Have more than one site? Want to just backup your settings for later?
Use these settings to import and export your iThemes Security settings.
Please note that if you are migrating a site to a different server you will have to update any path settings such as logs or backup files after the import.
To create a new settings export, from the iThemes Security Pro settings, click the Exports icon, and then click the Create New Export button.
Next, you will choose a name and what to include in the export.
The export is separated into 5 different elements of iThemes Security Pro.
1. Features
When selected, a list of the Login Security, Lockouts, Site Check, and Utilities features you have enabled will be included in the export.
2. Banned Users
When selected, a list of the site’s banned IPs will be included in the export.
3. User Groups
When selected, a list of the site’s User Groups will be included in the export.
4. Security Dashboard
When selected, a list of the site’s Security Dashboards and their Security Cards will be included in the export.
5. Settings
When selected, the settings configurations of the Login Security, Lockouts, Site Check, and Utilities features will be included in the export.
You can include all elements by checking the box next to the Include All Data. However, you can exclude elements from the export by clicking the arrow to the left of an element and unchecking the “Include in Export” box to exclude the element from the export.
In the Settings section, you can choose which export the settings configuration for every feature of iThemes Security Pro, or only a few. In version 7.1, the choice is yours.
After naming and choosing what to include in the export, click the Create button.
Managing Your Export Files
When you create a new export of your security setting, it will be saved to the wp-content/uploads/ithemes-security/exports directory and the list of export files on the Manage Exports page.
From the Manage Exports file list, you can:
- Download – Select an export file(s) and download a copy of the export.
- Delete – Select an export file(s) and remove it from the site’s upload directory and the Manage Export list.
- Name – View the name of an export file.
- Date – View the date the export files was created.
- Content – View the security data included in the export.
How to Import iThemes Security Settings
There are two different locations you can start the import process. On sites where iThemes Security Pro hasn’t been configured, click Import from the Onboarding Menu to begin the process. On sites where iThemes Security Pro has been configured, click Import from the Manage Exports page.
After clicking Import from either location, you will choose an import method of either uploading an export file or connecting to another website. Let’s take a closer look at both methods of importing a settings export file.
Method 1: Connect to another WordPress Site
How would you like just to enter the URL of the site you want to import the iThemes Security Pro settings from? If you answered yes, you will want to select the WordPress Site method.
On the next page, enter the URL of the site running iThemes Security Pro and click Connect.
iThemes Security Pro will connect to the site using the WordPress REST API. You will authorize and approve iThemes Security Pro connecting to the site on the following two screens.
Now that iThemes Security Pro is authorized and connected click the Select Export button to choose a file to import.
From the Pick from WordPress page, you can select an existing export or create a new one. If you choose the Create Export option, you will run through the new export flow that we covered in the previous section. For this post, we will select an existing export and click the Select Export button.
The New & Improved Settings Import Flow
After selecting an export file, you will see a summary of what is included in the export.
The export Summary is broken down into 3 sections:
- Export Data – Display the elements of iThemes Security Pro included in the export. You can deselect any element and its data won’t be imported.
- Replace Users – These are users from the export that are associated with an element of the export. If there is an equivalent user on the new site you can select them in the drop down menu. Otherwise, you can leave it blank. For example, in the screenshot above we can see two users in this section. The user Tom, is a client and this new site isn’t for a client. So, I will not select a user to represent Tom. However, the user mmoores is the site admin and will be represented with the new site’s admin mmoore.
- Replace Roles – These are user roles from the export that are associated with an element of the export. Select the user role from the new that best represents the user role from the export.
When you are finished reviewing the Import Summary, click the Continue button.
Now you will have an opportunity to review each section and configure site-specific settings. To apply the settings to your new site, click the Secure Site button on the final page of the import flow.
After the settings are applied, your site will be more secure than ever!
Method 2: Upload An Export File
Before using the Upload File import method, you will need an export file to upload. From the Manage Exports page, download a settings export to use on a new site.
After downloading the appropriate export file, navigate to the iThemes Security Pro Import page. Now select the Upload File method and upload the export file you downloaded earlier.
After uploading the export file, follow The New and Improved Settings Import Flow shown in the previous section.