How to Easily Export WordPress Menu Items

Migrating your website can be a complex process, even if it’s just moving from one WordPress site to another. Not to mention cross-platform work like migrating from Joomla or migrating your site from SquareSpace to WordPress, for example. In addition to making sure that all your content, including text, images, and other media, is transferred correctly, you’ll need to update your URLs after the migration and make sure all your menus are properly relocated.

Of course, the same rules apply if you want to move only certain pages and/or other site elements without moving your entire website. For example, when you plan to move your menus from one site to another, it is extremely important that all your menu items are transferred correctly so that they do not link to the wrong pages. In these cases, using a suitable plugin can help speed up your migration tremendously and allows you to focus more effectively on the task at hand.

Although WordPress comes with its own default Import/Export tool, it is more convenient to use this tool on its own if you want to move all your content at once, not just certain menu items. In this tutorial, we will focus on showing you how to do it easily. export your WordPress menu items with the help of a plugin and how to import them to another site, so be sure to keep reading.

Exporting Your WordPress Menu Items with a Plugin

We recommend using a plugin called to export your menu items. WPS Menu Importer. Not just this plugin Allows you to export your WordPress menu (or menus) with easeit will also export all referenced pages, posts and terms found in your menus.

For example, if your menu contains a menu item with a link to your Blog page, your Blog page will also be imported with your menu.

To get started, you must install the plugin and then activate it. Later, Go to Appearance >> Menus to check what your current menu looks like and see if this is the menu you need. Also, be sure to check all the pages and links in your menu (or menus) to make sure everything is working fine.

then you can Go to Tools >> Export. Find the area called “Navigation Menu Items”. This new option was added by the WPS Menu Exporter plugin.

Select this area and shoot me Download Export File button. By doing this, you will initiate the download of an XML file to your computer, so you should make sure to save the file in a suitable location. You can also change the name of the file if you want.

After your WordPress menu file has been exported, you should go to the site where you plan to import your menu. You can do this easily using the default WordPress Import tool, so it will not be necessary to install the WPS Menu Importer plugin on this site.

Go to Tools >> Import and go to the WordPress section. At that time, Now press the Download button.

This will make another link appear in place of the “Install Now” link. Run Importer.

When you click this link, make sure shoot me choose file button this will open in a new window. This will allow you to select the XML export file you downloaded earlier.

Finally, hit Upload and import files button.

Check the box called Download and Import File Attachments. If you check this box, all media files (images, videos, etc.) on the pages in your menu will be imported along with the menu items and page content. In addition, if you wish, you can assign the imported content to a specific user on your new site.

shoot me To send Press the button and you’re ready. The tool will notify you if any of your imported posts and/or pages already exist on your new site.

To check if your menu is working View >> Menus once again. You should be able to see the menu from your original site here. Just be sure to test if your menu and menu items are working properly.

Don’t forget to check that all your pages and posts have been imported correctly. Pages >> All Pages (Posts >> All Posts) screen. If you notice duplicate content, be sure to delete it.

Finally, go ahead and see how your imported menu looks on the front end of your new site.

final thoughts

As you can see from the steps we shared above, exporting your WordPress menu items is as easy as it gets if you use the help of a plugin. Besides moving your menu items, you can export all existing pages and posts if their links can be found in your menu. Make sure you follow our guide carefully and adjust the look of your menu items to match the design of your new site after you complete your migration.