How to Migrate Images and Media During CMS Migration
IntermediateQuick Answer
TL;DR
Migrating images and media during a content management system (CMS) migration requires downloading all assets from your old CMS, preserving metadata like alt text, captions, and dimensions, uploading them to your new CMS's asset storage, and updating all content references to point to the new asset URLs or IDs. Automate this process with scripts rather than doing it manually — even a mid-size site can have thousands of media files that would take weeks to move by hand.
Key Takeaways
- Download all media assets and export their metadata (alt text, titles, captions, dimensions)
- Script the upload process using your new CMS's asset API for reliability and speed
- Update all content references to point to new asset URLs or IDs after upload
- Use the migration as an opportunity to optimize images — resize, compress, and convert to modern formats