Title: XML export / CSV import
Last modified: August 15, 2023

---

# XML export / CSV import

 *  Resolved [pldoolittle](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pldoolittle/)
 * (@pldoolittle)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/xml-export-csv-import/)
 * The fact that WordPress only exports products as an XML file, and will only import
   them from an CSV file is easily one of the dumbest things I have ever seen in
   a commercial product.
   How do I fix this WITHOUT a 3rd party plugin?

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  [seank123](https://wordpress.org/support/users/seank123/)
 * (@seank123)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/xml-export-csv-import/#post-16976894)
 * It exports to CSV just fine – are you using the WooCommerce exporter (in Products–
   All Products) or the WordPress exporter (in Tools – Export)?
 *  [hrn1995 (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/aguinaldodarla/)
 * (@aguinaldodarla)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/xml-export-csv-import/#post-16981837)
 * Hi [@pldoolittle](https://wordpress.org/support/users/pldoolittle/) 
   Thank you
   for reaching out. We appreciate your feedback and understand your concerns regarding
   the export and import features of WordPress.
 * I understand this can be a bit confusing. WordPress uses both CSV and XML formats
   to manage import and export data, not just for products but for other content
   as well. This is because XML and CSV excel at different things, CSV is more simple
   and easier to use for tabular data, while XML is more flexible and can handle
   more complex data structures.
 * If you’re looking to export and then import products specifically on WordPress,
   you should be able to do so using the WordPress’s built-in tools:
 * – Go to **Tools **> **Export **in your WordPress dashboard to export your chosen
   data as an XML file.
   – Then, you can go to **Tools **→ **Import **→ WordPress
   to import that XML file.
 * If you’re working on a WooCommerce platform, you can do this using CSV files:
 * – You can export products by going to **WooCommerce **→ **Products **→ **Export**
   –
   Then import products by going to **WooCommerce **→ **Products **→ **Import**
 * I hope this clarifies the process a little more. We’re here to help if you have
   more questions. We’d appreciate it also, if you could provide more on what data
   you are trying to import.
   Cheers,
 *  [Beauty of Code (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/beautyofcode/)
 * (@beautyofcode)
 * [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/xml-export-csv-import/#post-16997401)
 * Hi there,
 * We haven’t heard back from you in a while, so I’m going to mark this as resolved–
   feel free to [create a new topic](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce/#new-topic-0)
   if you need any further help.
 * Cheers!

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

The topic ‘XML export / CSV import’ is closed to new replies.

 * ![](https://ps.w.org/woocommerce/assets/icon.svg?rev=3234504)
 * [WooCommerce](https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/)
 * [Frequently Asked Questions](https://wordpress.org/plugins/woocommerce/#faq)
 * [Support Threads](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce/)
 * [Active Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce/active/)
 * [Unresolved Topics](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce/unresolved/)
 * [Reviews](https://wordpress.org/support/plugin/woocommerce/reviews/)

## Tags

 * [csv](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/csv/)
 * [export](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/export/)
 * [xml](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/xml/)

 * 3 replies
 * 4 participants
 * Last reply from: [Beauty of Code (woo-hc)](https://wordpress.org/support/users/beautyofcode/)
 * Last activity: [2 years, 9 months ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/xml-export-csv-import/#post-16997401)
 * Status: resolved