How to Bulk Import Users in WordPress

Its very easy to a manually create users in WordPress , but things are not easy if you want to add a bunch of users in one go.

WordPress does not have any inbuilt Import Users wizard, so if you want to add hundreds or thousands of users you are out of luck. You will either need to write some code or use an third party plugin.

In this post I will share a lightweight and a user friendly plugin which will let you import thousands of users with ease. All you need to do is to create a CSV files in a predefined formats and import it using the plugin.  Whats more, you can also bulk import the meta values. Here are the Steps.

Step 1. Download and Install Import users from CSV with meta Plugin (link)

This is a popular plugin with 22 Five Star ratings.  The author is helpful and responsive.  A quick look at the forums suggest that the plugin is stable and frequently updated.  Once you install the plugin go to Tools-> Import Users With Meta.  You can import the users from here.

Settings Screen Import Users with Meta

Step 2. Create a CSV file with user data.

Create a csv file with user data like Username, Email, Password etc. In addition to importing standard user data, one can also import meta values.  In case the meta values dont exist, the plugin will automatically create them. The plugin automatically generates a password in case the password column is empty.

Sample CSV File

3. Import the data

Simply import the csv file and all the users will be imported. The plugin also comes with a sample csv file which is very handy.

I would suggest you to increase memory limit in case you are importing large set of users say over 5000. This will ensure that the import goes through without hiccups.

In order to increase the memory limit , edit the wp-config.php file and enter something like:

define('WP_MEMORY_LIMIT', '64M');

Conclusion

WordPress does not come with an inbuilt User Import Wizard and this is where this plugin comes in.  This is very handy if you want to add a bunch of users in one go.  In subsequent posts I will share code snippets which you can use to bulk import WordPress Users.

 

5 thoughts on “How to Bulk Import Users in WordPress”

  1. Hi, nice plugin. Except it ruined my login / reset password system? I am unable to login to my site with any user or reset the password for my admin or other account.

    Can you help me out?

    Cheers,
    Rasmus

    Reply
  2. I have this plugin, and it’s incredible. However, with less than 3,100 users to import, and following the format, it fails to import a first name, last name or display name, all of which are essential for newsletters.
    My memory limit is 128Mb, with a dedicated server with plenty of available resources like 64Gb RAM.
    It successfully imported the display name for eight users, but deleted their email addresses, and when I try to repeat after editing the CSV, nothing happens but a white screen.
    I suppose I’ll be doing manual editing of these users for weeks.

    Reply
  3. Thanks brother for this post.
    I am creating a forum and want to bulk add 3000 people to begin.

    Your post helped me do this.

    Thankyou.

    Reply

Leave a Comment