Merge Free WP to Hosted WP?

I am not sure about the comments.
But I am sure about you not looking around in your own admin panel – neither at wp.com, nor at your hosted WP.

1. wp.com: admin > Export.
2. your WP: admin > Import.

Some new features in the WP .com world. That export gets comments into a new format.

2.0.4 doesn’t yet know about this new format. However, there’s a plugin that does. https://www.technosailor.com/wordpress-to-wordpress-import/

I actually HAD looked around my admin panels. When I tried to export from my free WP, it seemed to do fine. But when I went into import on my hosted blog, I wasn’t sure where to go since none of the options were for a WP file. I tried importing from each option. No luck. Could easily be user error. ??

HandySolo–I tried that plugin but I’m a little stuck. I got it uploaded to my new hosted blog but, from what I can tell, that is to export, correct? I want the comments & posts exported from my WP.com one into my new one that I’m now hosting. I can’t seem to figure out how to do that with that plugin.

I’m really not a total computer idiot, I just can’t seem to figure this out. ??

Thank you both for your help!

After glancing again at the link I provided, that plugin will do either exp or imp from your non wp.com blog.

I’m not sure where my problem is but I’ve uploaded both files (like I understood from that link) and don’t see an import from WP option under import. When I go through the import options, I still have no luck importing comments & posts from my wp.com blog.

ok, so you’ve done the xport from WP.com blog already right? And you have that saved off as a file somewhere, presumably.

Now, from your new blog, when you go to Import, isn’t there a “WordPress” option? That’s what I’m led to expect from the link above. I’ll confess i’ve not installed the plugin myself though…

(guess I should ask: the plugin IS activated, right?)

Yes, I’ve exported from the wp.com blog and have the file saved. I have the plug-in activated. And I’ve uploaded both files from that link to the directory it specified. But when I go to import on the new blog, I don’t have a WP option for import. I’ve tried deleting those two files and re-uploading them. Still no WP import option.

Ok, I’m in process of installing it to have a look.

Not to be insulting (honest!), but did you catch that one of the files goes in a different directory than wp-content/plugins? From the site:

Upload wordpress.php to wp-admin/import/

Well, the first & second time I tried uploading the plug-in, yes, I did catch that (I had triple-checked each step). The last time I did it, however, I must have put it in the other directory. ?? After your last post, I had to upload it a couple times to get the WP import option to show up but it finally did. I think I got it all the posts & comments uploaded now.

Thank you, Handy, for your help!