Overview
In this article I’ll show you how to migrate from your current WordPress forum plugin to wpForo.
Install wpforo plugin
- From your WordPress Dashboard go to Plugins => Add New.
- Search for wpForo.
- Install and Activate wpForo Forum.
Install go2wpForo Tool
- Go to https://wpforo.com/docs/root/migrate-to-wpforo/
- Download the latest version.
- Follow the instructions below the download link.
Migration
- After you’ve chosen the forum you’d like to migrate from (in our case we’re migrating away from Simple:Press) enter your database connection credentials or click on “Use current database connection credentials” if your forum database tables are located in current WordPress database.
- Click Connect.
- Enter full paths for avatars and attachments folders. If they do not exist or if you are not sure where they are, just leave them blank.
- Click Next Step.
- If everything is “OK”, click Next Step.
- Choose your preferred layout and items to import per cycle and then click Start Migration.
- Wait until the Migration finishes.
- That’s it, your forum should now be migrated to wpForo.
How to find your Database credentials
If for some reason “Use current database connection credentials” button does not work, follow these steps:
- Download and Install File Manager Plugin.
- Open WP File Manager.
- Find wp-config.php and right click on it.
- Click Preview.
- Copy copy in red.
- Navigate to 2goWpForo => YourForum.
- Paste those credentials here.
Keep same permalink
- Open your old forum.
- From your URL, note down what is after yoursitename.com/
in my case it is /forum/ - From WP Dashboard, navigate to Plugins => Installed Plugins.
- Find and deactivate your old forum plugin.
- From WP Dashboard, navigate to Forums => Settings.
- In Forum Base URL section, change community to your forum’s url (in my case it is forum).
- Click Update options.
- That’s it.
Why WPForo?
The best thing about WpForo is that it is constantly maintained and supported by developers and it’s design looks modern and attractive more than any other forum plugin out there.
Thank you Dositej,
This tool works like a charm! I just successfully migrated phpBB forum with around 400k posts to wpForo.
Hey Sara,
I’m glad my article was helpful! That’s a lot posts to move 😀
Congrats on moving them! 🙂
Best,
Dos
Please, tell me how can I migrate my Talki Forum to wpForo?
Please, tell me how can I migrate from Talki Forum to wpForo?
Hi Olga,
I have tried to check how to migrate from Talki Forum but it seems like they have an issue with their system, for a few days I tried to sign up with them to see how you can migrate but I get an internal error.
Do you have a download link with the software so I can continue the investigation?
Best,
Sorin
Dear friends,
I’m thinking about migrate my bbpress to your wpforo and would like to know what will happend with my posts and topics url-s?
I have about 3000 posts indexed by google and dont want to lose this visits if urls will change without any htaccess redirection from old bbpress posts to new wpforo posts.
Thank you!
Hi Mario, Yes you’d want to be very careful to make sure you keep your existing permalinks and forum structure so you don’t lose any of your SEO juice. If you can exactly replicate your BBPress forum architecture with WPForo (which I’m pretty certain you can), then you wouldn’t have to do any redirection since you’d have the same posts and forums in the same place with the same URL and same content (just with a different forum app). I recommend doing it on a staging server, making sure it’s all correct, and then pushing it to your live site.… Read more »
I am am in the step of migration from live forum to local site. I copied my credentials from config.php and it keeps saying “Not connected to the database”.
Is it because my host provider is blocking the connection? or I am doing something wrong.