Mayank Majeji

<p>MenuPilot is a focused menu import and export plugin designed to help you move <strong>one menu at a time</strong> between WordPress sites with confidence.</p>
<p>Unlike basic import tools, MenuPilot shows you exactly what will happen <strong>before anything is imported</strong>. You can review the menu structure, see which items match existing content, resolve missing items, and proceed only when everything is clear.</p>
<p>This makes MenuPilot ideal for moving menus from <strong>staging to production</strong>, local development to live sites, or between similar environments — without overwriting existing menus or breaking links silently.</p>
<h3>What MenuPilot Does</h3>
<ul>
<li>Exports a single navigation menu as a JSON file</li>
<li>Imports a menu as a <strong>new menu</strong> (never overwrites existing menus)</li>
<li>Provides a full <strong>preview and mapping screen before import</strong></li>
<li>Intelligently matches menu items to existing content</li>
<li>Preserves menu hierarchy, order, and metadata</li>
<li>Replaces source site URLs with destination site URLs automatically</li>
<li>Creates automatic backups before menu updates and imports</li>
<li>Logs all import and export actions for accountability</li>
</ul>
<h3>What MenuPilot Does Not Support</h3>
<ul>
<li><strong>Multisite</strong> — Each subsite is managed independently; cross-site menu copying is not supported</li>
<li><strong>Bulk export/import</strong> — MenuPilot handles one menu at a time by design</li>
<li><strong>Mega menu metadata</strong> — Custom fields added by mega menu plugins are not preserved</li>
<li><strong>WP-CLI</strong> — No command-line interface; all operations are performed in the admin UI</li>
<li><strong>Scheduled/automated imports</strong> — Imports are triggered manually; no cron or automation support</li>
<li><strong>Media files</strong> — Images referenced in menu items are not bundled in exports</li>
<li><strong>Non-standard menu item types</strong> — Only core WordPress types (post, page, taxonomy, custom link) are supported</li>
</ul>
<h3>Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Backup & Restore:
<ul>
<li>Automatic backups before every menu update and import</li>
<li>Manual backup creation from the Menus page</li>
<li>One-click restore to any previous backup</li>
<li>Export backups as JSON for portability</li>
<li>Configurable backup limit (Backup Settings tab)</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Import/Export History Logs:
<ul>
<li>Dedicated History page under MenuPilot menu</li>
<li>Logs who, when, and what for every import/export</li>
<li>Download logs as JSON or plain text</li>
<li>Clear history with confirmation</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Export individual menus (JSON format)</li>
<li>Import one menu at a time as a new menu</li>
<li>Preview screen before import showing:
<ul>
<li>Menu name</li>
<li>Total menu items</li>
<li>Source site URL</li>
<li>Export timestamp</li>
<li>Matched and unmatched items</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Intelligent auto-matching of menu items using:
<ul>
<li>Post type + slug</li>
<li>Taxonomy + slug</li>
<li>Normalized custom links</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Manual mapping override per menu item</li>
<li>Clear warnings for:
<ul>
<li>Missing pages, posts, or taxonomies</li>
<li>Items converted to custom links</li>
<li>Theme location availability</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Automatic home URL replacement during import</li>
<li>Preserves:
<ul>
<li>Menu hierarchy</li>
<li>Menu order</li>
<li>CSS classes</li>
<li>Link attributes (target, rel)</li>
<li>Descriptions</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Visual import progress and clear success/error messages</li>
<li>Native WordPress admin UI (no custom frameworks)</li>
</ul>
<h3>Requirements</h3>
<ul>
<li>WordPress 5.8 or higher</li>
<li>PHP 7.4 or higher</li>
<li>Classic WordPress menu system</li>
</ul>
<h3>Configuration</h3>
<p>MenuPilot requires no configuration to start using. Once activated, you can immediately export and import menus.</p>
<p>Optional: Go to <strong>MenuPilot <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Settings</strong> and open the <strong>Backup</strong> tab to configure the maximum number of backups to keep per menu (default: 5).</p>
<h3>Usage</h3>
<h3>Backup & Restore</h3>
<ol>
<li>When editing a menu, scroll to the <strong>MenuPilot Backup & Restore</strong> section below the menu form.</li>
<li>Use the <strong>Backup</strong> tab to create manual backups, restore previous versions, or export backups as JSON.</li>
<li>Use the <strong>Import</strong> tab to import a previously exported backup JSON file.</li>
<li>Backups are also created automatically before every menu save and before every import.</li>
</ol>
<h3>History Logs</h3>
<ol>
<li>Navigate to <strong>MenuPilot <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> History</strong> in the WordPress admin.</li>
<li>View all import and export actions with user, timestamp, menu name, and outcome.</li>
<li>Use the <strong>Filter</strong> button to narrow results by date range or user.</li>
<li>Download logs as JSON or plain text for record-keeping or auditing.</li>
<li>Use <strong>Clear History</strong> to remove all log entries (with confirmation). Export first if you need a backup.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Exporting a Menu</h3>
<ol>
<li>Navigate to <strong>MenuPilot <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Export Menu</strong> in the WordPress admin.</li>
<li>Select the menu you want to export from the dropdown.</li>
<li>Click the “Export Menu” button.</li>
<li>A JSON file will be downloaded to your computer.</li>
<li>Save this file for importing to another site.</li>
</ol>
<h3>Importing a Menu</h3>
<ol>
<li>Navigate to <strong>MenuPilot <span aria-hidden="true" class="wp-exclude-emoji">→</span> Import Menu</strong> in the WordPress admin.</li>
<li>Click “Choose File” and select a previously exported JSON file.</li>
<li>Click “Upload & Preview” to see what will be imported.</li>
<li>Review the preview screen:
<ul>
<li>Check menu name (you can edit it)</li>
<li>Review matched and unmatched items</li>
<li>Manually map items if needed</li>
<li>Remove items you don’t want to import</li>
<li>Optionally assign the menu to a theme location</li>
</ul>
</li>
<li>Click “Import Menu” to complete the import.</li>
<li>The menu will be created as a new menu (existing menus are never overwritten).</li>
</ol>
<h3>Important Notes</h3>
<ul>
<li>MenuPilot always imports menus as <strong>new menus</strong> – it never overwrites existing menus.</li>
<li>Always review the preview screen before importing to ensure items are matched correctly.</li>
<li>Unmatched items will be converted to custom links automatically.</li>
<li>You can manually map items to different content using the “Map To” dropdown in the preview.</li>
</ul>


MenuPilot – Preview-First Menu Import & Export

Safely import and export WordPress navigation menus with a preview-first workflow. Review and map menus before importing.

MenuPilot – Preview-First Menu Import & Export vs WP Ultimate CSV Importer – WordPress Import & Export for CSV, XML & Excel