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Move off bbPress and keep every topic and reply

Jetonomy installs next to bbPress and imports your published forums, topics, replies and attachments. bbPress keeps serving pages until you switch.

Get Jetonomy free See the move, step by step
A Jetonomy knowledge base topic about migrating from bbPress, marked resolved, with votes and an accepted answer below

What your bbPress forum becomes

The importer reads bbPress straight from your database and writes to Jetonomy's own tables. Here is exactly what it carries and what it does not.

Comes across

  • Published forums Spaces, with sub-forums nested under their parent
  • Published topics Posts, with the original date and sticky topics still pinned
  • Published replies Replies on the topic, with their original dates
  • Topic and reply authors Linked to the same WordPress user accounts
  • Inline images and attached files Media library items attached to the post

Stays behind

  • Closed topics, and private or hidden forums
  • Reply nesting (replies arrive flat on the topic)
  • Topic tags and bbPress votes
  • Forum moderator assignments
  • Subscriptions and favorites
  • bbPress templates, shortcodes and add-on data

The importer reads published content only. If closed topics or private forums matter to you, rehearse the import on a staging copy and count what arrives.

The move

Six steps, with bbPress installed until you are sure

The importer does not change your bbPress forums, topics or replies, so you can import, check and only then switch. For a large forum, rehearse on a staging copy.

$ wp jetonomy import bbpress --dry-run
[DRY RUN] Import complete. Imported: 1240, Skipped: 12, Errors: 0
Example summary line from the Jetonomy import guide. Nothing is written during a dry run.

  1. Back up the site

    Take a full database and files backup with your host or backup plugin. The import screen asks for this too.

  2. Install Jetonomy next to bbPress

    Activate Jetonomy on the same site. It needs WordPress 6.7+ and PHP 8.1+, and stores data outside wp_posts.

  3. Preview with a dry run (optional)

    From a terminal, run wp jetonomy import bbpress --dry-run. It reports what would move without writing anything.

  4. Run the import

    Open Jetonomy > Import and start the bbPress import. It runs in batches with a progress bar. Keep the tab open; if it closes, resume from the last finished batch.

  5. Redirect the links that matter

    The importer does not create redirects. Map the old bbPress URLs that get search traffic or backlinks to their new Jetonomy topics with a redirect plugin or server rules.

  6. Check, then deactivate bbPress

    Spot check spaces, long threads, attachments and member profiles. When everything matches, deactivate bbPress.

Redirects are your job, and they are quick to plan

The importer moves content, not URLs. Old bbPress links will not forward on their own, so map the ones that bring visitors before you switch.

  1. Export the forum and topic URLs that get search traffic or backlinks.
  2. Find each topic in Jetonomy. Imported topics keep their slug unless it clashes in the space.
  3. Add 301 redirects with a redirect plugin or server rules, then test a sample.

Jetonomy topic URL

/community/s/space-slug/t/topic-slug/

Spaces take the slug of the bbPress forum they came from, where it is free. community is the default base, and you can rename it in settings.

What the forum gains after the move

bbPress details from its WordPress.org listing (version 2.6.17) and the official bbPress codex, read 2026-09-17. Jetonomy details from the 1.9.7 release.

Storage and speed

  • In bbPress today: Forums, topics and replies stored as WordPress custom post types

    After the move:
    • 22 purpose-built MySQL tables
    • Indexes and stored counters

    Discussion data lives outside wp_posts, in tables shaped for threads and replies.

  • In bbPress today: Forum-wide search across forums, topics and replies

    After the move:
    • FULLTEXT search as you type
    • Tag pages

    Results appear while members type, backed by FULLTEXT indexes.

  • In bbPress today: Paged topic and reply lists

    After the move:
    • Stored counters on busy lists
    • Redis or Memcached detected automatically

    Topic and reply totals are kept on the row, so long lists do not count rows on every page load.

Moderation

  • In bbPress today: Roles: Keymaster, Moderator, Participant, Spectator, Blocked

    After the move:
    • WordPress capabilities
    • Per-space owner, moderator and member roles
    • Trust levels 0 to 5

    Three permission layers. Levels 1 to 3 are earned automatically; admins grant 4 and 5.

  • In bbPress today: Akismet support plus spam, trash and approval tools

    After the move:
    • Akismet on member posts and replies
    • Member flagging
    • Moderator queue in wp-admin and at /community/mod/

    Moderators can work the queue from the front end as well as wp-admin.

  • In bbPress today: Blocked role

    After the move:
    • Ban (no login)
    • Silence (no posting)

    Two strengths of sanction, so a noisy member can still read without posting.

  • In bbPress today: Post throttling and an edit time limit

    After the move:
    • Rate limits at trust level 0
    • Keyword, regex and link-limit rules (Pro)

    New accounts post less by default. Pro adds keyword, regex, link-limit and spam-score rules.

Q&A and ideas

  • In bbPress today: Threaded discussion topics

    After the move:
    • Forum spaces
    • Upvotes and downvotes

    The same discussion format, with voting on posts and replies.

  • In bbPress today: Q&A with accepted answers: not among bbPress core forum settings

    After the move:
    • Q&A spaces
    • Accepted answers
    • QAPage structured data

    Solved questions show the accepted answer and carry QAPage markup for search.

  • In bbPress today: Idea voting: not among bbPress core forum settings

    After the move:
    • Ideas spaces
    • Status board: planned, in progress, shipped, declined

    Members vote ideas up while you move them across a public status board.

