Problem: The client is transitioning from MultilingualPress to WPML for a multisite setup involving English and Spanish sites. They encountered an issue where activating WPML wiped out all posts made on MultilingualPress over 12 years, which led them to restore from a backup. Solution: We advised the client that WPML and MultilingualPress have different architectures; WPML uses a single site with linked content, whereas MultilingualPress uses a network of separate sites for each language. To migrate to WPML, the client needs to: 1. Install and configure WPML on a new single-site setup. 2. Manually export the content from the separate language sites using a WordPress importer/exporter or a third-party plugin like WP All Import/Export. 3. Import the content into the main website and set the languages using the WPML Import/Export plugin, which can be found here: WPML Export and Import. 4. Alternatively, re-translate the website using automatic translation with WPML, available here: Automatic Translation with WPML.
If this solution does not apply to your case, or if it seems outdated, we highly recommend checking related known issues at https://wpml.org/known-issues/, verifying the version of the permanent fix, and confirming that you have installed the latest versions of themes and plugins. Should you need further assistance, please open a new support ticket at WPML Support Forum.
