Import WordPress Users

How to Import WordPress Users with Passwords

The need to import WordPress users with passwords is pertinent if you need to migrate your site. Mergers after new acquisitions also need due care. This post is going to look at two plugins to handle the job!
Table of Contents

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When moving users to a new website, it’s important that they can still access their accounts with their existing login credentials. Asking users to change their login information without warning can be frustrating and confusing, which might even discourage them from using the new site. Finding a way to import WordPress users with passwords is a crucial job.

This type of situation is also applicable to merging multiple sites. No matter: the task is similar. If users can log in without any additional hurdles, it not only enhances their experience but builds trust in your new home.

In this article, we’ll guide you on how to securely import WordPress users with their passwords coming along for the ride! Let’s begin with why the password migration is important.

Why Migrating Users With Their Passwords Is Essential

Regardless of whether you’re migrating a site to a new domain or consolidating multiple sites, it’s vital to ensure your users can access their accounts without a hitch. Nothing should change on the front end for them.

This not only provides a smooth transition during the migration, but can also help with user retention. If your users don’t have to go through the process of creating a new account or resetting their passwords, it’s more likely that they’ll continue to engage with the new site as they did with the old one.

As you might expect, this migration doesn’t have to be complex. With the right plugin, you can easily import WordPress users with passwords in just a few clicks. There are two plugins in particular that can simplify the whole process.

Use WP All Export and WP All Import To Migrate Users With Passwords

When it comes to migrating or merging WordPress websites, a combination of the WP All Export and WP All Import plugins provides a powerful and efficient solution. Both plugins work together to streamline the entire process. They can help you to transfer all user dataβ€”including passwordsβ€”securely and accurately.

The WP All Export and WP All Import plugins home page.

First, WP All Export lets you select and export user data from your existing WordPress site. It provides an intuitive interface that enables you to choose the specific data fields to include in your export file.

To keep your users and passwords secure, WordPress stores them with encryption (a ‘hash’). This means even if someone gains access to the export file, they won’t be able to view the actual passwords.

Once the export process is complete, WP All Export generates a ‘bundle’ file that contains all the necessary user information along with an import template for the WP All Import plugin. This template automatically maps the user data on the destination site.

This is an oversimplification of the entire export and import process though. In the next section, we’ll look at this in greater detail.

How to Export WordPress Users (And Their Passwords)

In order to import WordPress users with passwords to your new site, you first need to export them from your existing one. This is a job for the WP All Export plugin.

However, before you proceed, make sure you install and activate both the core WP All Export and the User Add-on plugin. The good news is the free versions of both the plugin and the add-on will work here.

1. Start the Export Process in WP All Export

To start, navigate to All Export > New Export within WordPress. On the export type selection screen, choose Users as the data type you want to export:

A new export dialog within the WP All Export plugin.

WP All Export will scan your site and display the total number of users available for export. On the same screen, click Customize Export File to proceed.

2. Export WordPress User Data Including Passwords

WP All Export enables you to select which fields to include in your export file using a drag and drop interface. To make sure you capture all the data fields from the source website, click the Add All button below the selection area.

The drag-and-drop interface for WP All Export showing the Add All data fields button.

If you want, you can rearrange the fields using the same drag and drop interface. Next, click the Continue button to move on.

3. Run the Export and Download the User Data File

You can skip the Export Settings page if you wish and click the Save and Run Export button to proceed to the final step. WP All Export will run the exporter, then give you two options to download the user data:

  • Download the CSV file if you need to edit the user data within.
  • Choose the Bundle option if you want to migrate the data as it is.

We’ll choose the Bundle option, which downloads a ZIP file containing the user data and an import template.

The Confirm and Run screen within WP All Export, showing two buttons to download the user data.

The import template ensures compatibility with the WP All Import plugin and makes the subsequent import process straightforward and error-free. This is all you need to do to export your user data. FRom here, let’s look at how to import it to the destination site.

How to Securely Import WordPress Users with Passwords

Once you have exported the user dataβ€”including passwordsβ€”from your existing WordPress site, the next step is to import this data into your new or merged site. Using the WP All Import plugin ensures this process is secure and straightforward.

For better control over the import data and access to various user-specific fields, you’ll need to install the WP All Import User Add-On as well. Once you have the core plugin and the add-on installed, let’s look at the import process in detail.

1. Start the Import Process and Upload User Data

To begin the import process, navigate to All Import β€Ί New Import in your new site’s WordPress dashboard.

The New Import dialog within the WP All Import plugin.

