To move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org, export your content at Tools > Export, install WordPress on a new host, import the XML file with the WordPress Importer (tick “Download and import file attachments”), then point your domain at the new host. If your site lives on a free .wordpress.com address, buy WordPress.com’s Site Redirect ($13 a year) and set your new permalinks to match the old date-based URLs so every old link still lands on the right post.
WordPress powers 40.3% of all websites and 58.8% of every site running a recognisable CMS (per W3Techs, September 2026), making it the most popular CMS by a wide margin. For most people, their first WordPress site starts on the free WordPress.com platform.
The standard export moves posts, pages, comments, categories and tags on any plan, including the free one. Moving the theme, plugins and settings as well needs a paid plan with plugins, and the details are in the table below. A small blog usually takes an afternoon; most of that time goes on checking images and fixing layouts afterwards.
- Export at Tools > Export > All content, then import the .xml file at Tools > Import > WordPress on the new site.
- The export file holds links to your images, not the images, so keep the old site public until the import has copied them.
- A .wordpress.com address needs the $13/year Site Redirect, and your new permalinks must use the Day and name structure.
- A custom domain needs no redirect: change its name servers or DNS to the new host, then transfer it if you want.
Why Should You Migrate from WordPress.com to WordPress.org (Self-Hosted WordPress)?
Before the step-by-step, a quick refresher on why the move matters. WordPress.com (the hosted version run by Automattic) is great for getting started, but most serious bloggers and businesses outgrow it. Self-hosted WordPress.org gives you full control over your code, your plugins, your monetization, and your data. The two names confuse almost everyone at first, and they belong to different parties: our guide to who actually owns WordPress untangles which company owns what.
If you want to follow along with a step-by-step tutorial video, then watch Andy take you through the 4 easy steps to migrating from WordPress.com to WordPress.org right here:
The main reason to move is control. WordPress.com now allows plugins on every paid plan, but self-hosted WordPress lets you do all of this on any host, with no plan tiers in the way:
- Customize your code and all aspects of your site
- Install plugins to enhance the functionality of your website
- Buy and install premium WordPress themes
With WordPress.org, you can shape your site however you want. WordPress.com limits what you can change.
Money is the other reason. You can monetize a WordPress.com site, but WordPress.com’s own ad program, WordAds, needs the Premium plan ($96 a year) or higher, and the free plan shows WordPress.com ads to your visitors. On a self-hosted site you choose the ad network, the affiliate links and the store setup yourself.
WordPress.com is not a bad home. If you are on the Business plan and happy with it, moving mainly buys you server-level access and freedom from WordPress.com’s plan rules. If you are on the free plan and want plugins, your own ads or your own server, moving is the usual answer.
What Moves (and What Doesn’t) in a WordPress.com Export
WordPress.com’s export guide (reviewed October 2026) is explicit about what the standard export file contains. This is the part most migrations trip over, so it is worth knowing before you start.
| Item | In the XML export? | How to move it |
|---|---|---|
| Posts, pages, comments | Yes | WordPress Importer |
| Categories and tags | Yes | WordPress Importer |
| Images and other media | Links only, not the files | Tick “Download and import file attachments”; the new site copies each file from the old one |
| Theme and design customizations | No | Pick a theme on the new site, or use a full-site method below |
| Plugins | No | Reinstall them, or use a full-site method below |
| Email subscribers and followers | No | Jetpack’s Subscriber Migration Tool (see the FAQ) |
| Your domain | No | Change name servers or DNS, or transfer the domain |
Which Export Method Fits Your Plan
| Your WordPress.com plan | Content-only export (XML) | Full site (theme, plugins, media) |
|---|---|---|
| Free | Yes | No. Upgrade first, or use the XML export |
| Personal ($48/yr) or Premium ($96/yr) | Yes | All-in-One WP Migration plugin (free version handles sites under 2 GB) |
| Business ($300/yr) or Commerce ($540/yr) | Yes | All-in-One WP Migration, or download a full Jetpack backup at Jetpack > Backup |
For most blogs the XML export is the right choice: it is free, it works on every plan, and a fresh self-hosted install with your content imported is cleaner than a copy of WordPress.com’s setup. The full-site routes suit sites that depend on specific plugins or a heavily customized theme. The Jetpack backup arrives as a .tar.gz with a wp-content folder and .sql database files, which you upload by SFTP and import in phpMyAdmin, so it is the most technical of the three.
Does Self-Hosting Cost Less Than WordPress.com?
