How to import images from external sources into WordPress

Do you want to import an external image into WordPress? If you recently moved your site from platform to platform, it is very likely that you have an external image to embed on your pages. This article will explain how to correctly import those external images into WordPress.

When and why do you need to import images from external sources?

External images are images embedded in web content, loaded from web pages or URLs other than the main website.

Typically, WordPress users experience external image problems after migrating their sites from other platforms such as Blogger, Weebly, Joomla or WordPress.com.

By default, if you use one of the WordPress importers, it is in charge of importing images. You can see if the image has been imported, by visiting the Media> Library page in the WordPress admin page.

If you find that all your images are already there, but the post URL links to the old source, then you don't need this article. Instead, you need to update the URLs using the Velvet Blues Update URL plugin.

However, if you don't see the image imported into the WordPress media library, continue reading for instructions on how to import images from that external source.

Video tutorial

If you do not want to watch the tutorial video, you can continue to read the detailed instructions below:

Enter the external image into WordPress

The first thing you need to do is install and activate the Auto Upload Images plugin.

When activated, you need to access the Settings> Auto Upload Images page to review the plugin settings.

The default settings will work for most users, but you can change them as needed.

The plugin will import the image into the default WordPress upload media folder. You can change that by providing another base URL. In addition, it also allows you to set the file name, alt image tag, image size and exclude post types.

When you're done, don't forget to click the Save Changes button to save the settings.

Next, you will need to update the articles or pages containing images from external sources. Since this is a manual process, it can be a bit tedious, if you have a lot of content to update.

Fortunately, there is a quick way to update all posts with images from external sources. Simply go to the Posts page > All Posts and then click the Screen Options button at the top.

You need to enter 999 in the ' Number of items per page field ' field and click the Apply button .

WordPress will reload the page and this time it will display 999 posts at once. Next, you need to select all your posts and then choose Edit in the Bulk actions menu.

Then you need to click the Apply button . WordPress will show you a quick edit box with all selected posts. You just need to click the Update button and WordPress will update all posts.

Remember, do not change any settings in the bulk editing settings you see. You just need to click Update.

This process will activate the plugin to check all selected posts and import images from external sources when they are found.

If you have more than 999 posts, you will need to visit the next page to select the remaining posts.

Hopefully this article has helped you understand how to import images from external sources into WordPress. Good luck!

See more:

1. Why is WordPress free?
2. How much does it cost to build a WordPress website?
3. How to migrate blogs from WordPress.com to WordPress.org