Title: Missing excerpts when using default export / import Tools Last modified: July 11, 2019 --- # Missing excerpts when using default export / import Tools * [jcherlin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jcherlin/) * (@jcherlin) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/) * I am working on a Staging site that is soon to launch live. Before doing so, I need to import the new posts from the Live site to the Staging site…to prepare staging for launch. However, for some reason, when using the default export and import tools…it is not importing the excerpts! * Please help. This seems to be a new issue, since I never had this issue before. * The page I need help with: _[[log in](https://login.wordpress.org/?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fwordpress.org%2Fsupport%2Ftopic%2Fmissing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools%2F%3Foutput_format%3Dmd&locale=en_US) to see the link]_ Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total) * [JNashHawkins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jnashhawkins/) * (@jnashhawkins) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11720138) * Excerpts are a product of the editing process and they must be enabled in the settings for your Classic Editor page to be viewable in that editor if you have that. The Block Editor (Gutenberg) has a slightly different layout with an excerpt‘ menu’ item on the right-hand side of the editor page. * [https://wordpress.org/support/article/excerpt/](https://wordpress.org/support/article/excerpt/) * Thread Starter [jcherlin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jcherlin/) * (@jcherlin) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11722605) * [@jnashhawkins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jnashhawkins/) I don’t think you understand what I’m saying. The trouble isn’t with seeing the excerpts in the backend of WordPress. I’m saying when I use Tools->Export on the Live site and export “posts”…Then use Tools->Import on Staging site and import “posts”… it does not show the excerpts on the Homepage and Category pages on the front end, for the imported posts. As if the excerpts didn’t get exported and/or imported. * [JNashHawkins](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jnashhawkins/) * (@jnashhawkins) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11722714) * Well, what I’m trying to tell you is I believe the excerpts are a product of the creation and/or editing of the posts. I don’t think posts are exported with much other than the text, the images, links, and what would be necessary to recreate the post itself in the importing site. * Excerpts are more of a meta-type entry and dependant on their next environment which may be some system that doesn’t use excerpts or a theme that doesn’t need them. * If you want the exact copy of your posts on to the staging site then you need to copy over the whole database or else the parts of the database containing that info. A migration plugin might suit you better. * I mostly hate staging sites due to the many issues I see people run into with them. Yet half of the crazy stuff I do here involves what could be considered staging site(s). * Why don’t you drop into a post with your preferred editor and change just a tiny bit of something in one post and see if I’m right or not… I’ve been wrong before. * Another option might be to take your imported posts to draft or pending status then hit the publish button and see if that rebuilds your excerpts. And like I said, a migration plugin might suit you better here. * If you intend to continue using your staging site for content creating you might want to look at a syndication or RSS import plugin. Those usually ‘publish’ as opposed to a simpler import. The ‘publish’ is key I believe. * If it turns out I’m wrong then you might want to suggest the core team look at the issue. * Thread Starter [jcherlin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jcherlin/) * (@jcherlin) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11722986) * Yeah I’ve found plugins…but the ones I’ve seen are honestly either too complex, or wouldn’t just migrate posts but instead overwrite my pages that I made on staging. Even just doing straight up sql seems to be overwriting my pages…although admittedly I’m not that great at sql. * I’ve already tried just going in and changing things and seeing if that creates the excerpts on those posts. It doesn’t. I’ve also already tried turning to draft and even trash, and then publishing again…still no excerpts. However, if I make a new post then the excerpts appear. * Thread Starter [jcherlin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jcherlin/) * (@jcherlin) * [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11723009) * Also how do I suggest a “core team member” look at this? Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total) The topic ‘Missing excerpts when using default export / import Tools’ is closed to new replies. ## Tags * [excerpt](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/excerpt/) * [export](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/export/) * [Import](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/import/) * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/) * 5 replies * 2 participants * Last reply from: [jcherlin](https://wordpress.org/support/users/jcherlin/) * Last activity: [6 years, 10 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/missing-excerpts-when-using-default-export-import-tools/#post-11723009) * Status: not resolved ## Topics ### Topics with no replies ### Non-support topics ### Resolved topics ### Unresolved topics ### All topics