September 11, 2024
Are you looking to import users to your WordPress website from a CSV file?
By default, WordPress does not include the feature to import users in bulk. While you can add users individually, this can be incredibly time-consuming, especially if you need to import thousands of users.
In this article, we will guide you through the process of importing WordPress users quickly and efficiently. We’ll be using the WP All Import plugin, which simplifies the import process into just a few easy steps.
Let’s get started!
There are several reasons why you might want to import WordPress users in bulk. It’s an invaluable feature for membership sites, online courses, and eCommerce websites where you may need to add thousands of users simultaneously.
You might be migrating to WordPress from another platform, merging multiple WordPress websites, or simply looking to import numerous users at once. In any of these cases, the bulk import process can save you a significant amount of time and effort. It eliminates the need for repetitive manual entry and allows you to add users in just a few steps.
Now that we know the benefits of bulk importing, let’s see how you can easily add multiple users to WordPress using the WP All Import plugin.
Before we begin the import process, we need to compile all our user data into a CSV file.
There are several ways to create a CSV file. If you’re migrating from another platform, you often have the option to export users to a CSV file. This file will usually have the correct formatting and all the required information, so you can jump straight to the import steps.
You can also create your own CSV file using any compatible application, such as Google Sheets or Excel. When creating your own CSV file, it’s important to make sure that each column represents a separate field and each row represents an individual user.
If you’re migrating from another platform, your import file created using WP All Export will already include all the necessary user data. However, if you’re creating the CSV file from scratch, the two required fields are the username and email address. These are crucial for WordPress to recognize and manage each user account properly.
You can also include additional user fields, such as:
Adding these additional fields can enhance the user profiles on your WordPress site. There may also be other user fields specific to the WordPress website you’re importing to.
For example, if it’s a business website, you might want to include additional fields such as Company and Job title.
After you’ve added all the fields, go to File › Save As and choose CSV from the list of file types.
If you don’t want to create the file from scratch, you can use this example file from WP All Import.
Now that our CSV file is ready, let’s dive into the import process in detail.
Since WordPress lacks a built-in feature to import users in bulk, we’ll be using the WP All Import plugin.
It’s a user-friendly plugin that includes a wizard to help you import user data in just a few steps. Other than users, it also supports other WordPress data types such as products, orders, taxonomies, and more.
Other key features include:
To import user data, you’ll need the premium version of the core WP All Import plugin along with its User Add-On.
Once you have both plugins installed, let’s look into the import process in detail.
To start the import process, navigate to All Import › New Import in your WordPress dashboard and upload your CSV file containing the user information.
Alternatively, you can add the file in other ways. If your user data file is stored on cloud services such as Dropbox or Google Drive, WP All Import supports importing files directly from a URL.
Additionally, if you have used WP All Export to export users from another WordPress site, you can simply add the export file URL generated in the final step.
Once you’ve added the file, select New Items and choose Users as the import type.
Next, click Continue to Step 2 at the bottom.
The next step is the Review Import File page which lets you verify the records in your user import file. WP All Import will display the total user count, and you can navigate between these records individually using the gray arrows at the top.
This step ensures that you verify everything before proceeding with the import.
The same page also allows you to apply filter rules to select a specific subset of users to import. To start adding filters, expand the Manage Filtering Options panel and add the Element, Rule, and Value.
You can add as many rules as needed, and separate each one with an AND or OR condition. Want even more granular control? You can group filters by creating nested filter rules.
For example, you can apply the following filter rules to select users who are either customers or subscribers but do not have the username “admin.”
Since the import data is stored outside the WordPress database, filters are applied using the XPath language.
Once you’ve verified that the data looks accurate, click Continue to Step 3.
This is the most important step in the import process. It allows you to map columns from your user import file to the corresponding user fields in WordPress.
WP All Import includes a drag and drop interface that allows you to drag fields from the section on the right to the appropriate field boxes on the left.
The fields are organized into different tabs such as User Account Info, Other User Info, and Custom Fields. You can expand these tabs to map the relevant fields.
If you’ve created the import file from scratch, the data inside it might not always be formatted in the way you need it.
WP All Import includes advanced features that allow you to use custom PHP to modify the values in your import file to meet your requirements. You can refer to WP All Import’s documentation to learn more about using custom PHP code.
Once you’ve mapped everything, click Continue to Step 4 to proceed to the next step.
The Import Settings page appears next and allows you to configure various advanced settings of WP All Import. These settings include assigning a unique identifier, blocking welcome email notifications to users, speed optimization options, and scheduling.
The first option is to set the unique identifier that allows WP All Import to differentiate between users. You can click the Auto-detect option to let WP All Import automatically select the best identifier.
If you prefer, you can also manually select it from the user information box on the right. The identifier is crucial when you run the same import with an updated file. There are also a few additional options to control what happens when WP All Import finds new or changed data.
By default, when a new user is imported, WordPress sends a welcome email with a password reset link. If your user data file is an export from another website and you want your users to use their current passwords, you can check the box to block email notifications during the import process.
WP All Import also includes an automatic import feature that works on a fixed schedule. This allows you to automatically sync new user data from the import file.
The scheduling option only works when you select the “Download from URL” or “Use Existing File” option in the first step of the import. Since we uploaded the CSV file, this option is not available for this import. But if you were to schedule your import, here’s how it would look.
WP All Import also includes speed optimization features that let you specify the number of records to import in each batch and whether to split a large file into multiple smaller files.
After configuring these settings, click Continue to move to the next step.
In the final step, WP All Import provides a summary of all the previous steps and settings applied. If you spot any mistakes, you can go back to the previous step to correct them.
If everything looks good, click Confirm & Run Import at the top to start the import. Depending on the number of users in your import file, WP All Import may take a few minutes to complete. Once the import is finished, you will get a confirmation that shows how many records were imported and how many were updated.
To verify that the users were correctly imported, navigate to Users > All Users from your WordPress menu. Open a few newly added users to ensure all details were imported correctly.
WP All Import is a single plugin for all your import needs. It supports importing data for custom post types such as WooCommerce products, customers, orders, coupons, and reviews, as well as WordPress posts, pages, taxonomies, and much more.
The general process remains the same across different data types, meaning you only need to learn one method to handle all your import requirements.
Ready to effortlessly import user and other data into WordPress? Download and install the WP All Import plugin today!
Importing more than one user is a bulk import process. Just follow the same steps outlined in this guide.
Importing customers with WP All Import is similar to importing regular WordPress users. The only difference is that you need to select WooCommerce Customers as the import type in the first step of the process.
To export users from an existing WordPress website in CSV format, use the WP All Export plugin and follow these steps:
To migrate users from one WordPress site to another, you can use the combination of WP All Export and WP All Import. First, use WP All Export to export users from your source site. Then, use WP All Import to import these users to your destination site.
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