WordPress Multisite Migration

WordPress Multisite to Single Site Migration

We take one site out of a WordPress Multisite network and turn it into a standalone WordPress site. Webzstore separates that site's content, uploaded files and users from the network, then rebuilds the plugins and settings it depended on.

A blue arched bridge between two small houses

01Choose

Choose what you want to change

Select what you need, from one task to the whole extraction. The outline that appears is for the call and is not a quote.

Where this startsOne site inside our WordPress network needs to stand alone, but its users, uploads and plugins are tied to the rest of the network.

Choose one part, several parts or the whole project

Plan the complete subsite extractionJoin the dependency map, export, uploads copy, rebuild and launch in one plan.

Map of shared users, plugins and tables
Export and import of the subsite content
Manual copy of uploads
Plugins, themes and users set up again
Redirects, approval and launch checks

Check first: Which parts of the network the subsite quietly relies on.

Next: Share the subsite address and any plugins you know are network-wide.

Export the subsite and copy uploadsTake the subsite's content out and bring its files across by hand.
- Export content from that subsite only
- Import it into the new site with the WordPress Importer
- Copy the subsite's uploads folder manually
- Check images and internal links in a sample
Check first: Which site ID and uploads folder belong to the subsite.
Related: WordPress Migration Services, WordPress Website Design
Next: Send the subsite address and the size of its media library.
Rebuild users, plugins and tablesReplace the network parts that the subsite quietly relied on.
- List network-activated plugins the subsite uses
- Install the plugins and themes it needs on the new site
- Copy plugin tables that need manual handling
- Create users and roles for the people who log in
Check first: Which plugins are network-activated and which belong to the subsite.
Related: WordPress Website Design, WordPress Migration Services
Next: Export a list of active plugins and the users with roles on that subsite.
Plan the extraction and launchMap addresses and permissions, then switch once the new site is approved.
- Map the subsite's address to the new site
- Prepare and test a redirect map
- Agree who approves before the switch
- Monitor search performance after launch
Check first: Whether the subsite uses a path, a subdomain or its own domain.
Related: Website Migration Services, WordPress Migration Services
Next: Tell us how visitors reach the subsite and who has network access.
Map what the subsite sharesFind every dependency on the network before anything is copied.
- Review shared users and their roles
- List network-activated and subsite plugins
- Find plugins that keep data in their own tables
- Record domains, permissions and admin access
Check first: Who has network-level access and can run the export.
Related: WordPress Migration Services
Next: Share the subsite address and a list of the people with network access.

In plain terms

Multisite: A WordPress setup that runs many sites from one installation.
Subsite: One site inside a multisite network.
Redirect map: A list that sends visitors from each old address to its new one.

03Transfer

Export the subsite, then rebuild around it

The subsite is exported with Tools > Export while logged in to that subsite. The file goes into the new site through the WordPress Importer. The order matters.

Install WordPress and the plugins and themes the subsite used
Create the author account on the new site
Import the export file and assign the content to that author
Copy the uploads folder across by hand
Copy any plugin tables the plugins need
Recreate users and roles for the people who log in

04Test

Check what the export file leaves behind

The export holds posts, pages, comments and similar content.

It is not a full backup, so we compare it against the live subsite to find what is missing: media files, plugin settings, widgets and which menu sits in which theme location.
Menu records themselves (the menus and their items) travel in the export file, but the theme-location assignments do not, so we reassign each menu and check its links and placement after the import.
We open one page of each type and check images, internal links, menus, forms, search and the login for each role.
Your team signs off before the address changes.

05Launch

Retire the subsite only after approval

Your subsite may live on a path, a subdomain or its own domain, and that decides what changes.

We map the old addresses to the new ones, prepare a redirect map (a list sending each old address to its new one) and test it.
The subsite stays in the network until you approve the new site.
We monitor search performance after launch and make no promise that it will stay the same.
Our WordPress Migration Services page explains how this fits with other WordPress moves.

Questions about extracting a subsite

Does the export include my uploaded images?

No. The export keeps image details and addresses, but the files themselves are copied manually from the uploads folder for that site.

Will users come across with the content?

Not automatically. Users are shared across the network, so we create the accounts needed on the new site and assign the imported content to the right author.

Will a network-activated plugin keep working?

Only once it is installed and set up on the new site. We check its settings and any tables it created.

Can the rest of the network stay as it is?

Yes. The export is taken from that one subsite. The other sites remain in the network until you decide otherwise.

Extract the site for a clear reason

Tell us which subsite you want to separate and why it must stand alone. We will map the shared parts and rebuild what it needs. Compare our WordPress Website Design work if the new site also needs a new look.

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