Articles on: Staging

Import Site

InstaWP lets you quickly and easily import WordPress websites from backup, live, or beta sources into its environment using InstaWP, WP Playground, UpdraftPlus, and more. You can upload WordPress backup zip files up to 1 GB and handle everything from your local computer using InstaWP for smooth staging site management.

In this documentation, we will explore the steps to import the WordPress site from the following backup source options:

InstaWP
WP Playground
UpdraftPlus
Duplicator

Let’s get started 🚀

How to Import a Site



Go to Sites and locate the Import Site option. Click on it. You’ll get a box of backup resources.





InstaWP



Step 1



Go to Sites and locate the Import Site option. Click on it.






Step 2


Select InstaWP from the drop-down menu and upload your InstaWP zip file.







Step 3


Click Next and let the file upload. Click Next again after the file is uploaded.





Step 4



Set the site name and choose Server Location. Then click on Import Site button. The installation process will start automatically.









Step 5


Once the installation is complete, your site will be ready to use.










WP Playground



It is an interactive environment for quickly setting up WordPress in a browser, allowing developers to experiment and test features without complex setups.

Download WP Playground file


Step 1: Click here to access and download the WP playground. Find the scanner icon and click on the vertical ellipsis.




Step 2: Click on the Download as .zip option.





Import to InstaWP



Step 1: Go to the Import site option and select WP Playground as a backup source with a zip file you can upload. Upload the file and click Next.












Step 3: Once you have uploaded the WP Playground zip file, click Next and enter the values in the following fields:

FieldsDescription
Site nameEnter the site name or leave it blank to generate it randomly.
Server LocationSelect the server location from the US, UK, Germany, CA, or Singapore.
WordPress versionSelect the WordPress version of your WP Playground.
PHP versionSelect the PHP version of your WP Playground.


Now, click Import Site and the installation process will start automatically.







UpdraftPlus



It is a popular WordPress plugin for backing up and restoring WordPress websites. It allows users to schedule automatic backups, store backups on remote locations such as Dropbox or Google Drive, and easily restore backups when needed.

Get backup files from UpdraftPlus


Step 1:

Add the UpdraftPlus plugin to your site from the WP Admin Panel. Activate and find the Backup Now button. Click on it.






Step 2: Check the options and click Backup Now from the box.






Step 3:

Once the backup is ready, click on the files (Database, Plugins, Themes, Uploads, Others). Download options will appear for each of the files. Click on Download to your Computer for all the backup files to download.



💡 Note: The user must download all backup data files (Database, Plugins, Themes, Uploads & Others) or their WordPress site. *

Import to InstaWP


Step 1: Go to the Import site option and select UpdraftPlus as a backup source with the backup zip files you can upload.






Step 2: Click on Database Backup Zip Files and upload all the five files from UpdraftPlus. Click Next.







Step 3: Once you have uploaded the WordPress site backup files, enter the values in the following fields:

FieldsDescription
Site nameEnter the site name or leave it blank to generate it randomly.
Server LocationSelect the server location from the US, UK, Germany, CA, or Singapore.
WordPress versionSelect the WordPress version of your WordPress site.
PHP versionSelect the PHP version of your WordPress site.



Now, click Import Site. The installation will start automatically.










Duplicator



It is a powerful and easy-to-use WordPress backup and migration plugin. It enables users to migrate, copy, move, or clone sites and serves as a simple backup utility, handling serialized and base64 serialized replacements.

Step 1: Add the Duplicator plugin to your site from the WP Admin panel. Activate and go to plugin settings. Click Allow and Continue.







Step 2: Using the Duplicator plugin, create a new package and download the archive file. to step ahead, click Create New. Then, name the package and click Next.








Step 3:

Check the options and click on Build button.





Step 4:

Click Archive to download the file.



*💡 Note: The user only needs to download the archive file from their package files to import the site to the InstaWP.
Step 5:

Go to the Import Site option and select Duplicator as a backup source with the backup zip file you can upload.




Step 6: Upload the file.






Step 7: Once you have uploaded the WordPress site backup files, enter the values in the following fields:

FieldsDescription
Site nameEnter the site name or leave it blank to generate it randomly.
Server LocationSelect the server location from the US, UK, Germany, CA, or Singapore.
WordPress versionSelect the WordPress version of your WordPress site.
PHP versionSelect the PHP version of your WordPress site.


Now, click Import Site. The installation will start automatically.






💡 Did you know - You can import WordPress websites from a local computer to LocalWP for development and testing, improving workflow productivity for developers. Learn about import site into LocalWP.

Updated on: 04/04/2025

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