How to import a .wpress file into WordPress

A .wpress file is the single-file archive that All-in-One WP Migration creates when you export a WordPress site. It holds everything needed to rebuild that site: the database, the media library, plugins and themes. Because it is one file, it is easy to download and keep, but it can only be opened by software that understands the format.

That is why many site owners end up with a folder full of .wpress backups and no simple way to use them outside the plugin that made them. Quick Restore reads the format directly, so those backups become usable again.

Most failed .wpress imports come down to two limits.

All-in-One WP Migration’s free version is widely reported to stop large imports and point you to its paid Unlimited Extension. ServMask lists that extension at $69 a year. If your backup is bigger than what your setup allows, the import simply will not start.

Many shared hosting plans set PHP’s upload_max_filesize to a few megabytes. A single large upload stops partway through, whatever plugin you use. Quick Restore avoids this by uploading the file in small chunks.

The site you restore into can be the same one or a fresh WordPress install on a new host. If the domain is different, stored URLs are replaced with a serialization-safe method, so page-builder layouts, widgets and plugin settings keep working. See restoring WordPress to a new domain for how that works.

If your .wpress file is 512 MB or smaller, the free version of Quick Restore restores it. If it is larger, Quick Restore Pro restores backups of any size. Pro is a one-time payment with 12 months of updates, and the plugin keeps working after that year.

You do not lose your backup history by switching. Every .wpress file you already have stays restorable, and new backups are made in Quick Restore’s own .wpqr format. For a side-by-side look at pricing and limits, read Quick Restore vs All-in-One WP Migration.

This is almost always the host’s upload limit or an unstable connection. Quick Restore uploads in chunks, so retry on a stable connection; there is no server setting to change.

The free version restores backups up to 512 MB. Check the .wpress file size on your computer. If it is larger, Quick Restore Pro restores it.

Clear any caching plugin and your browser cache, then re-save permalinks under Settings → Permalinks. If the domain changed, check a few pages for links that still point to the old address in theme files.

A .wpress archive holds the database, media library, plugins and themes of the site it was made from. When you import it, the site you restore into takes on that content: posts, pages, users, settings, plugins and theme. Anything that was only on the destination site is replaced, which is why Quick Restore asks you to confirm first.