WP All Import provides three ways to upload your data:

Since we exported the user data from the source site as a Bundle file, we’ll select the first option. Click Upload a file then select the Bundle file from your local computer.

The WP All Import New Import dialog, which shows the options to upload or download a file.

Once uploaded, under New Items, select Users as the Import Type.

2. Verify the Uploaded WordPress User Data

On the next screen, WP All Import will display a preview of the data contained in your import file. This enables you to verify the data before moving ahead with the import.

The WP All Import Review Import File dialog screen.

You can use the gray arrows to navigate between records and verify each user’s information individually. The screen also displays the total user count at the top.

If your exported data contains records that you don’t want to migrate to the new website, WP All Import lets you apply filters to import only the required user data. For example, you might not want to import administrators from your previous website.

On the same page, expand the Manage Filtering Options panel and start adding your filter rules. Here, you need to add three criteria: Element, Rule, and Value.

For our example, we’ll select:

  • User Role as the Element.
  • Not Equals as the Rule.
  • Administrator as the Value.

Once you’ve added all three criteria, click the Add Rule button. Since the imported data lives outside the WordPress database, click the Apply Filters To XPath button to apply the filter rules.

The Manage Filtering Options dialog screen within WP All Import.

You don’t have the restriction of just adding one filter rule either. WP All Import also lets you add multiple filter rules and combine them using the AND and OR conditions.

Using AND or OR conditions within the filtering options of WP All Import.

This lets you have complete control over the specific users you want to add to your website. For example, you can apply two filters and combine them using the AND condition to only import users that are located in the USA and do not have the user role of administrator.

3. Map Fields From Your Import File to the Corresponding Values in WordPress

Since we imported the bundle file that includes an import template, WP All Import will automatically map the fields in WordPress.

The Drag and Drop dialog in WP All Import highlighting the Password field and associated mapping.

The password field also maps under the User Account Info panel. However, since these passwords use a hash, you need to check the box confirming that these passwords are from another website. From here, expand the Other User Info and Custom Fields panel to confirm all other fields map as you’d expect.

WP All Import also offers advanced customization options, which lets you to manipulate the file data during the import process. You can combine multiple fields into a single user field or apply custom PHP functions to incoming users.

The advanced customization options within WP All Import.

Once you correctly map your file data, it’s time to configure your import settings, then run the import.

4. Configure WordPress Import Settings

The import settings include various options to configure how process the data. These settings include setting up a unique identifier, blocking welcome email notifications during the import process, scheduling, and speed optimization options. The unique identifier helps WP All Import differentiate between users and is also helpful when running an updated file on the same import.

On the Import Settings page, click the Auto-detect option to let WP All Import automatically select the best identifier from your file.

The WP All Import screen for import settings.

When you add new users, WordPress sends a welcome email containing a password reset link. Since we want to preserve existing passwords and let users log in with the same credentials, check the box in Email Notifications for Imported Users to block these emails during the import process.

The dialog to block email notifications during import within WP All Import.

WP All Import also enables you to set the automatic import of data on a fixed schedule. However, this only works if you select the Download from URL or Use Existing File option in the first step of the import.

Additionally, you can optimize the import speed by importing data in small batches and splitting large files into smaller ones.

The Configure Advanced Settings screen within WP All Import.

The final step to run the import and check over your user data.

5. Run the Import Containing Users With Password

The Confirm and Run page appears next. This page provides a summary of the steps you have completed so far and the settings you have chosen.

The WP All Import Confirm and Run screen.

If everything looks correct, click the green Confirm and Run Import button to start the process. When the import process finishes, you’ll see a confirmation with a summary that shows the import and update counts for the number of users.

The Import Complete! notification within WP All Import's Confirm and Run page.

That’s it! Users from your previous website can now log in to your new website using the same credentials.

How To Import WordPress Users With Passwords: Wrap-Up

When migrating users from one WordPress website to another, it’s important that they can log in with their existing passwords. This ensures a seamless transition and enables users to access the new site without the hassle of creating new accounts or resetting passwords.

The combination of WP All Export and WP All Import makes it easy and secure to migrate all of your user data (including passwords) in just a few simple steps. Both plugins allow for a smooth transition without affecting the user experience.

Do you have a use case that our import and export method is ideal for? Share your experiences in the comments section below!

Mark is the CEO behind the WP Mayor project. He has been using WordPress since 2012, joining the WP Mayor team in 2014. Since then, he has helped to review, test, and write about hundreds of WordPress products and services; educating the community of millions of WordPress users around the globe.

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