Title: Import WordPress failed
Last modified: August 20, 2016

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# Import WordPress failed

 *  Resolved [Ben Pollock](https://wordpress.org/support/users/longhand/)
 * (@longhand)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/)
 * I exported a WordPress blog I created in recent weeks, benpollock.com/testsite.
 * I imported to benpollock.com. All that happened was I got this message in a red
   box:
 * Before you can upload your import file, you will need to fix the following error:
 * Unable to create directory /home/longhand/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2011/
   07. Is its parent directory writable by the server?
 * [THEN THESE STATEMENTS outside of the red box:]
 * Howdy! Upload your WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR) file and we’ll import the posts,
   pages, comments, custom fields, categories, and tags into this site.
 * Choose a WXR (.xml) file to upload, then click Upload file and import.
 * END OF MESSAGE OF IMPORTER
 * I looked through Control Panel’s File Manager and this folder has a 777 permission.
   Its contents are a dozen photos or pictures and all of them had 666 permissions,
   except for two with 664, and I deleted those but that didn’t help. Changing the
   664s to 666s didn’t help, either.
 * It was odd to me that the Importer just grabbed the XML file and never had me
   browse or asked me where it was on my Mac, Downloads or Desktop etc.

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

 *  Thread Starter [Ben Pollock](https://wordpress.org/support/users/longhand/)
 * (@longhand)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/#post-2191859)
 * I have narrowed my question above. Or broadened it. When I upload media individually,
   I get a similar error message.
    Unable to create directory /home/…./public_html/
   wp-content/uploads/2011/07. Is its parent directory writable by the server?
 * Changing the permission of wp-content to 777 is ill-advised. And it didn’t work.
 * The default folder already is wp-content/uploads , without a slash before wp-
   content, as was suggested in other thread topics. I wrote it again, didn’t work,
   and wrote wp-content/uploads/ with a concluding slash and that didn’t work.
 *  Thread Starter [Ben Pollock](https://wordpress.org/support/users/longhand/)
 * (@longhand)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/#post-2191861)
 * Found workable solution:
    1) Created an uploads folder in wp-content folder, 
   via Control Panel. 2) Still an “unable to create director” error so I changed
   the default 755 permission to 777.
 * Now I could import a WordPress blog then individual media files as I could on
   other WP sites/
 *  Thread Starter [Ben Pollock](https://wordpress.org/support/users/longhand/)
 * (@longhand)
 * [14 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/#post-2191960)
 * To conclude:
    I got my importer to work, finally, first by creating an uploads
   folder, manually, in wp-content … the WP install did not automatically create
   an uploads folder for some reason. I used Control Panel-File Manager to create
   the folder.
 * Second, in File Manager I changed the permission of wp-content and the new uploads
   folder to 777. Bingo, all worked smooth and fast.
 * Third, on a friend’s advice, once all was tested, I returned the permissions 
   of these two folders to 755. At this level I have uploaded individual images.
 *  [giojohn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/giojohn/)
 * (@giojohn)
 * [13 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/#post-2192121)
 * Unable to create directory /home/feather/public_html/wp-content/uploads/2012/
   07. Is its parent directory writable by the server?
 * My old hosting service used the public_html directory my new hosting service 
   does not
    How do I correct this?

Viewing 4 replies - 1 through 4 (of 4 total)

The topic ‘Import WordPress failed’ is closed to new replies.

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## Tags

 * [export](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/export/)
 * [Import](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/import/)
 * [importer](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/importer/)
 * [media upload](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/media-upload/)

 * 4 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [giojohn](https://wordpress.org/support/users/giojohn/)
 * Last activity: [13 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/import-wordpress-failed/#post-2192121)
 * Status: resolved