How to Transfer WordPress Users from One WordPress Site to Another
When you want to move users from one WordPress installation to a brand-new installation of WordPress, it must be done via the database.
Important notes:
- Only transfer users to an empty database. If you transfer users to a database that already contains users, existing users will be lost.
- A backup should be made before doing any of the steps below.
Step 1: Export WordPress users
You can transfer your WordPress users from one site to another site by performing the following steps:
- Log in to cPanel.
- In the Databases section, click the phpMyAdmin icon.
- On the left navigation menu, click the database from which the users are being exported.
- Once the database is expanded, you'll see a table with the name "_users" in it. (The sample image below shows “wp_users.”)
- You should see a list of your existing users for your WordPress site.
- From the top navigation menu, click Export.
- Select the radio button for Custom to view additional options at the bottom.
- Under the Format section, select SQL.
- Scroll down a bit and locate the Object creation options section. Put a checkmark on the following:
- Add Drop Table / Trigger Statement
- Add Create Table Statement
- Create Table Options
- If Not Exists
- Auto_Increment
- Enclose table and column names with backquotes
- Click Export at the bottom of the page to save a .sql file into your computer.
Step 2: Import users to the destination WordPress site
In the database of the destination WordPress site:
- From the top left navigation menu, click the Home icon.
- From the left navigation menu, select the database to which the users are being imported.
- Select the table with the name "_users" in it.
- From the top navigation menu, click the Import tab.
- Under File to Import, click the Choose File button.
- Select the previously downloaded file from Step 1, then click Open.
Please note that this will override your existing "_users" table.
- Scroll down the page and click Import.
After completing the steps above, the users from your old WordPress site should have been successfully imported to your new WordPress site.