Move WordPress.com Content to Self-Hosted WordPress at InterServer

Moving content from WordPress.com to self-hosted WordPress at InterServer is a self-managed content migration, not a cPanel or DirectAdmin account restore. Decide whether you need only posts/pages or a complete application copy before choosing an export route.

InterServer’s complimentary migration service covers matching cPanel-to-cPanel or DirectAdmin-to-DirectAdmin web hosting transfers only. WordPress.com exports, builder conversions and VPS/dedicated migrations are outside that scope. Choose a suitable destination from the current web hosting plans rather than assuming an old managed-plan link defines your service.

Export the selected content

In the source WordPress.com dashboard, use Tools > Export and choose the intended content. Save every supplied XML/WXR part privately. This content export includes references to media, not the actual image files, and does not reproduce the theme, plugins or all design settings.

Keep required source media accessible to the importer until verified. Do not make confidential content public merely to simplify import; arrange another approved media-transfer route when privacy requires it.

Import into the intended destination

Prepare a separate destination WordPress installation with the right hostname, software and storage. Back up existing destination data first. Under Tools > Import, use the WordPress importer for WXR/XML and map authors deliberately. Select attachment downloading when appropriate, then inspect warnings and incomplete media imports.

Recreate the design and required functionality through supported themes/plugins. Some WordPress.com plans offer full backups or migration plugins; those are a different workflow with their own permissions and compatibility requirements. It is not universally impossible to transfer design components, nor does a content XML include them automatically.

Preserve URLs and remaining services

Inventory old URLs and choose matching destination paths or specific permanent redirects. A Day and Name permalink setting is not universally the correct mapping. A WordPress.com subdomain needs a source-platform redirect arrangement; changing the new site’s settings alone cannot redirect it.

Domain registration, DNS, email and subscribers are separate concerns. Test pages, local media, navigation and required functionality before changing DNS or cancelling the source. Do not make the old site private until media copying and any redirect plan are complete.

References: WordPress.com content export and WordPress.com site redirects. Reviewed October 14, 2026. No customer-site export/import was executed.