It depends on the plan you are leaving. Here are list prices checked on November 8, 2026, using Bluehost as the self-hosted example because it is the host this guide uses:
| Option | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| WordPress.com Free | $0 | WordPress.com ads on your site, .wordpress.com address, no plugins |
| WordPress.com Personal | $48/yr ($4/mo billed yearly, or $9 month to month) | No ads, plugins, free domain for the first year |
| WordPress.com Business | $300/yr ($25/mo billed yearly) | Adds SFTP/SSH, WP-CLI and real-time backups |
| Bluehost Starter (self-hosted) | $3.99/mo on a 36-month term, renews at $9.99/mo | Free domain for the first year on 12- or 36-month terms, weekly backups |
| WordPress.com Site Redirect | $13/yr | Forwards a .wordpress.com address to your new site |
Coming from the free or Personal plan, self-hosting usually costs about the same or more once the hosting renews, so move for control rather than savings. Coming from Business, a shared host costs far less, though you take on the updates, backups and security that WordPress.com handled.
Before You Migrate Your Blog: Here’s What You Need (Checklist)
Before you start the migration itself, you need three things in place: WordPress hosting, a domain name, and a fresh WordPress.org install on the new host. Here’s what each one looks like.
The Right WordPress Hosting Plan
There are hundreds of WordPress hosts to pick from. The right one for you depends on budget, traffic, and how much you want to manage yourself. For most people moving off WordPress.com, a managed or shared WordPress plan is the sweet spot.
Disclosure: some of the hosting links below are affiliate links, so SmartWP may earn a commission if you sign up through them. It does not change the price you pay.
Without going into all the details comparing the best WordPress hosting plans, we recommend going with Bluehost as your WordPress hosting service:
This is because they offer some of the most affordable plans on the market. They also have some of the best features and support too. And that’s not to mention they’re one of only 3 hosting companies officially recommended by WordPress. Other WordPress hosting providers you can consider include:
For a more in-depth look at the right hosting plan for your WordPress.com to WordPress.org migration, check out our article on the best WordPress hosting plans.
Domain Name Registration
With hosting sorted, you can move on to the next requirement: the domain name. Bluehost includes a free domain for the first year on 12- and 36-month hosting terms. If you already own a custom domain through WordPress.com, keep it; you will point it at the new host in step 4.
A domain name plays a critical role in the success of your website and should thus be taken seriously. While finding the perfect domain name is becoming increasingly difficult by the day, it’s still possible to get a .com extension of your preferred domain name. You just have to take your time.
Can’t think of a domain name? try our domain name generator.
You can also register a domain through a separate registrar such as Cloudflare, Namecheap or Domain.com.
Install WordPress.org
Installing WordPress.org on your new host is usually a one-click process. Log in to your hosting account, find the WordPress installer in the dashboard, and follow the prompts.
The installer walks you through setting your site title and creating an admin username and password. That’s the account you’ll use to log in at yoursite.com/wp-admin once the install finishes.
With these 3 in place, you’re ready to migrate your website from WordPress.com to WordPress.org. So let’s get to it.
How to Migrate Your WordPress.com Website to WordPress.org (Self-Hosted) in 4 Easy Steps
With self-hosted WordPress (WordPress.org) installed, it’s easy to migrate your WordPress.com site to its new home. Here are 4 easy steps you’ll have to take.
1. Export Your WordPress.com Data
Before you export, set the WordPress.com site’s visibility to Public. The new site copies your images straight from the old one during the import, and it cannot reach them on a private site. You can switch it back afterwards.
Then open your WordPress.com dashboard and go to Tools > Export.
Choose All content and click Download Export File. WordPress.com says this takes one to two minutes for most sites, and the file downloads to your computer when it is ready.
Larger sites (roughly more than 1,000 posts and pages) get an email instead, with a single .zip containing several XML files. Unzip it and import each .xml file one at a time in the next step. If the export fails, export in smaller pieces by date, author or category, and delete spam comments and unwanted drafts first.
Keep the old site public and do not delete it yet. Images are copied from it during the import, which can take hours for photo-heavy sites.
2. Import Your Content/Data to WordPress.org
To import your WordPress.com content to your .org site, you’ll first of all have to login to your WordPress.org dashboard. Once there, head over to your menu and click on “Tools” then select “Import”.
Find WordPress at the bottom of the importer list and click Install Now. This installs the official WordPress Importer plugin (version 0.9.7, updated October 20, 2026, 2 million+ active installs, maintained by WordPress.org).
Once installed, click Run Importer. You will then get a prompt to upload your XML file.
If your export arrived as a .zip, unzip it first. The importer wants the .xml file itself.
Click Choose File on the Import WordPress page and select the .xml file.
Click Upload file and import. The next screen has three sections: Assign Authors, Import Attachments and Content Options.
