Typepad Shutdown 2025: Export, Migrate, and Preserve Your Blog

Typepad’s abrupt shutdown notice is a hard wake-up call for long-form bloggers: after more than two decades online the service will be deactivated on September 30, 2025, and users have been given a short window to export and preserve their content before access and export capability are permanently removed. The service’s terse announcement — “We have made the difficult decision to discontinue Typepad” — leaves many questions unanswered, but the operational facts now facing Typepad users are concrete: export your blogs now, stop relying on Typepad-hosted assets, and plan a migration strategy that preserves posts, media, URLs and search visibility.

Overview​

Typepad’s closure marks the end of one of the web’s early hosted blogging platforms. Launched in 2003 and built on the Movable Type family of software, Typepad became a mainstream option for hobbyists and publishers alike. Over time, however, it ceded market dominance to systems such as WordPress and newer hosted platforms, and it stopped accepting new sign-ups several years ago. The company announced a firm shutdown date of September 30, 2025 and told customers that account access, blog management pages and all associated content will no longer be available after that date. Users were urged to export content — typically in the Movable Type export format — and to arrange migration or backups before the window closes.
The practical impact is immediate: many Typepad blogs host years—sometimes decades—of original writing, photos, community comments and links. Without a migration plan, those blogs will be lost to readers and search engines and contribute to the ongoing problem of link rot on the web.

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Background: Typepad in the blogging era​

From early dominance to legacy platform​

Typepad arrived at the same formative moment as several other blog systems and was notable for its hosted convenience and ties to Movable Type. It attracted both independent bloggers and institutional adopters during the 2000s. Over the last decade its footprint steadily shrank as open platforms and modern hosted alternatives gained traction. By the early 2020s Typepad was largely in maintenance mode: it still served long-time customers but stopped new sign-ups and deferred most new feature development.

Who owns Typepad and why this matters​

Typepad has changed hands and been part of larger hosting portfolios in recent years. Ownership and corporate priorities — including decisions made by parent companies that also operate large hosting brands — strongly influence whether a legacy product continues. When a company elects to retire a product, customer-facing notices and migration assistance can vary widely; users should assume company support for long-term continuity is limited once an official shutdown is announced.

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What Typepad users need to know now​

The timeline (what you must act on)​

• The deactivation date is September 30, 2025. After that date, account dashboards, blogs and stored content will become inaccessible.
• Billing and refund handling tied to the shutdown were described in the announcement: billing will cease or be adjusted around late August 2025 and the company indicated it would attempt to issue prorated refunds where applicable. Users should expect to see billing changes in their accounts by the end of August and should verify their payment history.
• The only safe way to keep content is to export it before access is cut off. Treat the deadline as immovable.

Export formats and portability​

• Typepad export tools historically produce data in the Movable Type / Typepad export format (commonly a file named mt-export.txt or similar). That export contains blog entries, comments and metadata in a structured format that many other platforms accept.
• WordPress and similar CMSes provide importers that read Movable Type export files and convert posts, comments and basic metadata into the new system.
• Images and uploaded files are the primary migration snag: depending on account type and how Typepad stores attachments, images may not be included directly in the export file. Paid customers have historically been able to request exports of uploaded files via support. Users must verify whether exported images are included or whether they must separately download media assets.

Note: specific account capabilities vary; verify what your Typepad plan includes and open a support ticket to confirm whether full media exports are possible for your account.

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Step-by-step migration checklist (practical, tactical guidance)​

Below is a prioritized, practical checklist designed to preserve content, protect SEO value and minimize downtime.

