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 instructions, then continue reading.
First thing you need to do is install and activate the Widget Settings Import/Export plugin. Upon activation, go to Tools » Widget Settings Export and select the widgets you want to export and click on Export Widget Settings Button. The plugin will now export all your currently active widgets in widget_data.json file.
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.
Locate the JSON file you downloaded earlier and then click on the Show Widgets Settings button. The plugin will now load widget data from the imported file and will show you the list of widgets. Select the widgets you want to import and click on Import Widget Settings to proceed. All your widgets will be restored to appropriate sidebars.
Please note that if you have active widgets added to your site by a plugin, then you may not be able to import those widgets until you have those plugins installed on the target website as well.
We hope this article helped you quickly export/import widgets settings in WordPress. Share your experiences of moving moving widgets between WordPress sites by leaving a comment below.
