Can I export my website's content and design from a website builder if I leave?

Sometimes—but you can’t assume you’ll be able to take the whole site with you. Builders often separate content (text, posts, products) from design and functionality (layouts, templates, forms, store features). You may be able to export some content while having to rebuild the design elsewhere.

For example:

• Wix: You can’t download/export a Wix template as a portable website; Wix says its sites need to be hosted and operated on Wix. Some data, such as store products or certain CMS content, may have separate export options. (support.wix.com)
• Squarespace: You can export some content in WordPress XML, but not the full design. Its export excludes things such as style settings and custom CSS, and some content types don’t export. (support.squarespace.com)
• Webflow: You can export HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and assets on eligible Workspace plans, but the export doesn’t include CMS content or several hosted features, such as forms and search. (help.webflow.com)
• WordPress.com: Its standard content export includes posts, pages, and comments, but not the theme design, customizations, or plugins. (wordpress.com)

Before leaving: export what you can, save original images and files, download product/customer data where available, and keep a copy of your domain and DNS details. The exact answer depends on your builder—tell me which one you use and I can check what you can take with you.

Usually you can take your content and data, but not your design. Whether you can get the design out depends on the builder.

What typically comes out

• Written content: Squarespace can export blog posts and basic page text as a WordPress-format XML file, but not design, CSS, navigation, or forms. The export contains blog text and basic page text only. Design, CSS, navigation, forms, products, members, and most page types are not in the export.
• Images: These usually need to be saved one by one. Squarespace notes an export may only carry links to images, which stop working after the site closes. So download your original files rather than relying on the export.
• Store and customer data: Orders, customers, and form submissions often export as spreadsheets. Order records have a documented export on Wix, Squarespace, Webflow, Shopify, WooCommerce and GoHighLevel.

Where the design can leave

• Wix: Its help center describes the platform as closed, and the only exportable item is blog posts as an XML file.
• Webflow: Code export exists but is limited. Its code export requires a paid Workspace plan, and CMS content is excluded.
• Hostinger: Only its agentic ("Horizons") mode downloads full project code as a zip. Manual mode has no code export.
• Self-hosted WordPress or WooCommerce: These are the main options where the whole site can move to a host you choose. Only WooCommerce and self-hosted WordPress let the whole site, design and code included, move to a host you choose.

What to do before you cancel

1. Export everything the builder offers, and save images at full resolution. Cancelling the builder before extracting content means you lose the source material permanently. Extract first, cancel last.
2. Check your domain. Domain billing is separate from the site plan, so domain billing continues separately after the site is cancelled. Decide whether to keep it, point it elsewhere, or transfer it.
3. Check email. Google Workspace stays active and is billed on its own.
4. Expect a rebuild. If you want the same look elsewhere, you will likely recreate the design by hand. Wix doesn't use the same templates and designs as Squarespace, so you need to reconstitute your site from scratch.

Which builder are you using? I can give you the exact export steps and whether the design can be taken out.

In most cases, you cannot simply "export" your website's design from a website builder and move it to another platform.

Website builders (like Wix, Squarespace, and others) are "closed" systems. When you build a site with them, you are essentially "renting" their infrastructure. The design, templates, and backend code are proprietary and tightly integrated with their specific servers, meaning they cannot be moved to a different host or platform.

Here is the reality of what happens if you decide to leave:

1. You usually have to rebuild the design

Because the design relies on the builder’s specific code and template engine, there is no way to export a "file" that you can upload elsewhere to make your site look the same. If you switch platforms, you will need to choose a new theme or template on the new platform and manually recreate your layout, color schemes, and styling.

2. Exporting content is often partial

While you technically "own" your content (text, images, products), getting it out can be difficult.

• Text: Some builders allow you to export blog posts or pages into a format like XML or CSV, but this is often limited. In many cases, the most reliable method is to manually copy and paste your text into a document.
• Images: You will likely need to download your images to your computer manually.
• E-commerce/Data: If you have an online store, you may be able to export your product lists and customer data as a CSV file, but you will still need to re-upload and re-configure them on your new platform.

3. How to plan your exit (The "Migration" Strategy)

If you are planning to leave your current website builder, follow this process to minimize loss:

• Keep the old site live: Do not cancel your subscription until your new site is completely ready.
• Create an inventory: Make a spreadsheet of all your URLs (page addresses), page titles, and meta descriptions. This is vital for maintaining your SEO rankings when you move.
• Manual extraction: Save your images to a folder on your computer and copy all your written content into a text editor or document program.
• Rebuild, don't copy: Accept that you are starting fresh. Use the migration as an opportunity to refresh your design, fix outdated content, and improve your site structure on your new platform.
• Handle redirects: Once you move to a new platform, set up "301 redirects" from your old URLs to your new ones. This tells Google that your content has moved, helping you keep your search engine rankings.

Summary: You own your content, but you do not own the "container" it lives in. Moving to a new platform will almost always require manual work to transfer your data and rebuild your site's design.

Usually, you can take at least some of your content with you—but don’t assume you can export the complete site or its design. It depends on the builder, the type of content, and the plan.

• Content—such as posts, pages, images, products, or customer lists—may be exportable, often as XML or CSV. Exports can be partial: for example, Squarespace’s export leaves out some page types and features, while Wix lets you export CMS collection data as CSV. ¹²
• Design and functionality—themes, layouts, custom styling, code, and builder-specific features—are often not included in a standard content export. WordPress.com’s standard export, for instance, omits theme design and customizations; Squarespace’s export omits style settings and custom CSS. ³⁴
• A full-site move may require a separate migration tool, and sometimes the design can only be recreated on the new platform rather than transferred directly. ⁵

Before leaving, check your builder’s export documentation and test an export. Save original images and files, copy your text and custom code, and confirm you can use your domain and any paid fonts, plugins, or other assets elsewhere. If you tell me which builder you use and where you’re moving, I can give you a more specific answer.