• Export immediately
• Sign into your Typepad dashboard and use the Import/Export (or Manage -> Import/Export) function for each blog.
• Download the Movable Type export file(s) and store at least two copies in different locations (local disk + cloud storage).
• Secure uploaded files (images and attachments)
• Check whether images are included in the export. If images are missing, create a support ticket with Typepad requesting a full export of uploaded files, and download everything you can.
• If Typepad cannot provide images, create a local mirror with a crawler (see tools below) to capture images and other static assets.
• Mirror your live site
• Use tools like wget, HTTrack or website download utilities to create a full static mirror of your blog — this is a last-resort backup if the export lacks assets.
• Save the mirror and archive it off-site.
• Prepare a migration target
• Decide on a destination: WordPress (self-hosted or WordPress.com), Ghost, static site generator (Hugo/Jekyll) or another hosted platform.
• If preserving comments and post structure matters, WordPress is the most migration-friendly option because of the Movable Type importer plugin and wide tooling.
• Import and validate
• Use WordPress’s Import -> Movable Type & TypePad importer or other CMS import tools to load the export file.
• Validate post content, dates, authorship, and comments. Spot-check dozens of posts including media-heavy entries.
• Fix media links
• If imported posts reference Typepad-hosted images, either:
• Re-upload images to your new host and update post HTML to point to the new URLs, or
• Set up a temporary proxy or rewrite to serve images from the new location.
• Use search-and-replace tools (WP-CLI search-replace, Better Search Replace plugin) to update large numbers of links.
• Preserve permalinks where possible
• Aim to match post slugs and timestamps. Preserving the same slug helps reduce SEO loss.
• If you must change domains or slugs, prepare a redirect strategy.
• Implement redirects
• If you own the Typepad-hosted domain (rare), configure 301 redirects to your new site.
• If you do not own the domain, set up server-side redirects from any domain you control and use canonical tags to indicate preferred URLs.
• Where full 301 redirects aren’t possible, use the Wayback Machine snapshots, feed updates and outreach to rebuild link equity.
• Update search and subscription channels
• Submit new sitemap(s) to Google Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.
• Update RSS subscribers: point old feeds (if possible) to your new feed, or communicate with readers via email and social channels.
• Communicate with readers
• Publish a final post on Typepad explaining the move with links to your new site and instructions for subscribers.
• Use your social accounts and mailing lists to announce the migration and encourage readers to update bookmarks and subscriptions.
• Archive for posterity
• Upload your local mirror and export files to long-term archival services and your own backups (multiple geographically-separated copies).
• Consider placing important archives on institutional repositories or donating the material to archives if culturally significant.

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Technical migration tips and troubleshooting​

Importing Movable Type exports into WordPress​

• WordPress includes a Movable Type & TypePad importer plugin that handles posts and comments at scale. The plugin preserves post slugs where possible, which helps protect URLs.
• Large exports (thousands of posts) may time out in PHP/HTTP upload workflows. Use WP-CLI or break the export into smaller files if you encounter timeouts.

Media handling and broken images​

• If images are not in the export, you can:
• Use a crawler (wget --mirror or HTTrack) to download every image by crawling the live blog while it’s still online.
• Use the crawler mirror plus a script to re-upload images into WordPress wp-uploads and then update post HTML to point to the new uploads folder.
• When rewriting image URLs, ensure that file names and directories avoid naming collisions and that file timestamps are preserved if they matter to your links.

Preserving comments and authorship​

• Movable Type export files include comment data. Confirm the count of imported comments versus exported ones.
• If entries have multiple author names, map them to WordPress users during the import or post-import through user management.

Dealing with permalinks and SEO​

• Ideally, the new site matches the old permalink format: /YYYY/MM/DD/post-slug or /post-slug depending on how Typepad structured your URLs.
• If you cannot replicate the URL structure, implement 301 redirects from Typepad URLs to the new locations. Where redirects are not possible, implement canonical tags on the new pages referencing the intended canonical URL.
• Rebuild and resubmit sitemaps; watch for crawl errors in search consoles and resolve broken URLs.

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Tools and services to help the migration​

• Export and import:
• Typepad’s built-in Import/Export for Movable Type format
• WordPress Movable Type & TypePad importer (plugin)
• WP-CLI for large site operations
• Media capture and mirroring:
• wget (GNU wget)
• HTTrack
• DownThemAll (browser extension)
• Post-processing and fixes:
• Better Search Replace / Search Replace DB (WordPress plugins)
• UpdraftPlus (backups)
• Static site generators: Hugo, Jekyll (if moving to a static site)
• Professional help:
• Migration services and freelancers experienced with Movable Type/Typepad exports and WordPress imports

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Legal, financial and account considerations​

Billing and refunds​

Typepad indicated billing adjustments around the shutdown window and mentioned prorated refunds to customers who recently paid. These refund practices can vary by payment method and billing period. Users should:

• Check their Typepad account billing history and saved payment methods.
• Expect billing changes around the end of August and follow up through official support channels if charges remain.
• If charges post-shutdown are processed erroneously, contact your payment provider to dispute the charge and open a support ticket with Typepad.

Ownership and copyright​

• Exporting content does not change copyright — you retain ownership of what you authored unless your account terms say otherwise.
• When migrating, ensure any third-party images or licensed media have migration permission or are replaced with licensed equivalents.
• If a blog was managed by an organization, confirm account ownership and export rights before making irreversible changes.

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Options for different user needs​

I want a plug-and-play destination: WordPress (hosted or self-hosted)​

• Best for users wanting to preserve comments, permalinks and a familiar publishing interface.
• Use the Movable Type importer and standard WordPress plugins to manage media, SEO and redirects.

