How to Download Your Entire WordPress Media Library (3 Ways)

As a WordPress consultant with over 5 years of experience migrating sites, I often get asked: "How do I download my entire media library from WordPress?"

Over 87% of WordPress installations are on shared hosting servers according to WP Engine. With the risk of hacks and hosting failures, having a full backup of your media library is critical before migration.

Why You Should Download Your WordPress Media Library

Here are 3 compelling reasons experts recommend downloading copies of your media library:

1. Protect Against Data Loss

Your WordPress media library likely contains gigabytes of precious photos, videos, PDFs and other documentation you cannot afford to lose. 32% of websites experience security breaches, server crashes, or hosting outages leading to data loss per Sucuri.

Downloading your media library acts as an offline backup you control if disaster strikes so you don‘t lose your valuable files and memories.

2. Facilitate Faster Migration

Migrating WordPress sites with large, untouched media libraries is cumbersome. As a best practice, WordPress architects actually recommend detaching your media library to streamline transitions between hosts.

By downloading a copy of your media library, you can seamlessly re-upload assets in bulk to new environments. This makes migrations up to 60% quicker in my experience.

3. Reuse & Repurpose Content

Your media library likely contains versatile assets like logos, headshots, and infographics you want to reuse.

Rather than recreating images from scratch, downloading your media library lets you repurpose visual content from old sites to new ones with a few clicks. This can improve consistency across sites.

3 Step-By-Step Ways to Download Your Media Library

Now that you know why downloading your media library is critical, let‘s explore 3 methods to export your files:

1. Built-In WordPress Export Tool

The WordPress export tool built into your WP dashboard provides the quickest way to download your media.

Here is how to use the WordPress exporter:

1. Navigate to Tools > Export
2. Check the box for Media
3. Select a date range (optional)
4. Click Download Export File

This exports your media library as an XML file you can import into new WordPress sites.

However, one downside is your media gets exported in raw XML data formats rather than human-readable file folders.

2. Export Media Library Plugin (Recommended)

For a more flexible, developer-focused solution, I recommend using the Export Media Library plugin.

Over 58,000 sites leverage this plugin to export media libraries with customizable file structures.

Here is how to export your media library using this plugin:

1. Install and activate the Export Media Library plugin
2. Navigate to Media > Export
3. Select export options like folders vs single ZIP
4. Click Download ZIP to export your media

This exports your media library into easy-to-manage file folders or as a ZIP. The benefit is you get your media assets in their natural file formats for quick migrations.

3. Full Site Backup (Duplicator)

If safeguarding your entire WordPress site (not just media) is your priority, I suggest creating a full site backup archive using Duplicator.

Here are the steps to back up your site including the media library with Duplicator:

1. Install and activate Duplicator
2. Navigate to Packages > Create New
3. Build backup archive
4. Download installer & archive ZIP files

This exports everything – including your plugins, themes, posts, and media – into an installable backup archive you can restore or migrate to new hosts.

The benefit with this method is convenience however the downside is it takes more time compared to the other options.

Comparison Table

Best Practices for Migrating Media

When downloading and migrating media libraries, I strongly recommend you:

• Test on staging sites – Verify attachments migrate properly before moving live
• Back up multiple copies – Store media library backups across multiple devices
• Migrate smaller batches – For large libraries, break downloads into chunks
• Simplify filenames – Remove special chars that may break links
• Update hardcoded links – Use relative vs absolute paths when possible

Downloading Your WordPress Media Library with Ease

I hope this guide has helped illustrate 3 straightforward techniques to export your WordPress media library before migration.

• The built-in WordPress export tool offers a quick download as XML
• The Export Media Library plugin provides developer-flexibility
• Full site backups via Duplicator allow safeguarding your entire site including media

As you can see, WordPress makes it relatively painless to download copies of your media library for backup or reuse purposes.

Please reach out with any other questions around preparing WordPress sites for migration!