Universal import: upload a JSON export

Some publishing platforms export a whole site as one JSON file: posts, pages, tags, authors, tiers, newsletters and settings. Universal import reads that file. It’s also how you move content from one Blogaly site to another, using the file from Export your data.

Coming from Substack, WordPress or Medium? Use the importer for your platform instead; see import your content.

Upload your export

1. 1Go to Settings → Advanced → Migration tools and stay on the Import tab.
2. 2Select Universal import.
3. 3Drop your .json or .zip file onto the box, or click it to choose the file. The upload starts straight away.
4. 4Select Got it on the Import in progress message. We email you when the import is finished, usually within a few minutes.

JSON or zip?

• A JSON file brings in text, structure and settings. Images stay at their old addresses, so they only keep working while the old site is online.
• A zip file can hold the JSON file together with an images folder from your old site. Images in the zip are uploaded to your Blogaly site, so posts don’t depend on the old one.

What comes across

Good to know

• Imports add to your site; they don’t remove anything. A post that already exists with the same address is skipped.
• Staff in the file are added so posts keep their authors. They arrive as Contributors and must reset their password before they can sign in. You can raise their role within your plan’s staff limit.
• Import members from a CSV separately, then add redirects if your old addresses differ.
• Universal import doesn’t take spreadsheets of posts (CSV files).
• If the import fails, the email tells you why. Common causes are a file from a much older version of your old platform or a file that was edited by hand. Get in touch and send us the error.