Import Export Menu vs Menu Backup & Restore + Import/Export

Import Export Menu makes it easy to move WordPress navigation menus between sites and manage them from one place. Export a menu to a portable file, then import it into another WordPress install — keeping the menu hierarchy, theme location assignments, and per-item settings intact. Unlike a raw JSON dump, the importer remaps each menu item to the matching content on the target site (by slug, path, then title), so links keep working after a migration instead of pointing at the wrong post ID. Beyond import and export, manage every menu from one dashboard: duplicate or delete menus, and control who sees each item with per-item visibility rules (everyone, logged-in, or logged-out). Key Features Menus dashboard — see every menu with its item count, theme location, and last-modified date at a glance. Duplicate any menu in one click (items, hierarchy, and visibility rules included), or delete one with a safety confirmation. Per-item visibility — show or hide each menu item for everyone, logged-in users only, or logged-out visitors only. Export one menu, several, or every menu at once to a portable file. Import menus back into any WordPress site, and optionally assign the imported menu to a theme location. Smart object remapping so menu items resolve to the right content on the target site. Preserves menu hierarchy, item order, CSS classes, and theme location assignments. Choose how to import: create a new menu, replace an existing one, or merge — with a one-click undo of the last import. Works with any theme that uses the standard WordPress menu system.

Menu Backup & Restore protects every WordPress menu, both classic nav_menu menus and block-theme wp_navigation posts edited in the Site Editor, with automatic backups, one-click restoration, and powerful import/export capabilities. Transfer menus between sites seamlessly with intelligent per-item mapping that rewrites page, post, and category references for the target site. Key Features Automatic backup of menus when they are updated Works with both classic menus (nav_menu) and block-theme menus (wp_navigation posts edited in the Site Editor) Site Editor inspector panel — back up, restore, rename, or apply a backup from another menu without leaving the editor, with a Navigation block selected In-place restore replaces the existing menu directly, no duplicate menus, theme locations stay assigned Import and export menus as JSON files for portability or locally saved backups Multi-menu export and import — select multiple menus or backups to export in a single file Transfer menus between sites with intelligent object mapping, can be used to update menus from development to production sites without full site migration Manual mapping interface to override automatic matches and map menu items to specific pages, posts, or taxonomies during import Preserves complete menu structure: hierarchy, theme locations, CSS classes, and third-party plugin data (post_meta) icons etc… Bulk actions — select multiple backups to export or delete at once Rename backups inline with a click Configurable maximum number of backups to keep See who saved and created the backup Tab-based interface for better organisation Simple and intuitive user interface No database modifications required Lightweight and fast How It Works The plugin automatically creates a backup whenever you update a menu Backups are stored in the WordPress options table with complete menu structure (hierarchy, locations, CSS classes, custom post_meta) Manage backups from the legacy Menus page (classic themes), the Appearance > Menu Backups page (block themes), or inline from the Site Editor inspector when editing a Navigation block — rename, export, delete, restore, or bulk-select Restore any previous version with a single click, the existing menu is updated in-place, keeping theme locations intact Export one or multiple menus as a single JSON file for portability or import to other sites Configure the maximum number of backups to keep in the settings Requirements WordPress 5.0 or higher PHP 7.2 or higher What Users Have to Say on Reddit “That’s a super useful idea! Menus are so easy to wipe out by accident, and restoring from a full backup always feels like overkill. Nice work!” “Really appreciate it, This will come in handy alot!” “Oh man, I’ve done this before too. Lost a big menu while trying to rearrange items and it was gone in a click. Ended up re-building from scratch. This plugin sounds like a lifesaver — surprised WordPress hasn’t built something like this in by default.” “Kind of an automatic backup vs having to schedule one.” “that’s a killer quality of life plugin wp’s missing so many of those “one click undo” features for common mistakes” “Great idea! I do this more often than I care to admit. This needs to be in Core!” “Dude I literally do this all the time and actually did it less than an hour ago. I hate how the WordPress menu isn’t stored normally. Thanks for this!”