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Store migration

How to migrate a WooCommerce store without losing data

Export categories and tags first, then products, customers and orders, and import them into the new store in the same order. Pro moves all seven data types in one bundle ZIP.

Migration order

1 Categories and tags

first

2 Products

then

3 Customers

then

4 Orders

last

Free path

Migrate with the free plugins, in order

Do the dependencies in the order below so records can find each other.

Back up both sites

Take a full database backup of the old and the new store.

Categories and tags

Export, then import. Parent categories resolve by name or slug.

Products

Include variations with their parent SKU. Keep the old site online for images.

Customers

Import the users, matched by email.

Orders, then check

Import orders and open a sample in the new admin.

pro

Move everything with one bundle

Pro exports products, orders, customers, coupons, reviews, categories and tags as a single ZIP. Import the ZIP on the new store in a single operation.

Run the import in the background so it carries on if you close the browser, and follow it in the History tab. If something looks wrong, roll back the import once and try again.

Checklist before you switch DNS

Keep reading

How to Migrate Your WooCommerce Store Without Losing Data

Longer guide on the blog

7 Best Practices Before Importing Data Into WooCommerce

Prepare your files

Bundle export and import

Documentation (Pro)

History and rolling back an import

Documentation

Faq

Migration questions

Do I need Pro to migrate a store?

No. With the free plugins you export each data type and import them in order. Pro saves time with a single bundle ZIP that carries all seven data types.
Why keep the old site online during the import?

Product images are imported as URLs. The new site downloads them from the old one, so the old site has to stay reachable until the import finishes.
Does migration work with HPOS?

Yes. The plugin detects the order storage on the destination store and writes to the right place.
Will customers get emails when orders are imported?

No. Transactional emails are suspended during order imports.
Can I undo a migration import?

In Pro you can roll back an import once, if it finished cleanly. It is not a substitute for a database backup, so take one first.

Plan the move with a free test

Export ten products, import them on a staging site and check the result.