Export Media Library
by Ed Hartnett
Downloads the whole media library as a zip, preserving folder structure.
This link may earn us a commission. It never changes our rating.
What Export Media Library does
Downloads the whole media library as a zip, preserving folder structure.
It sits in the migration part of a WordPress stack and is sold by Ed Hartnett on a free basis. We recommend it in our migration guides because it does that one job well without asking you to rebuild the rest of the site around it.
Every plugin adds work to a page request, so treat this as a decision with a cost. Record a speed test before you install it and run the same test afterwards, on the same page, so you know exactly what it charged you.
Real user ratings
Score
4.9/5
Reviews
48
Active installs
30,000+
Downloads
496K
Latest version
4.0.2
Last updated
2023-04-05
These figures come straight from the public WordPress.org plugin directory API for version 4.0.2, not from us. Check them yourself on the WordPress.org listing. Our own editorial score is 4.5/5.
Where Export Media Library ranks elsewhere
Export Media Library does not appear in the published "best of" lists we track from WPBeginner, TechRadar, Kinsta, Themeisle and similar sites. That is not a mark against it - those roundups are short and skew towards the biggest names.
What changed in the latest version
- Apply WordPress Coding Standards via PHP_CodeSniffer
- Ensure echo-ed values are escaped
- Tested against WordPress 6.2
- Bumped minimum PHP version to 7.4
Release notes are the developer's own words, published on WordPress.org. Read the full changelog
Pros and cons
- Simple full-media backup
- Free with no licence to renew
- Actively maintained and used on production sites we test
- Times out on very large libraries
- Support is community-led rather than guaranteed
How to use it
- 1Back up the destination site's database before importing anything.
- 2Run a small sample import first and check the field mapping.
- 3Raise PHP memory and execution limits for large files.
- 4Import media separately if the run keeps timing out.
- 5Spot-check twenty records and all internal links after the run.
How it compares
Other migration plugins we recommend, with their rating and pricing model.
| Plugin | Our rating | WordPress.org | Pricing | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Export Media Library | 4.5 | 4.9 (48) | Free | Simple full-media backup |
| Customizer Export/Import | 4.4 | 4.8 (115) | Free | Fast design handover between sites |
| Import Export Suite for WooCommerce | 4.5 | n/a | Freemium | Handles orders and coupons, not just products |
| Product CSV Import Suite | 4.0 | n/a | Premium | Official support for variation imports |
| Users Import and Export | 4.3 | n/a | Freemium | Keeps user meta intact |
| Widget Importer & Exporter | 4.3 | 4.7 (117) | Free | Saves rebuilding sidebars by hand |
Guides that cover Export Media Library
Alternatives
Other migration plugins
Customizer Export/Import
Beaver Addons
Exports and imports theme customiser settings so a design can be reproduced on another site.
115 reviews · 2.8M downloads · v0.9.8
Import Export Suite for WooCommerce
WebToffee
Imports and exports WooCommerce products, orders, coupons and customers via CSV with scheduling.
Product CSV Import Suite
WooCommerce
Woo's official CSV tool for bulk product imports, including variations and custom fields.