Under Import Attachments, tick Download and import file attachments. It is unticked by default, and without it your posts arrive with images still loading from WordPress.com.
Under Content Options, leave Change all imported URLs that currently link to the previous site so that they now link to this site ticked (it is on by default). It rewrites internal links in your posts to the new address, and it needs WordPress 6.7 or newer on the new site.
Under Assign Authors, map each WordPress.com author to an existing user or create a new one. If you leave an author unmapped, their posts are assigned to you.
Click Submit. The import can take a few minutes, or much longer with lots of images. When it finishes you will see “All done. Have fun!” and a reminder to update the passwords and roles of imported users.
Note: If some images fail to copy, you can download your media library separately. On a site without plugins, go to Tools > Export Media Files on WordPress.com and click Download; you get a .tar archive organized into year and month folders. You can upload those over FTP to wp-content/uploads on the new site.
If your WordPress.com site has plugins installed, that menu points to Jetpack VaultPress Backup instead, and the media export works differently by plan (a plugin on Personal and Premium, a backup download on Business and Commerce).
Large imports sometimes stop partway, with a timeout or a blank page. That usually means the server cut the request off, not that anything broke.
Run the same file again. The importer skips any post that already exists with the same title and date, so a second run fills in what is missing without creating duplicates. When it is done, compare the number of items in the media library on both sites; WordPress.com says they should match.
Import Errors and What They Mean
These are the exact messages from the WordPress Importer’s source (version 0.9.7) that show up most during a WordPress.com move:
| Message | What it means | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Remote server did not respond | The new site could not fetch an image from WordPress.com | Make sure the old site is public, then run the import again |
| Request failed due to an error | The image download failed (timeout, DNS, SSL) | Run the import again; ask your host if it repeats |
| Zero size file downloaded / Downloaded file has incorrect size | An image download was cut short | Run the import again |
| Sorry, this file type is not permitted for security reasons. | WordPress blocks that file type on the new site | Upload the file by hand or allow the type |
| Fetching attachments is not enabled | The attachments box was not ticked | Re-run with “Download and import file attachments” ticked |
| URL rewriting requires WordPress 6.7 or newer… | The new site runs an old WordPress version | Update WordPress, then import |
| Failed to import author … Their posts will be attributed to the current user. | An author could not be created | Reassign the posts afterwards in Posts > All Posts |
3. Polish Up Your New WordPress.org Site
Now that your import is complete, head over to your homepage and check out your site. You’ll notice that all your menus from your previous site are now available. However, you will also notice that you’ll need to restructure a few things.
One of the first things to fix is your menu. With a classic theme, click “Customize” at the top of your site (as in the screenshot below). With a block theme, go to Appearance > Editor > Navigation instead.
After clicking the “Customize” button and head over to the “Menu” section. From there, select “Primary” as that’s the menu you were using in the WordPress.com version of your site.
Because your new theme doesn’t know that the primary menu is the one it needs to use, you’ll have to set it manually. To do this, you’ll have to check the “desktop horizontal menu”:
Once you do this, your new site will look more production-ready.
Next, check the other pages on your new site, especially anything with multi-column layouts (a typical About page, for example). You’ll often see the formatting is off compared to the WordPress.com version.
That is usually because the page uses blocks that WordPress.com provides but a fresh WordPress.org install does not, such as the Layout Grid block and Jetpack blocks. WordPress.com recommends installing the free Jetpack plugin on the new site, which restores Jetpack blocks and features.
To install the plugin, head over to your dashboard, go to plugins, and click on add new.
For Layout Grid, the Layout Grid Block plugin by Automattic still exists, but it was last updated in July 2023 and is only tested up to WordPress 6.2. Use it as a stopgap to recover the layout, then rebuild those sections with the core Columns block so you are not relying on an unmaintained plugin.
Go through your pages and fix any formatting errors you find. At this stage you can also add any customizations you want.
4. Redirect Your WordPress.com Site to the .org Version
Your WordPress.com site is still live at this point, and search engines and old links still point to it. What you do next depends on the address you used there.
If you used a custom domain (yoursite.com)
You do not need a Site Redirect. WordPress.com’s site redirect guide says to change the domain’s name servers or DNS records to point at your new host instead. Your URLs stay the same, so there is nothing to redirect.
You can also transfer the domain to another registrar later. In the Domains section, open the domain, click Transfer, turn the transfer lock off and request the authorization code, then give that code to the new registrar. Transfers take five to seven days, and a domain registered or transferred in the last 60 days cannot move yet. Change the name servers first so the new site works while the transfer runs.
