Sometimes when moving WordPress sites, you may need to save and reuse widget settings from one WordPress installation to another. If a site has just a few widgets, then you can probably do that manually. However, if there are many widgets in multiple sidebars and widget areas, then you need a better solution. In this article, we will show you how to import/export widget settings in WordPress.
Video Tutorial
If you don’t like the video or need more explanation, keep reading. To restore these widgets in another WordPress installation, you will also need to install and activate the widget settings import/export plugin on this page. After activating the plugin, go to Tools » Import Widget Settings and click the Choose File button.
The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Widget Settings Import/Export plugin. Once activated, go to Tools. Export Widget Settings and select the widgets you want to export, then click the Export Widget Settings button.
To restore these widgets in another WordPress installation, you will need to install and activate the Widget Settings Import/Export plugin on that site as well. Once you have activated the plugin, go to Tools » Widget Settings Import and click on the Select File button.
Find the JSON file you downloaded earlier and click the Show Widgets Settings button. The plugin will now load widget data from the imported file and show you a list of widgets. Select the widgets to import and click Import widget settings to continue. All your widgets will be up in their respective sidebars.
Note that you may not be able to import active widgets added to your site through plugins until you have these plugins installed on your target site. We hope this article helped you quickly export/import widget settings to WordPress. Share your experience moving movable widgets between WordPress sites by leaving a comment below.
Widget importers and exporters are useful for moving widgets from one WordPress site to another, for backing up widgets, and for theme developers to provide users with sample widgets.
Importing Features: Import Export Widget
Importing is done by uploading the export file present by the plugin. The imported results appear in a nicely formatted table with an explanation of what happens to each widget area and widget. The import takes into account widget areas that do not exist in the current theme (imported as inactive widgets), widgets that already exist in the same widget area (non-duplicating widgets), and widgets that are not supported by the site (non-imported widgets).
Exporting Features
Widget importers and exporters can create export files (in JSON format with a .wie extension) from the currently active widget. This file can be imported into other sites using this plugin, or used later to restore widgets on the same site.