  • In bbPress today: Favorites and subscriptions

    After the move:
    • In-app bell with unread count
    • Immediate email notifications
    • Per-user preferences

    Members see unread activity on the site and choose which emails they get.

Editor

  • In bbPress today: Formatting toolbar: bold, italic, links, images, lists, code

    After the move:
    • Bold, italic, lists, code, headings
    • Drag, drop or paste images

    Images drop or paste straight into the post.

  • In bbPress today: Auto-embed links from YouTube, Twitter and others

    After the move:
    • oEmbed for YouTube, X, Vimeo and more

    Members keep the paste-a-link habit they already have.

  • In bbPress today: Reply threading

    After the move:
    • Threaded replies, 3 levels deep, collapsible
    • Quote-to-reply
    • @mentions with autocomplete

    Long threads fold away, and mentions autocomplete member names.

  • In bbPress today: Code in posts

    After the move:
    • Prism syntax highlighting
    • Emoji picker

    Code blocks get colour highlighting, useful for technical forums.

Developer

  • In bbPress today: Shortcodes and a theme compatibility layer

    After the move:
    • Template overrides in your-theme/jetonomy/
    • RTL and translation-ready

    Copy a template into your theme to change markup without editing the plugin.

  • In bbPress today: Import tools that convert other forums to bbPress

    After the move:
    • Importers for bbPress, wpForo and Asgaros
    • WP-CLI import commands

    Your move is a supported path, not a one-off script.

  • In bbPress today: Custom code on bbPress templates and functions

    After the move:
    • 86 REST API routes (jetonomy/v1)
    • 225 hooks: 106 actions, 119 filters
    • 19 WordPress Abilities (WP 6.9+)

    Apps, bots and headless front ends can read and write the forum over REST.

The importer is free. Pro is optional.

Pay once and own it forever, or pick the annual plan. All features included in every plan, no hidden add-ons.

Jetonomy Free
Unlimited sites
Free
  • Unlimited sites, no licence key
  • Forum, Q&A, Ideas and Feed spaces
  • Six trust levels and a moderation queue
  • Voting, reputation and a leaderboard
  • Search across posts, spaces and tags
  • REST API, WP-CLI, 8 blocks and 8 shortcodes
  • bbPress, wpForo and Asgaros importers
  • MemberPress and Paid Memberships Pro gating
Get Jetonomy Free
Most popular
Pro Personal
1 site
$199 one-time
or $69/year
  • Everything in Free, plus all 17 Pro extensions
  • 1 site
  • Private messaging, 1:1 and group
  • Emoji reactions and polls
  • Community analytics
  • Email digest, web push and reply by email
  • AI spam detection and advanced moderation
  • Webhooks for Slack, Zapier or a CRM
  • Updates and support, annual or lifetime
Pro Developer
5 sites
$299 one-time
or $99/year
  • Everything in Pro Personal
  • 5 sites
  • Priority support
  • Updates and priority support, annual or lifetime
Pro Agency
Unlimited sites
$499 one-time
or $199/year
  • Everything in Pro Developer
  • Unlimited sites
  • Priority email support
  • Updates and priority support, annual or lifetime

The plugin keeps working. Updates and support stop until you renew.

Free forever. Annual licenses include a year of updates and support and renew at 30% off. Lifetime licenses are a one-time payment and never expire.

Migration questions from bbPress owners

Will my forum go offline during the import?
No. Jetonomy installs next to bbPress and writes to its own tables, so bbPress keeps serving pages while the import runs. You switch over after checking the result. For a very large forum, run the import on a staging copy first.
What happens to my search rankings and old links?
The importer moves content, not URLs, so old bbPress links do not redirect on their own. Before you switch, list the forum URLs that get search traffic or backlinks and point them at the new Jetonomy topics with 301 redirects, using a redirect plugin or server rules. A 301 tells search engines the page moved permanently.
I use BuddyPress group forums. Does that change anything?
The importer brings forums, topics, replies, author accounts, attachments and the forum hierarchy. Links between a forum and a BuddyPress group are not carried over, and every imported space starts public and open. Review those forums on staging and set each space to open, request-to-join or invite-only.
Will Jetonomy work with my current theme?
Jetonomy renders its community pages inside your WordPress theme. If you want different markup, copy a template into your-theme/jetonomy/ and edit it there. It is RTL and translation-ready.
I customised bbPress templates. What happens to that work?
bbPress templates and shortcodes do not apply to Jetonomy, which has its own templates. Re-create the changes you still need as overrides in your-theme/jetonomy/. Keep the old files until the new layout is signed off.
What does not come across?
The importer reads published forums, topics and replies. Closed topics and private or hidden forums are not read. Topic tags, bbPress votes, moderator assignments, subscriptions and favorites stay behind, and nested replies arrive flat on the topic. Data from bbPress add-ons, templates and shortcodes does not apply to Jetonomy.
Can I preview the import before it writes anything?
Yes, from WP-CLI: wp jetonomy import bbpress --dry-run. The dry run exists for the bbPress importer only and is not in the admin screen. Without terminal access, import to a staging copy instead.
Do I need Pro to migrate?
No. The bbPress importer ships in the free plugin. Pro adds private messaging, email digests, reply by email, reactions and polls, with a 30-day money-back guarantee.

Rehearse the move on a copy of your site today

Install Jetonomy on staging, run the dry run and the import, and compare the counts before you touch the live forum.

Get Jetonomy free Read the import guide