Moving from Document Library
Bring your existing library to FileDeck.
Import documents, descriptions, categories, tags and files, then add FileDeck’s search, access and review workflow.
One click, on your own site
Switch in three steps
Install FileDeck alongside
Add FileDeck Pro to the same site, with Document Library still active. Installing it doesn’t change your existing library pages.
Click Import
Go to Documents → Import & Export → Migrate. FileDeck shows a Document Library card with the number of documents it found. Choose Publish or Import as drafts, then click Import. It runs in the background, so a large library won’t tie up your browser.
Check, then switch
Work through the checks below, swap in the FileDeck block or shortcode, and deactivate Document Library once the new library is ready. Uploaded files stay linked as the same Media Library attachment; the import doesn’t copy them.
What comes across
What the importer reads from Document Library, and what it becomes in FileDeck — with nothing sent off your server.
Documents & files
Each document comes across with its title, description and date. An uploaded file stays as the same Media Library attachment; FileDeck links to it rather than copying it.
Categories & tags
Your document categories — including sub-categories — are rebuilt with the same nesting, and your tags come too.
External links
Documents that link to a file by URL come across with that file wherever the importer can find the link. Include a few of them in your spot-check.
Runs on your own site
Both Lite and Pro are supported, and nothing is sent anywhere — the whole move happens on your own WordPress.
Check before you switch
The importer brings across what Document Library stores for each document. Review these three things before you replace the library on your live page.
- Access rules. The one access setting the importer reads is a document’s WordPress password (Password protected visibility), which the FileDeck document keeps. Otherwise imported documents take FileDeck’s normal visibility. Documents that were private, draft or pending in Document Library come in as drafts. If any should be restricted, set FileDeck’s access rules before you publish and test with a logged-in and a logged-out account.
- Historic links. The import doesn’t redirect Document Library’s document pages or links. Find the pages, menus and emails that point at them, and update or redirect them before you deactivate the plugin.
- Metadata the importer doesn’t read. Titles, descriptions, dates, categories, tags, files and external links come across. Download history, custom fields, featured images and other Document Library settings stay behind, so note the ones you rely on and recreate them in FileDeck.
Why teams move to FileDeck
Search inside your files
Pro indexes supported PDFs and Office files stored on your site, with OCR for scanned PDFs included with Pro (enable OCR in the plugin). From $59/year for one site.
Real access control
Gate categories by role, by password or to logged-in users, with client areas for private document sets and per-document assignment to named people — set it up in FileDeck after you move.
Same price at renewal
Renewals cost the same as your first year, and paid plans come with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Prefer a hand? We’ll help you move.
Free assisted migration is available. Tell us which plugin you use and roughly how many documents you have, and we’ll help scope the import and check the result with you. If you’re on an eligible paid plan with your current plugin, the time left on it can be added to your FileDeck licence — contact us to confirm how it applies to your plan. No credential handoff needed; the importer runs on your own site.
Questions about moving
Does this work with the free Lite version?
Yes. Document Library Lite and Document Library Pro store their documents the same way, so the importer reads either. See the full walkthrough. Still weighing the two plugins? Read the comparison.
Do I need to export anything first?
No. FileDeck reads your library directly from your own site, so there’s no file to export and no columns to map. Keep Document Library active while you import so FileDeck can read its categories and tags.
Are my files copied or moved?
The import doesn’t copy or move them. Uploaded files stay as the same Media Library attachment and FileDeck links to it; external links keep their URL. If you later restrict a document in FileDeck, its file moves into FileDeck’s protected vault, and direct links to the old file location stop working.
What doesn’t come across?
Download history, custom fields, featured images and access settings (apart from a document’s WordPress password) are not part of the import. Set up FileDeck’s own download tracking and access control after the move, and check the result before you publish.
Is it safe to run more than once?
Yes. FileDeck records which Document Library document each import came from, so re-running skips documents it has already imported. If an import is interrupted, start it again and it continues with the rest. The import doesn’t edit your Document Library documents.
Make your next document library FileDeck.
Bring the supported files and metadata across, review the result, then replace your library page when it is ready. FileDeck Pro includes the source-specific importer and a 30-day money-back guarantee. Free assisted migration is available.
Try the free library first if you want to evaluate the display. Source-specific automatic import requires Pro. For private libraries, verify permissions with representative accounts before publishing.
Written by the FileDeck team. What the importer brings across was reviewed against the current FileDeck Pro importer on 26 September 2026 — read about our methods.
Document Library Pro and Document Library Lite are trademarks of their respective owner. FileDeck is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by it; the names are used only to identify the plugin you are migrating from.