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WordPress Import

Migrate your WordPress content directly via the REST API—no file uploads needed.

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Overview

Postlyo connects directly to your WordPress site using the REST API. This approach is more reliable than file uploads—especially for large sites—because content is fetched in real-time with automatic pagination and error recovery.

Live Connection

Fetches directly from your WP site

Auto-Resume

Continues if interrupted

Secure

Uses Application Passwords

Where to find it

Navigate to Settings → Import in your dashboard.

Requirements

Before you begin, ensure your WordPress site meets these requirements:

WordPress 5.6 or later

Required for Application Passwords feature

Administrator Access

You need admin rights to create an Application Password

REST API Enabled

Enabled by default in WordPress—no action needed unless disabled by a plugin

Creating an Application Password

Application Passwords provide secure API access without exposing your main password. Follow these steps to create one:

1

Log in to WordPress

Go to your WordPress admin dashboard (yourblog.com/wp-admin).
2

Navigate to your profile

Click Users in the sidebar, then click on your admin username.
3

Find Application Passwords

Scroll down to the Application Passwords section near the bottom of the page.
4

Create a new password

Enter a name like Postlyo Import and click Add New Application Password.
5

Copy the password

Copy the generated password immediately—it won't be shown again. The format looks like: xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx xxxx

Application Passwords Section

Location in WordPress admin

Application Passwords

Application passwords allow authentication via non-interactive systems, such as REST API, without providing your actual password.

Copy it now

WordPress shows the password only once. If you lose it, you'll need to create a new one and revoke the old one.

Connecting Your Site

Enter your WordPress site details to establish a connection:

Connection Form

Enter your WordPress credentials

Click Test Connection to verify your credentials. On success, you'll see your site name and content totals.

Connection Success

Your site is connected

Connected to My Tech Blog
Categories: 12
Posts: 156
Media: 342
Users: 3

Import Options

Choose what content to import. All options are enabled by default.

Import Options

Select what to import

Categories
Media Files
Posts & Content
Team Members
Site Info & Logo

Smart media import

Postlyo only downloads images that are actually used in your posts—featured images and images embedded in content. Unused media library files are skipped, saving time and storage.

What Gets Imported

Here's exactly what content is migrated from WordPress:

Posts

Published and draft posts with full HTML content

Categories

All categories with hierarchy preserved

Featured Images

Downloaded, optimized, and re-uploaded automatically

Content Images

Images in post content with URLs automatically updated

Site Info

Site name, description, timezone, and logo

Authors

Non-admin users imported as team members

Automatic Processing

During import, Postlyo handles the technical details:

  • Optimizes and compresses images for fast loading
  • Moves images to Postlyo's CDN for global delivery
  • Preserves your URLs for SEO continuity
  • Keeps publication dates and author names intact

What's Not Imported

WordPress pages (only posts are imported)
Comments (not supported in this version)
Administrator accounts (security restriction)
Custom post types and ACF fields
Shortcodes (rendered as-is; consider removing them first)

During Import

The import runs in the background. You can monitor progress in real-time or leave the page and return later.

Import Progress

Real-time progress tracking

Importing content...In Progress

Categories: 12/12

Posts: 45/156

Images: 23/87 (14 skipped)

Users: Pending

Safe to leave

The import continues even if you close your browser. Return toSettings → Import anytime to check progress.

After Import

Once the import completes, review your content:

1

Check your posts

Browse Posts to verify content imported correctly.
2

Verify images

Open a few posts to confirm images display properly.
3

Review categories

Check Categories to ensure structure is correct.
4

Set up redirects (if needed)

If your URL structure differs, configure redirects at your DNS or hosting level.

Slugs preserved

Your original post slugs are preserved, so /my-great-articleremains the same. This maintains your SEO rankings and existing links.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to resolve them:

Connection failed

Verify your site URL includes https://. Check that the REST API is not disabled by a security plugin. Try accessinghttps://yoursite.com/wp-json/ directly—you should see JSON data.

Application Password not working

Ensure you're using the Application Password, not your WordPress login password. The password should have spaces in it (e.g., xxxx xxxx xxxx). Some hosts disable Application Passwords—contact your host if needed.

Missing images after import

Images hosted on external CDNs or protected by hotlink prevention may fail to download. Check the import error log for specific failures. You can manually upload these images later.

Import stuck or very slow

Large sites with thousands of posts may take 30+ minutes. The import runs in batches and can be resumed if interrupted. If truly stuck, you can cancel and restart—already-imported content won't be duplicated.

Broken formatting in posts

Gutenberg blocks import as HTML, which works well. However, shortcodes from plugins (like [gallery]) won't render. We recommend replacing shortcodes with native content before importing.

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