migrate drupal to wordpress

Drupal is a robust Content Management System (CMS) with plenty of features, but its learning curve is steep – especially if you’re new to web development. However, if the solution is currently falling short of your expectations, you might want to migrate Drupal to WordPress and find out if the grass is greener on the other side (which it is, in our opinion).

Migrating your website may sound like a complicated task – the kind you’d hire an expert to do on your behalf. However, WordPress makes it simple even for new users to carry out a full migration by themselves, all thanks to its convenient plugin system (and overall ease of use).

In this article, we’ll teach you how to migrate Drupal to WordPress in three simple steps using just one plugin. Let’s get that moving van loaded!

What you should consider before the migration

If you’re using Drupal, you should already have a hosting provider and a domain. However, you might want to consider switching to a host more in tune with the needs and requirements of WordPress. We’ve outlined a number of suitable solutions in the past, and the web is chock-full of reviews too. With that being said, if you just want to get started quickly, and with an affordable and reliable host, we recommend InMotion Hosting. The most basic plan will only cost you $3.99 / month.

Before you get started with the migration, you need to have a blank instance of WordPress installed on your web server. If you’ve gone with InMotion – like we recommend – you’ll find that you can get WordPress installed with just a couple of clicks. For other hosts, the process might vary.

It is also very important to follow a great website migration checklist before any changes, to make sure you avoid any troubles on the way.

Once you have WordPress installed, you can begin to migrate Drupal to WordPress:

How to migrate Drupal to WordPress (in 3 steps)

In this section, we’ll be using the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin to carry out our migration. This tool is remarkably simple to use, and we’ll cover how to use it in this piece. However, if you do happen to run into any errors, the plugin’s documentation should see you through.

It’s worth noting this plugin also comes in a premium version, but the free option is more than enough to carry out a regular migration. However, if you’re looking to move multiple authors, your comments, users, and even custom post types, the premium version might be worth considering.

Step #1: Install and activate the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin

Firstly, log into your new WordPress site and locate the Plugins > Add New option on your WordPress dashboard. Once inside, type FG Drupal to WordPress on the search bar on the right side of the screen:

Searching for a plugin from your dashboard.

If you typed the name correctly, only one plugin should come up. Click on the Install Now button next to its name:

Installing a plugin from your dashboard.

After the plugin installs itself, the button will change to Activate. Click on it once more, and we’re done!

Step #2: Find out your Drupal database parameters

Before we can use the plugin to migrate Drupal to WordPress, you’ll need to locate a few specific parameters. These are your Drupal username, password, hostname, and database name and prefix.

You should already know a couple of these, but you can find the rest by delving into your Drupal installation’s core files using an FTP client – we recommend FileZilla. Simply access your files using the client and navigate to the site/default directory. There you’ll find a file called settings.php. Open it using your favorite text editor and locate all the parameters we specified earlier.

Take note of this information, because we’re going to need it in a minute. For now, let’s head back to WordPress.

Step #3: Import your Drupal content into WordPress

Go to the WordPress dashboard, click on the Tools tab, then pick the Import option. If you’ve installed the plugin successfully, a new Drupal option will appear within the Import menu:

The WordPress Import menu.

Click on Run Importer, and you’ll find yourself on a new page with a wealth of settings to configure. Go ahead and type (or paste) the information you located during step number two, under the Drupal database parameters section:

Your Drupal database parameters.

Next, you’ll need to configure how the plugin will import your Drupal post summaries and media files. Selecting Import summary > to the content will import them using a Read more link. Choose whichever option you prefer before moving onto the Medias section. If you don’t want the plugin to import your media, tick the box next to the Skip media option. You can also choose which images should be set as ‘featured’ for your posts and pages, plus a few extra settings related to external media:

The plugin's settings for importing media.

While your media migration should be plain sailing, if you do run into any issues during the import process, you might want to increase the timeout limit for each media file, which is the last setting on the configuration page (as seen above). This will account for a variable download speed, which enables your media to be imported successfully.

Once you’re set, click on the Start / Resume the import button and sit back while the plugin does its work. When the migration is complete, a success message will appear in the plugin’s log. Then, scroll to the end of the settings page and click on the Modify internal links button. This will update any internal links on your site to match its new structure.

Once you’re done, that’s it! You’ve been able to successfully migrate Drupal to WordPress!

What to do once you’ve migrated your Drupal site to WordPress

Now that you’ve switched to WordPress, you’ll want to take full advantage of the platform’s functionality. Firstly, we recommend you pick a stylish theme for your website. Once that’s out of the way, you should install any plugins you might need. Finding the right plugins can take some time, but it’s well worth the effort, depending on the features you want to implement – some are essential for a safe and secure website.

On that note, you should look into tightening up your overall site security and minimizing your page load speeds – taking some time to learn about WordPress Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is never a bad idea, either.

Conclusion

Migrating a website to WordPress doesn’t have to be complicated. As long as you pick the right tool for the job, line up a WordPress-friendly host, and get the platform set up in advance, you’ll be set. It might not even take you that long, either!

In fact, if you’re a Drupal user, all it takes are three simple steps to move your entire website to WordPress. Here they are:

  1. Install and activate the FG Drupal to WordPress plugin.
  2. Find out your Drupal database parameters.
  3. Import your Drupal content into WordPress.

Do you have any questions about how to migrate Drupal to WordPress? Ask away in the comments section below!

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7 Comments
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Aproko Villa
April 18, 2018 12:06 am

Educative

Dana Horne
March 6, 2018 6:36 pm

Hi John, excellent article! Can anyone help me to understand if this plugin will work with migrating a Drupal website into a new WordPress website with a different domain name? Thanks!

Nick Orlov
October 31, 2017 10:12 am

Is there free way to migrate?

kanga
October 11, 2017 10:16 pm

Running into an error while trying to import media: [ERROR] The URL field is required to import the media. I have no idea what this means! Anyone else run into this issue? Know how to resolve it, so I can import the media?

Electrovlad
January 9, 2018 2:20 pm
Reply to  kanga

If it’s still interesting for you, after 3 months))
I guess, that this is for importing Drupals articles images to your WordPress media library. Drupal databases contain only text and to import images you need to input URL of original Drupal site in the field _URL of the live Drupal web site_
I’ve just marked _Skip media_ checkbox in _Media_ section and import all pages without images.

Ron Lum
January 24, 2018 5:36 am
Reply to  Electrovlad

Hi, I had the same error. Thank you for pointing that out. Did not see that field, even though it was right at the top.

Leah Baugh
September 16, 2017 9:49 pm

Will this plugin migrate media files such as audio files?

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