Importing demo content is a great way to kickstart your site setup, but sometimes the automatic import process can fail due to server limitations or environment-specific issues.

This guide outlines the most common problems users face while importing demo content and provides a reliable manual import solution using the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

⚠️ Common Demo Import Issues

You may encounter one or more of the following errors during the demo import process:

Error Type

Description

Demo content import failed

General failure message without details.

Parse JSON error

Corrupted or incomplete JSON file during import.

Time exceeded 200 error

Server takes too long to respond, causing timeout.

cURL error

Typically caused by server restrictions or blocked remote connections.

White screen / PHP fatal errors

Server memory or execution time exhausted during import.

✅ Recommended Solution: Manual Demo Import (100% Reliable)

If the automatic import fails, follow this manual process to deliver the demo content to the user’s site:

🔄 Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Set up the demo locally

  • On your local development environment, install the theme.

  • Complete the required setup and successfully import the demo content.

  • Make sure everything works exactly like the demo preview.

2. Export full backup using All-in-One WP Migration

  • Install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

  • Go to All-in-One WP Migration → Export.

  • Click Export To → File to generate a downloadable backup.

3. Download the exported file

  • Once the export is complete, download the .wpress backup file to your computer.

4. Import on user’s website

  • On the user’s site, install the All-in-One WP Migration plugin.

  • Navigate to All-in-One WP Migration → Import.

  • Upload the .wpress file you exported earlier.

  • Complete the import and refresh the site to see the demo.

📌 Note: This will overwrite the user’s existing site. Make sure to take a full backup of their current site before importing.

🎥 Video Guide

For a visual walkthrough of the manual import process, watch this short tutorial:

👉 Watch the guide

🧠 Tips for Support Agents (Internal)

  • If the user is non-technical, offer to do the import for them after confirming a backup is taken.

  • Ask the user for their hosting environment (shared/VPS/cloud) – this helps diagnose timeouts and cURL issues.

  • Recommend they increase:

    • PHP max execution time

    • Memory limit

    • cURL access if blocked by server

  • Always document the exact error shown during import.

❓ Demo Import Issues

  • “Why is the demo import not working?”

  • “The demo content failed to import.”

  • “I’m getting an error when importing the demo.”

  • “Import stuck at 0% or halfway through.”

  • “Demo import shows JSON parse error.”

  • “Nothing happens when I click import.”

  • “Can you help me set up the demo manually?”

  • “My theme looks blank after import.”

  • “I tried to import demo but got a cURL error.”

  • “Import failed: time exceeded or timeout error.”

  • “How do I get the demo content to show like the preview?”

  • “The theme isn’t looking like the demo site after import.”

  • “I get a white screen after importing the demo.”

  • "The package could not be installed"

  • "Failed to install theme demo"

❓ Manual Import Requests

  • “Is there a way to import the demo manually?”

  • “Can you send me a working version of the demo?”

  • “How do I import the theme using All-in-One WP Migration?”

  • “Can you provide a backup of the demo?”

  • “Can you help me restore the demo from your side?”

🔄 General Confusion

  • “Theme is not showing like your demo.”

  • “Why doesn’t my site look like the preview?”

  • “Can you help me with demo setup?”

📚 Useful Resources