Why Leave WordPress.com WordPress.com limits your control, security, and ability to monetise. If these are pain points, it's time to switch to self-hosted WordPress.org. Export Your Content First Go to Tools > Export on WordPress.com and download all your posts, pages, and comments as a single XML file. Import Into WordPress.org On your new WordPress.org site, go to Tools > Import, select WordPress, and upload the XML file. It may take a few minutes. Set Up a Redirect Use WordPress.com's Site Redirect service ($13/year) to automatically send visitors from your old URL to your new domain. Keep the Redirect Running Keep the redirect active for a year or two until visitors learn your new domain and it gains ground in search results.