Design Import/Export – Styles, Templates, Template Parts and Patterns

by UXL Themes

Description

Import and export your block based theme design: global/custom styles, templates, template parts and patterns.

Easily move your custom full site editing theme design from one website to another, or from a local installation to a live site.

Ideal for designers and developers working with the Site Editor and a block based full-site-editing theme, who have edited their block based custom styles, templates, template parts and patterns, and now need to copy that design over to a new WordPress installation.

The Design Import/Export plugin allows this to be done with minimal fuss, and can also be used to take regular backups of your block theme based design(s).

Works with any full-site-editing block theme.

License

Licensed under the GNU General Public License v2.0,
http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-2.0.html

Installation

From your WordPress dashboard

Visit ‘Plugins > Add New’,
Search for ‘design import export’ and install the plugin.
Activate ‘Design Import/Export’ from your Plugins page.

Once the plugin is activated you will find the plugin page in Tools -> Design Import/Export

Screenshots

The main plugin page, showing the Import function, and the styles, templates, template parts and patterns available to Export.
Importing the custom styles, templates, template parts and patterns from a previously exported file.

Faq

I have activated the plugin. Where is the plugin page?

You will find the plugin page in your Dashboard at Tools -> Design Import/Export.

What theme do I need to make use of the plugin?

You will need any block based (full site editing) compatible theme.

Do I need to install any other plugins?

No.

Where are the import files saved?

Any files that you upload using the import function will be saved as .txt files to the default WordPress media/uploads directory. An example of that directory would be: ../wp-content/uploads/2021/07/.

Reviews

The missing function of the FSE

By Cyrille Sanson (css31) on October 8, 2025

Finally, a way to compensate for the lack of an essential feature in FSE: the ability to save custom style settings.

Thank you for making this possible while we wait for FSE to add this feature.

Great plugin

By henriette123 on January 29, 2025

Saved me a lot of work this time!

Does what it says and does it well

By Hugh Lashbrooke (hlashbrooke) on April 2, 2024

This plugin fixes a huge hole in WordPress and allows you to easily copy your entire customised theme from one site to another. This is invaluable for moving from a local development site to a live site, for copying your work from one site to another, or simply for backing things up in an easily portable format.

I used this on the current latest version of WordPress (v6.4.3) and it worked with zero issues. I was copying a highly customised version of Twenty Twenty Three with some complex templates and it worked without a hitch.

I'm definitely adding this plugin to my list of default installs.

Fills a glaring gap in WordPress for block themes

By simongarrett on February 9, 2024

Very good, just what I need. After a quick test it seems just what is needed to develop customisations on a staging server then quickly transfer them to a live server.

Greatly eases the task of migrating a site to a new theme.

Superb tool, thanks!

By perryrylance on April 27, 2022

I'm working on a theme who's slug I had to correct, which caused loss of all the template parts. I used this plugin to export the parts from the broken theme, searched and replaced the bad slug with the new slug and then ran the import, worked absolutely perfect. Thanks folks!

Changelog

2.3 – December 2025
– Security updates
– Tested up to WP 6.9

2.2 – October 2025
– Fix for mis-named js/css assets
– Moved plugin menu item from top level to sub-item in tools

2.1 – October 2025
– Renamed relevant internal files from design-import to design-import-export
– Renamed relevant function prefixes from design_import_ to design_import_export_
– Tested up to WP 6.8

2.0 – December 2024
– Added functionality to import/export custom block patterns
– Tested up to WP 6.7
– Requires WP 6.3

1.1.1 – March 2023
– Remove some unused commented code

1.1 – March 2023
– Tested up to WP 6.2
– Requires WP 6.1
– Check if active theme is a block theme
– Only list block themes in export panel list
– Move current active theme to top of list in export panel

1.0 – February 2022
– Tested up WP 5.9
– Requires WP 5.9

0.1.4 – August 2021
– Updated plugin title to clarify the plugin’s purpose.

0.1.3 – July 2021
– Initial release