If you used a .wordpress.com address
Buy WordPress.com’s Site Redirect, which costs $13 a year. It forwards your .wordpress.com address and all of its permalinks to the new site. To set it up:
- Open your Hosting Dashboard and click the site.
- In the left sidebar, select Settings, then Site redirect.
- Enter the new address in the Redirect URL field, without
http://(the field already includes it). - Click Redirect and complete the checkout.
The screenshots below show the older version of this screen; the field and the price are the same.
Before you buy it, set the new site’s permalinks to match. WordPress.com uses date-based URLs like /2014/10/21/sample-post/, and the redirect only works on deep links if the new site uses the same pattern. In the new dashboard, go to Settings > Permalinks and choose Day and name. Our WordPress permalinks guide covers changing the structure later with redirects in place.
A few limits from WordPress.com’s documentation: the redirect is not available on a WordPress.com site that has plugins installed or hosting features activated, it cannot redirect to a single file or page, and it points at an http:// address, so the new site should redirect http to https itself (most hosts do this by default).
Old backlinks and bookmarks to the .wordpress.com address only keep working while the redirect is active, so renewing it is cheap insurance. To stop it, cancel the Site Redirect under Active Upgrades.
Finally, add the new site to Google Search Console and submit its sitemap so Google picks up the new URLs. Once everything checks out, you can cancel any WordPress.com plan you no longer need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will I lose my SEO rankings when I move from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
Not if every old URL lands on the same content at the new address. With a custom domain, keep the same permalink structure and point the domain at the new host. With a .wordpress.com address, buy the $13/year Site Redirect and set the new permalinks to Day and name so old date-based URLs still match. A short dip while Google recrawls is normal.
Does the WordPress.com export include images?
No. The XML file contains links to your images, not the files. The WordPress Importer downloads each one from your old site when you tick “Download and import file attachments”, which is why the old site must stay public until the import finishes.
How long does it take to migrate from WordPress.com to WordPress.org?
The export takes one to two minutes for most sites, according to WordPress.com. The import depends on how many images you have, from minutes to hours. A domain transfer to another registrar takes five to seven days, but you can point the domain at the new host before that.
Can I keep my .wordpress.com address after migrating?
Yes. Leave the old site up and buy the Site Redirect, which forwards the .wordpress.com address to your new domain for $13 a year. Without it, the .wordpress.com address keeps showing the old copy of your site.
How do I move my WordPress.com subscribers?
Install Jetpack on the new site, connect it to the same WordPress.com account that owns the old site, then use Jetpack’s Subscriber Migration Tool in the Jetpack Cloud dashboard (Subscribers, then “Migrate subscribers from another WordPress.com site”). Email subscribers keep getting new posts by email. Reader followers only see posts in the Reader, and likes reset to zero.
Do I need to migrate if I have a paid WordPress.com plan?
Not necessarily. Every paid plan from Personal ($48/yr) up now lets you install plugins, and Business ($300/yr) adds SFTP, SSH and WP-CLI. The main reasons to still move are lower hosting costs compared with Business, server-level access, and not depending on WordPress.com’s plan rules.
Can I migrate a WordPress.org site to WordPress.com instead?
Yes. The same tools work in reverse: export from the self-hosted site at Tools > Export and import the file on WordPress.com, or use All-in-One WP Migration, which WordPress.com documents for importing a whole site.
Should I delete my WordPress.com site after migrating?
Not straight away. Keep it public until all images have copied over and the media library counts match. If you use the Site Redirect, the WordPress.com site has to stay in place for the redirect to keep working.
What’s the easiest way to migrate if I’m not technical?
Ask your new host to do it. Bluehost says its migration team moves up to five sites free within your first 30 days, usually in 24 to 48 hours, and WordPress.org’s hosting page lists free unlimited migrations for Hostinger. The redirect or domain step is still yours to do on WordPress.com.
Wrapping Up
The four-step move (export, install, import, redirect) gets your content onto a site you control. The parts that usually need attention are the images, the formatting cleanup afterwards, especially on pages built with Layout Grid or Jetpack blocks, and matching the permalinks if you rely on the Site Redirect.
If you want to avoid the manual export/import, see our roundup of the best WordPress migration plugins. Picking a managed WordPress host with included migration is often the cleanest option for non-technical users.
3 Responses
This is very much helpful, I have successfully migrated my site from Wordpress.com to Wordpress.org. using this guide.
Thanks very much for this, I really appreciate.
Do have a nice day buddy.
There are many articles, like this one, to help with converting from WP.com to WP.org. However, there are none to help with the opposite – moving away from .org to .com, which some people could decide is better for their purpose.
This article answers my concerns of migrating from Wordpress.com to Wordpress.org. Great thanks!