There comes a time when you need to export or import user data from your WordPress database. The most appropriate method for most WordPress site owners is using a plugin to do this for you, so let’s look at the two best free plugins that you can use for exporting and importing WordPress users.
Why and when do you need to export or import user data?
There are various reasons why it is beneficial to have the option to import or export WordPress user data. When a user logs in to your website, WordPress automatically synchronizes the information with the database by default.
After successfully logging in, users can change the profile according to their needs. The ability to import or export this information is important to many businesses.
This is especially true if you need offline access to user data – for example, if you work in the sales department then your customer’s information is very valuable. You need their contact details to add them to a mailing list for a marketing campaign or simply to improve your customer relations.
Another potential use case is WordPress site owners that want to migrate users from old sites to new ones. It’s impractical for any user to recreate their account to continue accessing your new site, so exporting and importing users from the old site to the new one is crucial.
Another common use case is to merge multiple websites, with all users and roles merged accordingly.
So, there are many benefits and use cases to exporting/importing user data from your WordPress database, but WordPress does not give you permission to manually export or import user data by default. Fortunately, there are many free and easy-to-use plugins that can help you save time and effort.
Importing and exporting WordPress users and WooCommerce customers
The plugin is developed by WebToffee. As the name speaks for itself, you can use this plugin to import and export both WordPress users and WooCommerce customers.
Even with the free version, you can use the most important features: importing and exporting the user database. If you upgrade to the premium version, you can unlock some advanced features, such as mass updating existing customer/user data, exporting user metadata and so on.
With this plugin, both the user information and the assigned roles, including WooCommerce customers, are transferred.
Once installed and activated, you need to export your user profile data before you can import it anywhere.
To do this, go to Users > User Import Export.
This will take you to the WebToffee Import Export (Basic) screen. By default, you will see the export function, so follow the 5 steps below to run it.
Step 1: Select a post type
In the dropdown menu, you need to select the post type to start the export. If you are running a WordPress website with a WooCommerce store page, there is only one option: User/Customer.
Step 2: Select an export method
Select one of the given options to proceed with the export: Quick export from the dashboard, based on a previously saved template or a new export with advanced options.
Step 3: Filter data
There are various filters you can apply at this point:
User email: Enter the customer emails from which you want to export the relevant information. It is recommended to select All user.
User roles: Enter the specific roles you want to export from the selected user emails.
Customer registration: Select a date on which the customer registered and export the information only for customers who registered on and after the selected date.
Total number of users to export (unlimited).
Skip the first n users: a number of users to be skipped from the beginning.
Sort columns: Specify how the export data should be sorted based on the selected column.
Sort by: in ascending order by default.
Step 4: Assign and rearrange export columns
Now you can select/deselect export fields and move them up/down as required. By default, all user roles associated with the user profile are exported. If you only want to export certain user roles, simply select them in the checkbox.
Step 5: Batch export
Select the number according to your needs. Then save the template or export it immediately.
After you have clicked on Export, a pop-up window will appear. Download the file and save it in a safe place to increase security.
Import WordPress users and WooCommerce customers
Now that we’ve exported the data, we can go ahead and import it to another website. Please note that when using the plugin to import data, only the standard WordPress user fields are processed.
To do this, go to WebToffee Import Export (Basic) > Import. Here is where you select the contribution type and import method you’re using.
Similar to the export, the advanced import is selected by default in the Import section. Now we upload the file to be imported – start by assigning and rearranging your import columns to your preference.
Now, select the desired value and click on Save template or Import. That’s how easy it is to export and import users and customers from the WordPress database using the Import Export WordPress Users and WooCommerce Customers plugin.
Conclusion
Knowing how to export WordPress users and import them elsewhere is really useful for specific types of website Although exporting and importing users is not a feature included in WordPress, various plugins have been developed to complete this task.
We’ve looked at the best WordPress user import/export in detail, so hopefully now you will be able to either export or import your WordPress users with ease.
