Import & Export

Bulk import and export packages in WordPress Download Manager. Access from Downloads > Import & Export in your WordPress admin.

Overview

The Import & Export feature allows you to:

Migrate packages between WordPress sites

Bulk create packages from CSV files

Import files from server directories

Export packages for backup

Share package configurations

Export Packages

Export Options

Format	Best For
CSV	Spreadsheet editing, bulk updates
JSON	Full data preservation, API use
XML	WordPress import compatibility

What Gets Exported

Data	CSV	JSON	XML
Title & Description	Yes	Yes	Yes
Files & URLs	Yes	Yes	Yes
Categories & Tags	Yes	Yes	Yes
Settings	Partial	Full	Full
Meta Data	Partial	Full	Full
Images	URL only	URL only	URL only
Statistics	No	Yes	Yes

How to Export

Go to Downloads > Import & Export

Click the Export tab

Select packages to export (or all)

Choose export format

Click “Export”

Download the file

Export Filters

Filter	Description
Categories	Only specific categories
Date Range	Packages created in range
Status	Published, draft, etc.
Author	Packages by specific author

Batch Export

For large numbers of packages:

Export runs in batches

Progress bar shows status

File downloads when complete

Large exports may take time

Import from CSV

CSV Format

Required columns:

Column	Description	Example
title	Package title	“My Download”

Optional columns:

Column	Description	Example
description	Package description	“Full description…”
post_status	Publish status	publish, draft
url_slug	URL permalink	my-download
files	Attached files (pipe-separated)	file1.zip	file2.pdf
file_titles	File display names	“File One	File Two”
category	Category names	“Category1,Category2”
tags	Tag names	“tag1,tag2,tag3”
access	Allowed roles	“administrator,editor”
version	Package version	1.0.0
template	Link template	default
page_template	Page template	default
password_lock	Enable password	0 or 1
password	Lock password	mypassword
email_lock	Enable email lock	0 or 1
base_price	Product price	29.99
icon	Icon URL	https://…

Sample CSV

title,description,files,category,access,version
"My First Package","A great download","/uploads/file1.zip","Software","subscriber",1.0.0
"Another Package","Description here","/uploads/file2.pdf|/uploads/bonus.zip","Documents","all",2.0.0

Import Steps

Prepare your CSV file

Go to Downloads > Import & Export

Click the Import tab

Click “Upload CSV”

Select your file

Map columns if needed

Click “Import”

Review import results

Column Mapping

If your CSV uses different column names:

After upload, the mapping screen appears

Match your columns to WPDM fields

Skip columns you don’t want to import

Save mapping for future imports

Import Options

Option	Description	Default
Update Existing	Update if title matches	Disabled
Create Categories	Auto-create missing categories	Enabled
Create Tags	Auto-create missing tags	Enabled
Set Status	Override status for all	Use CSV value
Author	Assign all to author	Current user

Batch Import

Large imports process in batches:

Setting	Description	Default
Batch Size	Rows per batch	10
Delay	Seconds between batches	0

Progress shows:

Current row

Success count

Error count

Time elapsed

Import from Directory

Directory Import

Import files directly from a server directory:

Go to Downloads > Import & Export

Click Import from Directory tab

Browse or enter directory path

Select files to import

Configure import options

Click “Import”

File Browser

The file browser shows:

Column	Description
Filename	File name
Size	File size
Type	File extension
Modified	Last modified date

Import Options

Option	Description
Create Package Per File	Each file = one package
Group Files	Multiple files = one package
Use Filename as Title	File name becomes title
Move vs Copy	Move file or copy it
Target Directory	Where to store files

Supported Locations

Location	Path
Uploads	/wp-content/uploads/
WPDM Files	/wp-content/uploads/wpdm-files/
Custom	Any accessible directory

Import from JSON/XML

JSON Import

Go to Import tab

Select JSON file

Review package data

Click “Import All” or select specific packages

Confirm import

XML Import

Go to Import tab

Select XML file

WordPress-compatible XML supported

Review and import

Handling Errors

Common Import Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
“File not found”	Invalid file path	Check file exists
“Invalid CSV”	Malformed CSV	Check formatting
“Missing title”	No title column	Add title column
“Permission denied”	File not readable	Check permissions
“Memory limit”	File too large	Increase PHP memory

Error Log

After import, review the error log:

Click “View Errors”

See row-by-row issues

Download error report

Fix issues and re-import

Rollback

If import goes wrong:

Note imported package IDs (shown in log)

Go to Downloads > All Downloads

Filter by import date

Bulk delete if needed

Migration Between Sites

Full Migration

Source site: Export all packages (JSON recommended)

Export media: Note all file URLs

Target site: Import JSON file

Transfer files: Upload files to target

Update URLs: Fix file paths if needed

Partial Migration

Export specific categories

Export specific packages

Import to target

Reassign categories if needed

Post-Migration Checklist

Task	Description
Verify counts	Same number imported
Check files	Files accessible
Test downloads	Downloads work
Check categories	Properly assigned
Review settings	Package settings correct

Automation

WP-CLI Commands

# Export packages
wp wpdm export --format=csv --output=/path/to/export.csv

# Import from CSV
wp wpdm import /path/to/import.csv --create-categories

# Import from directory
wp wpdm import-dir /path/to/files --create-packages

Scheduled Exports

Set up automatic exports:

Go to Cron Jobs Settings

Create new job

Hook: wpdm_scheduled_export

Set schedule

Configure export path

Tips

Always backup before bulk imports

Test with small CSV first

Use JSON for complete data preservation

Check file paths in CSV are correct

Match column names exactly for smooth import

Review import log for any errors

Keep export files for disaster recovery

Related Documentation

Creating Packages

File Attachments

Categories & Tags

Cron Jobs Settings