don’t need to redirect. However, a lot of WordPress.com users don’t have a custom domain name, those users will need to purchase site redirect to properly setup redirects.
Hi! Can anyone tell me if my comments will automatically follow if I move from wordpress.com to .org? I really don’t want to lose them as my blog has been like a personal journal.
Hi Marsa,
Yes your comments will be moved when you transfer data from WordPress.com to WordPress.org
I’m trying to migrate my blog from wordpress.com to wordpress.org, and after I run the importer then try to import my content, I get an error saying that it doesn’t appear to be a WXR file? I have no idea what that means and have had no luck finding answers. Can you help?
Hi Cammi. I realize you posted about a month ago, but I am just now doing this myself & wanted to offer some insight…
I was also receiving the same error. When you downloaded the file from WordPress.com, it was a zipped file, you have to extract it in order to import it into WordPress.org
I hope this helps!
Hi I have a personal plan with WP so I have a custom domain. I am now planning to migrate to Bluehost to start monetize. According to Bluehost they only deal with .org accounts, does that mean I would need to have it transferred to a .org account first, if I do that will I still be billed for my custom domain? Thank you!
Hi Andrea,
Bluehost meant WordPress.org not just the .org which is a popular domain name extension used by millions of websites. If you have custom domain on WordPress.com (regardless of what domain extension you are using) you can move it to Bluehost and start using WordPress.org.
I went through the post and it’s very helpful. I need a little help with mine, though. I might sound a little stupid but just to be sure before I transfer my domain
I have a Bluehost-hosted site and it runs on WordPress.com. I wanted to transfer it to WordPress.org. I’ll use the same domain name. Would that be fine?
Hi Mario,
We are not sure we understand your question, but we will try to answer it.
You can keep a domain on WordPress.com and still have a WordPress.org website on Bluehost using the same domain name.
Apologies if this is covered elsewhere, but I didn’t see it in a search.
I transferred my WordPress.com blog to Bluehost, and it has finally propagated. I had my own domain on the .com version, and it’s staying the same for the new version. So the url for the two blogs is the same.
Is it enough to make the .com version of the blog private, or should I actually delete it? Some folks online recommend the latter, saying it can affect SEO.
Thanks!
Hi Dave,
Once you have moved your website and pointed your domain to your new Bluehost website, you can make it private.
Just wondering how long it usually takes for a migrated blog to “propagate” to Bluehost. I did the migration about an hour ago. It seemed to go smoothly (thanks!) but I still have a “temp.domains” url.
The WP blog I migrated already had its own domain name.
Hi Dave,
DNS changes can take upto 48 hours to propagate across the internet.
Okay, I’ll be patient. Thanks for the quick response!
I came across this Help page in Bluehost about how, when migrating a domain you already own, you need to point the name servers to Bluehost manually:
My domain is currently registered with WP, and I just went in and changed the name servers. Should I have? And it sounds like now I’ll have to wait another 48 hours, potentially?
If this is correct, it might be worth adding to your instructions, although maybe it’s in there somewhere and I just missed it.
Hi Dave,
This time to update servers is an estimate, normally your domain will start pointing to Bluehost way earlier. During this time your domain will still show your old WordPress.com site in regions where your DNS has not propagated yet.
i have three Questions
(1) pls can I ask for a refund from WordPress. com and then register for the WordPress. org.
(2) since my domain registration is more than 48hrs in WordPress with no refund can I still use it to register for WordPress. org.
(3) and pls which is more easier, is it to switch from WordPress. com to WordPress. org OR to ask for refund and start a fresh registration under WordPress. org Since I registered my site a week ago and I have more than 3,000 visitors with just three posts.
Hi Christopher,
The domain you registered is yours and you can point it to any self-hosted WordPress.org website without migrating it.
If you purchased WordPress.com premium plan, then you can request a refund. Please contact WordPress.com support for details.
If your website is already getting traffic, then it would be best to properly transfer your website so that you don’t lose traffic.
I am still waiting a reply. Since it does not show my question I will ask it again.
When I go to tools at wordpress.com and click Export, it does not give me the option for an XML file. It appears to be a Zip file but I do not know where it goes. All I am trying to do is transfer my blog from WordPress.com to WordPress.org.
Please help!
Hi Roger,
You can download the ZIP file and extract it on your computer by right clicking on the file and then select extract. Inside, you will find one or more XML files. These files contain your WordPress.com data and you will need to import them on your new WordPress.org website.
Hi, thank you so much for this article! For some reason when I do the import, when complete, it directs me to my blog page and it just tells me the page is not found. There are other posts however so it’s the correct page and there’s a page customized…
Hello,
I want to change from wordpress.com to wordpress.org. However, I have a domain and hosting through bluehost…If I make the switch, will my custom theme and all posts switch over fine? Thank you!
Thanks a lot for the tip. I’m actually on a free hosting on WordPress.com and would love to migrate to. org.
