Introduction

Having the option to import content is useful in a few scenarios. The most common reason is migration from a different blogging platform, such as WordPress. Most of the blogging systems out there have an export functionality, plugin, or module which can generate Ghost-compatible JSON files. Ghost accepts imports only from custom JSON formats, which are listed on their official documentation. In this tutorial, we are going to go over how you can import an already generated JSON file from either a different Ghost blog or a different blogging platform and import it inside your website. Let’s get started.

Accessing the Import functionality

To access the import functionality, please log into your Ghost admin dashboard. You can do so by entering your domain name followed by /ghost. For example:

• ghost.hostarmadatutorials.com/ghost

After logging in, please select the “Labs” option in the left sidebar.

When selected, you will be redirected to a page containing all sorts of tasks you can perform on your blog. 

Point your attention to the “Migration Options” section, and under it, you will see the “Import content” feature.

Import Content

To import a JSON file generated from either a different Ghost application or a different blogging platform in a suitable ghost JSON format, please click the “Choose File” button located on the row corresponding to the “Import content” feature.

Clicking the “Choose File” button will open a window, allowing you to select a file located on your computer or device. Alternatively, you can drag-and-drop the file into the screen where the “Choose File” button is located. After the file has been selected, you will be able to verify it on the right side of the button.

To start the importation process, please press the “Import” button located on the far right side of the row.

When you click the “Import” button, the process will start, and it may take from a few seconds to a few minutes based on the size of the file. At the end of the import process, you will receive a Success message, a Warning, or an Error depending on the process:

• Success - This means that the import process went smoothly, and everything was imported correctly.
• Success with Warnings - The warnings usually mean that everything has been imported. However, some entries were ignored because they either existed or the posts you imported are related to a non-existent user.
• Error - If you receive an error, it means that the import process failed and you should review the message underneath. It should be relevant enough to troubleshoot the issue and resolve it.

In our case, as we exported the current content of Ghost and re-imported it for the purposes of this tutorial - the majority of errors were related to Duplicated entries.

And there you have it! The import option explained and summarized under this tutorial. We hope this information was useful to you, and you were able to successfully import the desired file.