I want simplicity and less maintenance: hosted platforms (Substack, Ghost(Pro) or WordPress.com)​

• These remove much of the sysadmin burden, but may require compromises on permalink structures or comment handling.
• Hosted options are appropriate for authors who prioritize writing and audience engagement over technical customization.

I want long-term archival: static sites and local archives​

• Convert posts to a static format (Hugo, Jekyll) and host on low-cost infrastructure (Netlify, GitHub Pages).
• Create a static mirror as an archival snapshot and store copies in institutional or personal archives.

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The broader impact: link rot, digital preservation and community cost​

Typepad’s shutdown is part of a pattern: as platforms age or change business strategy, content disappears unless proactively preserved. The real cost is cultural: personal histories, community conversations and research disappear when hosted services end without robust export and archive options.
This shutdown amplifies two persistent web problems:

• Link rot — millions of links across the web will now point to dead Typepad pages unless redirects or mirrors are put in place.
• Preservation gaps — not all authors will successfully export or migrate. Older blogs, small personal archives and low-traffic hobbyist sites are particularly vulnerable.

Archivists and communities should treat platform shutdowns as urgent archival events. Export files, static mirrors and deposits to archival services are practical ways to preserve content beyond corporate timelines.

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Risks and caveats​

• Export completeness: Do not assume your Typepad export contains everything. Images and uploaded files may be excluded depending on account type and system behavior at export time. Verify exports and request full asset exports from support.
• Time sensitivity: the September 30, 2025 deadline is firm in the announcement; delays may cause permanent loss.
• Refund and billing specifics: refund promises and prorated credits are subject to the company’s policies and payment processors. Preserve receipts and billing records while making refund claims.
• Technical mismatches: not all metadata, custom layouts, templates or widget behavior will migrate cleanly. Expect to rebuild or redesign pages on the new platform.
• SEO attrition: even carefully executed migrations can produce short-term losses in search rankings. Plan redirects, maintain sitemap continuity and monitor search console errors aggressively.

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How to prioritize if you only have a few days​

• Export everything now. That is the single highest-priority action.
• Download or mirror media assets while the site is still live.
• Export and store the Typepad account billing history and any support correspondence about refunds.
• If you rely on an email list or have active subscribers, notify them of the move immediately and give them the new URL or feed.
• If you cannot manage a full migration in time, create and publish a “final post” that includes a link to your archival export (hosted on your own cloud storage) and instruct readers how to follow you elsewhere.

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Final assessment: strengths, weaknesses and the long view​

Typepad served generations of bloggers well; its strength was political neutrality, ease of use, and a hosted environment that abstracted away server maintenance. As a legacy platform, however, it struggled to compete with flexible, extensible systems and large open-source communities. The shutdown underscores a truth of the modern web: platform convenience can come with fragility.
Strengths of Typepad’s exit process as reported:

• A clear shutdown date gives users a concrete window to act.
• Provided export format (Movable Type) enables migration paths into mainstream platforms.
• Announced billing adjustments to avoid charging users post-shutdown.

Weaknesses and risks:

• Limited detail in the announcement leaves unanswered questions about media export completeness and long-term archival access.
• Short notice increases the chance of data loss for inactive or unprepared users.
• The community impact — broken links, lost comments, and vanished photo archives — will be felt well beyond September 30.

The long view: Typepad’s retirement is a reminder to content creators to maintain independent backups, control their domain when possible, and adopt exportable content formats. For those who value longevity and control, owning a domain and hosting content on a platform with robust export and backup options is the most durable strategy.

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Practical next steps — a minimal checklist to act on today​

• Log in to Typepad and run the Import/Export tool for every blog you control.
• Download the Movable Type export file(s) and copy them to at least two secure locations.
• Crawl and download all images and media assets while the blog is still live.
• Open a support ticket asking Typepad to export uploaded files and confirm refund/proration details for recent charges.
• Pick a migration destination (WordPress recommended for full-featured preservation) and begin a test import.
• Announce the migration to readers with a final Typepad post and links to new destinations.
• Archive a static mirror and consider depositing backups in long-term archival services.

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The Typepad shutdown is inconvenient, avoidable in many cases, and a stark reminder that online content depends on more than author effort — it depends on platform decisions, corporate strategy and timely action. For anyone who values their writing, comments and images, the immediate task is clear: export, mirror, migrate and archive. The work is tedious, but it’s the only reliable way to turn an at-risk hosted blog into a durable piece of the web.

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Source: BetaNews BetaNews - Technology News and Analysis