Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.

Use Tools > Export Personal Data to prepare a person’s data export, or Tools > Erase Personal Data to process an erasure request. Both workflows use email validation and administrator review. Erasure is permanent when confirmed, but it does not automatically delete a registered account, reach every third-party service, or remove copies in backups.

Export personal data from WordPress

  1. In the WordPress dashboard, go to Tools > Export Personal Data.
  2. Enter the requester’s username or email address and send the request. The requester must validate the email address. WordPress recommends retaining this check to reduce impersonation risk.
  3. Review the request in the dashboard and approve it manually.
  4. After approval, generate the export. WordPress provides a ZIP archive containing the data it can find about that person on the site.
  5. Provide the archive through the request workflow and ask the requester to download it promptly. WordPress documents a default export-link lifetime of three days; site code can change that duration, so the configured period may differ (WordPress Developer Reference).

Check what the export may not include

The archive is not a guarantee that every record associated with the person has been collected. WordPress core and participating plugins can contribute data, but the tool may not reach records held by nonparticipating plugins or external services such as analytics providers, newsletter platforms, advertising partners, or embedded-media services. Check the site’s actual integrations and arrange any necessary separate exports.

Erase personal data from WordPress

  1. Go to Tools > Erase Personal Data, enter the requester’s username or email address, and send the request.
  2. The requester receives an email-validation link. The request remains Pending until validated; afterward it becomes Confirmed, and the administrator can act on it. An unconfirmed request may show as Failed; the validation email can be resent.
  3. Before proceeding, review the data and any applicable retention needs. When ready, click Erase Personal Data. WordPress’s screen guide says this completes the erasure without another confirmation prompt. WordPress states that confirmed erasure cannot be reversed through this workflow (Erase Personal Data screen guide).

Know what erasure does—and does not—delete

Erasure removes personal data from the live WordPress database that the tool and participating plugins identify. It does not automatically delete the person’s registered WordPress account or profile. If account deletion is also appropriate, handle it separately in the dashboard’s Users area; treat that as a distinct action with its own consequences.

The tool may not erase information held by external analytics, newsletter, advertising, or embedded-media services. Contact or use the controls of those providers where needed. Likewise, erasure from the live database does not remove the same information from backup files or archives. WordPress advises administrators to respect earlier erasure requests after restoring an archived site.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
#1 Best Overall
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Seagate 2TB Portable Hard Drive | USB 3.0 (STGX2000400)
  • Easily store and access 2TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • The available storage capacity may vary.

Retention, request records, and exceptional controls

Deletion is not necessarily absolute in every circumstance. A site may have legal or statutory reasons to retain certain information, such as sales records, or a security reason, such as an ongoing abuse investigation. Which obligations apply depends on the site and jurisdiction; assess the specific request rather than assuming a universal retention rule.

After processing, Remove request clears the request record from the dashboard table; it does not itself erase personal data. The screen also documents a force-erasure action that can bypass email confirmation, including for a Pending request. Because it removes an identity check, reserve it for exceptional cases where the administrator has independently established that the request is legitimate. For ordinary requests, use email validation.

Rank #2
Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX5000400), Black
  • Easily store and access 5TB of content on the go with the Seagate portable drive, a USB external hard Drive
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • The available storage capacity may vary.

Choose the right export tool

WordPress has two different export features. Use the personal-data workflow for an individual’s privacy request; use the general content export for moving or exporting site content.

Tool What it produces Typical purpose
Tools > Export Personal Data A ZIP archive of data the privacy tools find for a person, after administrator approval. Responding to an individual personal-data request.
Tools > Export A WordPress eXtended RSS (WXR) XML file that can include posts, pages, comments, custom fields, categories, tags, custom taxonomies, and users. Exporting site content, commonly for a site move or backup.

The WXR file is not the archive generated for a personal-data request. See the WordPress Export screen guide for the content export details.

Special offer. See more information about Outbyte and uninstall instructions. Please review EULA and Privacy policy.
Rank #3
Seagate Portable 1TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, & Xbox, 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX1000400) , Black
  • Easily store and access 1TB to content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop. Reformatting may be required for Mac
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • The available storage capacity may vary.
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Review your site’s full privacy scope

WordPress’s Privacy Policy Editing Helper can assemble starter policy text based on WordPress core and participating plugins, but it cannot detect every external tool a site embeds or uses. Inventory the site’s actual data collection and sharing—including external services—and keep the published policy aligned with those practices. The built-in tools assist with parts of privacy work; WordPress explicitly cautions that they are not, by themselves, a compliance process (WordPress privacy overview).

Quick Recap

SaleBestseller No. 1
Seagate 2TB Portable Hard Drive | USB 3.0 (STGX2000400)
Seagate 2TB Portable Hard Drive | USB 3.0 (STGX2000400)
This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable; The available storage capacity may vary.
$129.99
Bestseller No. 2
Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX5000400), Black
Seagate Portable 5TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PS4, & Xbox - 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX5000400), Black
This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable; The available storage capacity may vary.
$180.19
Bestseller No. 3
Seagate Portable 1TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, & Xbox, 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX1000400) , Black
Seagate Portable 1TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0 for PC, Mac, PlayStation, & Xbox, 1-Year Rescue Service (STGX1000400) , Black
This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable; The available storage capacity may vary.
$119.80
Bestseller No. 4
Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0, 1-Year Rescue
Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0, 1-Year Rescue
This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable; The available storage capacity may vary.
$189.90
Best Value
Sale
UnionSine 500GB Ultra Slim Portable External Hard Drive HDD-USB 3.0
  • [Upgraded Version] - This external hard drive features a mirrored logo stripe combined with a striped anti-slip design, and the rounded corners of the casing make it easier to grip. The stripes also have a heat dissipation function, ensuring stable and fast data transfer.
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  • 【What You Get】 - 1 x Portable Hard Drive, 1 x USB 3.0 Cable, 1 x User Manual, Gift-type shell packaging ,Three-year manufacturer's warranty and free technical support services.
Rank #4
Seagate Portable 4TB External Hard Drive HDD – USB 3.0, 1-Year Rescue
  • Easily store and access 4TB of content on the go with the Seagate Portable Drive, a USB external hard drive.Specific uses: Personal
  • Designed to work with Windows or Mac computers, this external hard drive makes backup a snap just drag and drop
  • To get set up, connect the portable hard drive to a computer for automatic recognition no software required
  • This USB drive provides plug and play simplicity with the included 18 inch USB 3.0 cable
  • The available storage capacity may vary.

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