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Moving from Squarespace in 2026 takes several steps, not one complete export: Squarespace’s XML export covers selected content, while products, contacts, media, URLs, domain settings, email, and subscriptions need separate planning. Build the new site and verify it before changing DNS or canceling Squarespace. The sequence below helps you preserve what can be moved and catch what needs to be rebuilt.
What Squarespace’s export does—and does not—move
Squarespace’s native XML export is intended for importing supported content into WordPress. It is not a complete copy of your site, and it does not transfer your design or automatically recreate every feature. Squarespace also says content cannot be exported from one Squarespace site and imported into another. See the Squarespace export guide for the supported content and limitations.
Content included in the XML export
The documented export can include layout pages, one blog and its posts, text and image blocks, and certain gallery pages. It supports up to 1,000 comments per post. If your site has multiple blogs, choose the primary blog for export. The XML does not preserve the site’s styling or custom CSS.
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Content to handle separately
- Many page types, store pages, product blocks, video blocks, and drafts are not included in the XML export.
- Products and contacts can be exported separately as CSV files. Squarespace does not continuously sync this data to another platform, so plan how to import or recreate it at the destination.
- Squarespace does not provide a bulk export of images or uploaded videos. Individual images can be downloaded from the asset library.
- Forms, integrations, custom CSS, and other site-specific features should be inventoried and rebuilt or replaced as needed.
For the separate import and export options, see Squarespace’s Import to and export from your site guide.
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Plan the migration before changing the site
Start with an inventory, then choose a destination based on what your site actually needs. Record every important page and asset so you can identify gaps after import.
Make an inventory and URL map
- List pages, blog posts, products, contacts, images and videos, forms, integrations, and custom CSS.
- Note the domain registrar, DNS records, email service, and each paid Squarespace subscription or add-on.
- Create a spreadsheet with columns for the old URL, intended destination URL, and redirect status. Include product and blog URLs, not just top-level pages.
- Save or export items that the XML route will not carry over, and decide how each will be rebuilt, imported, or retired.
Choose a destination that fits the job
WordPress is the destination supported by Squarespace’s native XML export. If you are moving a store to Shopify, Shopify provides its own Squarespace migration instructions. Other destinations may require a manual rebuild or destination-specific import tools. Compare the options against your content coverage, commerce and contact handling, media storage, URL controls, and maintenance preferences. Managed platforms and self-hosted WordPress differ in who handles hosting and ongoing maintenance; the export alone does not decide which is right for you.
Do not assume that a successful import will reproduce the Squarespace layout. Recreate the design and excluded features on the destination, and verify the actual content and behavior there. The cited platform guidance does not establish a complete current price or feature comparison, so choose based on your requirements rather than an unsupported claim that one destination is cheapest or universally best.
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Keep the Squarespace site active and published while you export, import, rebuild, and check the new version. Squarespace requires an active, published site for export. Do not point your domain away or cancel the site plan before the destination is ready.
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- Export the XML: In Squarespace, open the export option described in the Exporting your site guide. Select the primary blog if prompted, then generate and download the file.
- Import into WordPress: Use the destination’s import process for the Squarespace XML. Review the import results rather than assuming every page or feature came across.
- Move excluded data and rebuild features: Import or recreate products and contacts using the destination’s available tools. Rebuild unsupported pages, forms, integrations, styling, and custom CSS as required.
- Check media files: Confirm that images and videos load from the new site and are stored in the destination’s media library where appropriate.
- Test key pages and functions: Inspect representative pages and posts, navigation, product pages, forms, and any important integrations before launch.
Pay particular attention to images when using self-hosted WordPress. Squarespace warns that the WordPress Importer may preserve references to images hosted on Squarespace instead of copying the files. If those links are left in place, the images may stop working after Squarespace is deactivated. Download and upload the files when needed, then verify them in the destination media library before canceling the old site.
Keep URLs working and reduce avoidable SEO damage
Keep an existing path when it makes sense on the destination. If a URL must change, use the URL map to create a permanent 301 redirect from the old address to its closest relevant new page. Pay attention to posts and products, whose URL formats can differ between platforms.
- Map URLs: Record each old address and its intended new address before launch.
- Match paths where practical: Keep the same domain and URL path when the destination allows it and the path remains appropriate.
- Configure redirects: Add a 301 redirect for each changed path, including relevant blog and product URLs.
- Check the live results: Test important old URLs and confirm they reach the intended new page rather than an error or an unrelated destination.
- Monitor indexing and errors: After launch, request indexing and review the site in Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
Google’s site move and migration guidance recommends preparing URL mappings and redirects when URLs change. Redirects lower the chance of broken links, but they do not guarantee that rankings or search visibility will remain unchanged. Squarespace also provides guidance on protecting SEO after a site move or redesign.
Move the domain without confusing it with the site
A domain transfer changes where the domain registration is managed; it does not move your website hosting or automatically cancel the Squarespace website plan. You can either transfer the registration to another provider or leave it where it is and update DNS to point to the new host. Record the current DNS settings before making either change.
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If you are transferring a domain away from Squarespace, its transfer instructions say the authorization code should arrive within 24 hours and that the outbound transfer can take up to 15 days. These are Squarespace’s stated process timings, not a guarantee of when every transfer will finish.
- Record the domain’s DNS records and confirm who currently manages registration.
- If transferring the domain, unlock it in Squarespace and request the authorization code.
- Submit the code to the new domain provider and complete the transfer there.
- If leaving the registration in place, update the necessary DNS records to point to the new hosting provider instead.
- Verify the domain resolves to the new site before canceling the Squarespace website subscription.
Protect email and review subscriptions separately
DNS changes can affect email as well as the website. If Google Workspace is attached to your domain, make sure its MX records are configured with the new registrar or DNS provider after the move. Keep Workspace active until email works through the new configuration. Squarespace’s domain transfers FAQ explains the relationship between domain transfers and email.
Review billing independently from the domain transfer. Squarespace says site subscriptions cannot be transferred between Squarespace sites. Email Campaigns, Digital Products, and Acuity add-ons cannot be moved; Squarespace says to cancel and repurchase those add-ons on the new site where they are needed. Check the account’s current subscriptions and make replacement arrangements before canceling a service you still rely on. Details are in Squarespace’s subscription transfer guidance.
Launch only after the destination passes checks
Before retiring the Squarespace site, use this launch checklist:
- Key pages and posts appear on the destination, and excluded content has been rebuilt or deliberately left behind.
- Images and uploaded videos load from locations that will remain available after Squarespace is deactivated.
- Products, contacts, forms, and integrations have been checked using the destination’s own tools.
- Old URLs either still resolve to the right content or redirect to the mapped destination pages.
- The domain points to the new site, and email works with the active DNS and MX records.
- You have reviewed Squarespace site and add-on subscriptions, and any necessary replacements are ready.
Only after those checks should you cancel the old site service. Keep the URL map and DNS record notes for troubleshooting after launch.
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