Source: https://docs.amadalis.ai/migration/sources/

# Choose a migration source

Open **Migration** in the site admin when reviewing the source route agreed with Amadalis. This guide explains which source material each route needs.

Checked against the product’s code on 7 November 2026.

Start a [move](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#migration) with Amadalis through [the migration service](https://docs.amadalis.ai/agencies/migration-as-a-service/) and agree the source and destination before importing. Then [open the destination site’s admin](https://docs.amadalis.ai/get-started/getting-started/#open-your-site). Arrange access to import and publish with its owner; see [team roles](https://docs.amadalis.ai/account/your-team/). Use a site Admin when the import needs new content types or fields. A lower role is refused before importing when those changes are needed. The **Migration** workspace is separate from [EmDash’s own importer](https://docs.amadalis.ai/content/imports-and-transfer/).

## Inspect the available routes

| Route | What to review |
| --- | --- |
| Authorized exporter | The categories the exporter can actually supply with the source user’s permission. |
| WordPress software interface (API) with a signed in connection | Available content and the categories reported partial or unavailable. |
| WordPress export file | The data present in that WordPress XML export (WXR) file, including its limits for later plugin tables. |
| Public scan | Only what the unauthenticated source exposes. |

Pages and posts arrive as drafts. The import also changes your live site’s redirects, replaces a menu with the same name and makes its theme the live theme. Visitors see the change within the hour, usually much sooner. While the site’s server is down, visitors may see the previous version of a page for up to a day. Review those effects before importing into a site already in use.

A partial import can leave pages in place while menus and other site parts need attention. Read [any named failures in the review](https://docs.amadalis.ai/migration/review-and-cutover/#review-each-imported-item) before assuming every part arrived.

Keep passwords out of the copilot conversation. **Import live** stays unavailable until the scan has run.

Open **Migration**. If the source forms are hidden, choose **New import** to reveal them. Use only the route agreed with Amadalis.

In **Import a live WordPress site**:

1.  Enter the WordPress address.
2.  If the agreed route uses an application password, enter the WordPress username.
3.  Enter that user’s application password in its dedicated field. Skip this step if the agreed route does not use one.
4.  Choose **Scan**.
5.  Read **Available**, **Partial** and **Unavailable** for each reported source category.
6.  Choose **Import live** only after reviewing those limits and the live changes above.

In **Import a WordPress export (WXR)**:

1.  Choose the agreed WordPress export file ([WXR](https://docs.amadalis.ai/reference/glossary/#wxr)).
2.  Choose **Inspect WXR**.
3.  Review the source estimate and limitations.
4.  Choose **Import as drafts** only after reviewing those limits and the live changes above.

The import opens its job and shows progress. If it is refused or reports a failure, read that message before trying again. For a job with imported items, continue with [Review each imported item](https://docs.amadalis.ai/migration/review-and-cutover/#review-each-imported-item).

Changing a source or connection requires a new current inspection.

## Understand the effects

### What happens to old WordPress addresses

The import maps the WordPress addresses it can recover to their destination addresses and writes permanent redirects (301) for supported mappings. It does not guarantee that every old address stays the same or has a matching page. An old link can still return a 404 if no public page or working redirect matches it.

A mapping whose destination could not be resolved is kept disabled. Redirect conflicts and loops need review. Some archive addresses fall back to the homepage until a better destination is supplied. An imported page can still be a draft, so a mapping is not proof that visitors can read it.

Before cutover, review these findings in [the import review](https://docs.amadalis.ai/migration/review-and-cutover/#review-each-imported-item). Check your important old links against published destination pages and use [Redirects](https://docs.amadalis.ai/site/redirects-and-404s/) to review or repair their destinations. The old hostname must reach the new site for its redirects to answer.

The **Available**, **Partial** and **Unavailable** results show where the chosen source supports an import. Unsupported behavior can need rebuilding in Praxis. Preserving a plugin’s data does not make its software run. Review the [items needing a separate plan](https://docs.amadalis.ai/agencies/migration-as-a-service/#items-that-need-a-separate-plan) with the migration team.

The workspace serves one destination site. A WordPress network needs a plan for each destination; scanning it does not automatically create a matching network of sites.

The optional existing WordPress address at signup starts discovery after verification; it does not itself authorize a full import. Use [review and cutover](https://docs.amadalis.ai/migration/review-and-cutover/) before switching a domain.