What WXR is
WordPress eXtended RSS is the format WordPress itself produces when you export a site, and the only format its importer reliably accepts. It is RSS 2.0 with five extra namespaces carrying WordPress-specific fields — post type, status, dates, slugs, categories and the encoded content.
It has never had an official specification, which is why so many hand-made XML files fail to import. This one mirrors what WordPress's own exporter emits, field for field, and is validated as well-formed XML before you get it.
Importing
- 1In WordPress admin, go to Tools → Import.
- 2Install and run the WordPress importer.
- 3Upload the XML file.
- 4Assign the posts to an author.
- 5Leave "Download and import file attachments" ticked so your images come across into the media library.
What gets included
Standalone posts only. Replies are excluded, because a reply without the thread around it reads like half a sentence and makes a poor blog post.
Each post keeps its original publication date, gets a readable slug, carries its hashtags as WordPress tags, and links back to the Bluesky original.
Questions
- Will this work with Ghost or Squarespace?
- Both can import WordPress WXR, so usually yes — though their importers are stricter. Test with a small site first.
- What if the import fails?
- Almost always a size limit on your host rather than the file. Raise upload_max_filesize, or split the XML by year. Get in touch if you hit something the file itself is doing wrong.