I have a domain name but not gotten a hosting site so how do o go about it. Do I register with bluehost before migrating Or I can migrate before hosting with bluehost.
and what are the costs of self hosting on WordPress.org
thanks
Hi Chisom,
You can sign up for hosting and add your domain name later. You can point your existing domain name to your new hosting account on Bluehost. After that, you can go ahead and migrate your free WordPress.com website.
Hey I wish to move my account from .com to.org. and i want you to do.it for me.please assist
Hi Navpreet,
Please see our free blog set up service for details.
Hi! Thank you for the useful information. I followed your instructions and installed WP in a wordpress sudbirectory in my Godaddy hosting.
When I run the importer I get this error message: Before you can upload your import file, you will need to fix the following error:
Unable to create directory uploads/2018/05. Is its parent directory writable by the server?
Would you be able to tell me what’s going on? Thanks in advance
Hi Mairon,
It seems that your subdirectory does not have correct permissions for the wp-content folder. Please see our article on how to fix file and folder permissions error in WordPress
I’m having trouble doing this using my ipad! I have exported my .com site, purchased the domain via godaddy and now need to move it across- however I seem to be blocked at actually making the .org site at all as the app constantly redirects me to my original version! Because I have the same email address, trying to make a new account is taking me in circles and I’m having to do deep calming breaths to not throw the whole thing out the window…. any advice? Do I need to find a computer and install the WordPress software to get started?
I need some help setting up my wordpress.ORG site. I purchased a domain from wordpress.COM and transferred it to a self-hosting site and installed wordpress.ORG. However, when I try to access my domain I get sent back to wordpress.COM instead of being able to create a wordpress.ORG site?
Really need to sort this out. Is there any way to fix this or do I need a new domain name…?
Hi Jake,
You need to change your domain name settings. Login to your WordPress.com account and go to the Domains page. For more help please contact WordPress.com support.
Is there a more simplified way to this? I’m trying to read each instruction, open up separate screens and desktop and do what instructions say. I’m confused on all this. Is there no short-cut version of these instructions? I only want to change from .com to .org.
Hi Donna,
You can take advantage of our free blog set up offer.
Hi. I want to move to self hosted. But I want to ask if I should migrate first before designing my blog to my taste. Thanks.
Hello,
It is up to you, you can migrate your site and then work on the design or you can first set up your design and then import your .com content.
Ok I feel like a dumb dumb here. BUT i will ask anyway. So I started on wordpress.com bought a couple domains etc. But I haven’t even posted yet because I realized I should be on .org. SO I got an account with siteground and transferred my account. Now I realize I’m just on site ground but still with a .com (somehow!?) do I need to delete wordpress from my siteground account and re-install? Or delete my whole site? I’m so confused!
Hi Mandy,
You will need to visit your WordPress.com account and under your domain settings change DNS settings and point them to SiteGround. Please contact SiteGround or WordPress.com support and they will help you point your domain to your new hosting provider.
Thank you for all of this valuable information! What if my domain name is hosted by WordPress.com? Do I cancel and get a new host like Bluehost? Or is there a way to keep it as is (on WP.com)?
Hi Denise,
If it is a custom domain name (like wpbeginner.com) then you can use it on Bluehost.
If it is a WordPress.com domain name (like example.wordpress.com), then no you cannot bring it to self-hosted WordPress.org website.
Thank you for letting me know. Do I have to cancel my custom domain with WordPress before I sign-up with Bluehost? Or is there an option to transfer it over during the migration process?
Hi Denise,
You can transfer your domain and you can also keep it on WordPress.com and simply point it to your Bluehost servers.
Wow….
I will surely purchase a new domain name from Bluehost following your guides
I have one question though, can I equally export my free WordPress.com site to WordPress.Org or is it possible with a paid WordPress.com site?
.
Hi Chris,
You can export your free WordPress.com site.
Dear Sir,
I need your professional help, initially when i developed my blog in wordpress, it was on free plan and the domain name was . i later bought domain name from godaddy which was and also upgraded to personal plan on wordpress. But i noticed that i could not add new theme nor able to install plugins accept i upgrade to Business plan and the money involved is huge. So, i decided to purchase Godaddy hosting plan and installed wordpress on their server may be having access to Cpanel will enable me to upload themes and plugins either through FTP or File Manager but i noticed that after several attempts to upload those files even the original theme files that has Styles.css, it never appeared in the dashboard>Appearance>theme. I became worried until i come across your content that being in wordpress.com can not give access to any of these features until one migrates to wordpress.org.
So, with my already hosted wordpress.com site by Godaddy, I want to migrate to wordpress.org to be able to develop the site. How can you assist me on me this?
Hi… I followed all the steps from your wonderful article to export my content from wordpress.com and import to self hosted site. First I got an error on importing. So I retried it but then I got an error that those files already exist. But I dont see them anywhere. No pages or posts or media files. What am doing wrong?