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Fixing All-in-One WP Migration: Stuck Import Issues Explained and Solved

54 threads Sep 16, 2025 Plugin → All-in-one wp migration and backup

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If you're trying to migrate your WordPress site using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin and the import process gets stuck—whether at 0%, 100%, or somewhere in between—you're not alone. This is one of the most common issues users face. This guide will walk you through the likely causes and the most effective solutions based on community troubleshooting.

Why Does the Import Get Stuck?

The import process is resource-intensive. It requires your web server to handle a large file upload, process it, and then extract and write all your site's data to a new database and file system. The process most often stalls due to server-level limitations that interrupt this flow. It is rarely a bug in the plugin itself but rather a configuration mismatch between the plugin's requirements and your server's settings.

The Most Common Fix: Adjusting PHP Settings

The overwhelming solution from the All-in-One WP Migration support history is to adjust key PHP settings on your server. Your backup file size is the critical factor here. You must ensure the following settings in your `php.ini` file are all significantly larger than the size of your `.wpress` backup file.

  • upload_max_filesize: This sets the maximum size for a single file upload.
  • post_max_size: This sets the maximum size for all POST data, which must be larger than your file.
  • memory_limit: This determines how much memory a script can consume, which is crucial for processing large files.
  • max_execution_time: This sets the maximum time a script can run. Setting this to `0` allows it to run indefinitely, which is often necessary for large migrations.

How to do it: You can often adjust these settings through your hosting provider's control panel (e.g., cPanel) or by creating or editing a `php.ini` or `.user.ini` file in your website's root directory. If you are unsure how to do this, the most reliable method is to contact your hosting provider's support, explain you are performing a migration, and ask them to verify and increase these limits for you.

Step 2: Check Your Server Error Logs

If adjusting PHP settings doesn't resolve the issue, the next critical step is to investigate your server's error logs. The logs will contain specific error messages that pinpoint the exact limit being hit.

How to do it: Contact your hosting provider and request the error logs for your website around the specific time you attempted the import. Look for errors related to memory exhaustion, timeouts (like "max execution time"), or client body size (e.g., a "413 Request Entity Too Large" error from your web server, like nginx or Apache). The error message will tell you exactly which setting needs to be increased.

Alternative Method: Use the Backups Directory

If uploading through the plugin interface consistently fails, a reliable workaround is to bypass the upload step entirely.

  1. Access your website's files via FTP or your hosting provider's file manager.
  2. Navigate to `/wp-content/ai1wm-backups/`.
  3. Upload your large `.wpress` file directly to this folder.
  4. Go to your WordPress admin dashboard, then to All-in-One WP Migration > Backups. Your file should now appear in the list. Click Restore to begin the import process from there.

This method often succeeds because it avoids the web server's upload limits and only tests its processing power.

Other Considerations and Tips

  • Check File Names: One user discovered that having a colon (":") in a filename within the archive caused an extraction error. Ensure your source site uses valid file names.
  • Clear Caches: Clear any server-side (OPcache, Object Caching) and plugin-based caches (e.g., W3 Total Cache) on the destination site before attempting the import.
  • Fresh WordPress Install: For the cleanest results, perform the import on a fresh, minimal WordPress installation with only the All-in-One WP Migration plugin (and any necessary extensions) active.
  • Plugin Conflicts: While not the most common cause, try disabling other plugins on the destination site before importing as a test.

When All Else Fails

If you have verified all server settings are correct, checked error logs, and tried the backups directory method but the import still fails at the exact same percentage, it could indicate a problem with the backup file itself. The process of creating the archive might have been interrupted. In this case, you may need to create a new export file from the original site and try again.

By methodically working through these steps—starting with server configuration—you can successfully overcome the stuck import issue and complete your website migration.

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