How to export your WordPress site — content, backup, or the whole thing
Good news: unlike the closed builders, WordPress exports easily — the question is which of the three exports you actually need, and what you'll still be responsible for afterwards. If the honest answer is "I'm exporting because I'm tired of maintaining this," there's a shortcut at the end.
- Content XML vs. full backup vs. static copy — which is which
- The exact steps for each export
- What to do when the export was really an escape plan
Exporting to escape the maintenance? Start here
If the updates, plugins, and hosting bills are why you're leaving, don't export into another copy of the same job — rebuild without it:
- 1
Paste your site's address
Click Rebuild it maintenance-free above. Moderoo reads your live site — no XML files, no FTP, no database dump.
- 2
AI rebuilds it as a managed site
Design, text, and photos recreated as one clean, editable website — usually in a few minutes. Edit by chatting, not by plugin.
- 3
Publish and stop patching
From $9.99/mo flat: hosting, SSL, backups, updates, blog, booking, and SEO tools are all handled. Your Sunday evenings are yours again.
The three kinds of WordPress export
1. Content export (XML). Built into WordPress at Tools → Export. Produces a WXR file with your posts, pages, comments, and menus — but no theme, no plugins, no design, and no media files (only links to them). It's for moving content into another WordPress install.
2. Full-site backup. A copy of everything — files, theme, plugins, uploads, and the database — made with a backup plugin or your host's tools. This is the export that can genuinely restore your site… onto another WordPress host, where the maintenance starts again.
3. Static HTML copy. A static-site plugin crawls your site into plain HTML files you can host anywhere cheaply. The catch: forms, search, comments, and anything dynamic stops working, and every future edit means regenerating the whole site.
All three are real exports — WordPress deserves credit here. But notice what each one hands you: another system to run.
How to run each export, step by step
Do the one that matches your goal — or do the first one regardless, as a free insurance policy:
- 1
Content XML: Tools → Export
In wp-admin, choose Tools → Export → All content and download the file. Takes two minutes; keep it somewhere safe even if you never use it.
- 2
Full backup: plugin or host panel
Use your host's backup tool or a backup plugin to produce a downloadable archive of files + database. Verify you can actually open it — an untested backup is a hope, not a backup.
- 3
Static copy: a static-site plugin
Install a static-export plugin, generate the site, and host the files anywhere. Test your forms afterwards — they'll need a third-party service to keep working.
- 4
Media files: don't forget the originals
The XML doesn't contain your images. Grab wp-content/uploads via your host's file manager (or the full backup) so your photo library survives whatever you do next.
What you're still signed up for after exporting
Every WordPress export lands you back in the same routine somewhere else:
Hosting bills that creep
Intro pricing ends; realistic managed WordPress hosting runs $10–25/mo — before the theme and plugin renewals.
The update treadmill
Core, theme, and every plugin — monthly at least. Skip a few and you're in the security-incident statistics.
Plugin roulette
One update conflicts with another and the site's down on a Saturday. Every WordPress owner has the story.
Or: none of it
Moderoo sites are managed — hosting, SSL, backups, and updates are our job. You edit by chatting and everything else just runs.
The cost of keeping WordPress vs. letting it go
Keeping a well-run WordPress site typically costs $120–300/yr in hosting after intro pricing ends, plus theme and plugin renewals — and the recurring hours of updates and fixes, which are the real bill. Moderoo Starter is $9.99/mo ($120/yr) flat with hosting, maintenance, blog, booking, and SEO tools included, and unlimited traffic on every paid plan. If your site is a business site rather than a hobby stack, the math usually isn't close.
See your site rebuilt, maintenance-free
Paste your address, see your one-time rebuild price up front (from $9.99), and decide with both options in front of you.
One-time rebuild from $9.99, quoted before we build. Hosting from $9.99/mo.
WordPress export — frequently asked questions
Does Tools → Export include my images?
No — the XML references your images but doesn't contain them. Importers can sometimes fetch them from your live site; the reliable move is downloading wp-content/uploads yourself or taking a full backup.
How do I export WordPress to HTML?
With a static-site plugin that crawls your pages into plain files. It works well for brochure sites, but forms, search, and comments stop working, and edits require regenerating everything. If you want static-simple without losing an editable site, a Moderoo rebuild gets you both.
Can I export from WordPress.com (not self-hosted)?
Yes — WordPress.com offers the same content XML export, and paid plans can export media too. The static and full-backup options depend on your plan level.
Will Moderoo import my WordPress export file?
It doesn't need it. Moderoo rebuilds from your live site's address — design, text, and photos — which covers what the XML holds and everything it doesn't. Keep the XML as a text archive; it's good insurance.
When should I stay on WordPress?
If you rely on custom plugins, WooCommerce, a multi-author publishing workflow, or custom code — stay; that's what WordPress is for. If your site is a business front door with a blog and a booking form, you're paying WordPress-sized maintenance for a much smaller job.