Migrating Sites to different Site Collections

There are three methods to exporting/backing up a site.

1. Saving Site as Site Template
• ​Click on site actions / site settings
• Save Site as Site template
• ​Click Include Site Content
• Browse to Site Gallery
• Save .tmp file
• New Site Collection
• Browse to New Site Gallery
• Upload Site Template
• Create New Site
• Use Custom Site Templates
  
  
2. Using SharePoint Designer
• Open Site in SPD
• Click Site > Administration > Back Up Site
• Click Include Site Archives
• New Site Collection
• Create New Blank site
• Open new Site in SPD
• Click Site > Administration > Restore Site
• Select the backedup site (.cmp)
• Click Restore
  
  
3. ​​Using STSADM CMD
• On the SharePoint Server, Open CMD as Administrator
• Browse to ​C:\Program Files\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\Web Server Extensions\12\Bin
• Backup: STSADM -o export -url http://spsite:80/Site -filename c:\export\Site -includeusersecurity
• Create new blank site
• STSADM -o createweb -url http://newspsite:70/Site1
• Restore: STSADM -o import -url http://newspsite:70/Site -filename c:\export\Site.cmp -includeusersecurity

​All Three Methods should successfully move/migrate your SharePoint Site.

**TIP**

If your new site uses a different Master Page, you may receive the error FILE NOT FOUND.  if so, do these following steps to fix the error

• FILE NOT FOUND
• Click on the new site that is erroring
• Browse to the settings
• /_layouts/settings.aspx
• Click on Master Page
• Click off inherit Master Page and select the current Master Page
• Reset all Sites to Current Master Page.
• Click Okay
• ​Now the site should be back up.
• ​​Afterwards you can go back and switch the Master Page to inherit.

Hopes this helps someone in the future.
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