How to move an iWeb website created on macbook to another computer

Hello


I am looking to upgrade my hardware - currently a macbook bought at the end of 2007 still running OS X


I created several websites on this macbook using iWeb and before I dispose of the macbook I need to work out how to 'move' these websites to another computer (probably my iMac)


I thought it would be easy to save the websites to a USB and import it to the iMac. However iWeb does not seem to work like this - the websites created seem to be 'embedded' in iWeb with no possibility of saving it as an individual file.


Further, if these websites can be 'extracted' from iWeb, will I be able to maintain/update them on any other software, or am I stuck with iWeb? And does it have to run on a Mac, or can it be made to work on a PC as well?


many thanks for any assistance you can offer me.


RRG

MacBook, Mac OS X (10.6.8)

Posted on Jun 9, 2014 8:20 AM

Reply
7 replies

Jun 9, 2014 9:04 AM in response to v8vitesse

No, iWeb will not run on a PC - it is a Mac only product.


It is very easy to move all the websites to another computer - all you need to do is move your domain.sites file for your websites. Domain.sites files are the iWeb data files and can be found under your User Library/Application Support/iWeb/domain.sites. Copy and move all these files on a USB stick and you can place them in the same place on your iMac.


Depending on what you have on your iMac - whether it be Lion, Mountain Lion or Mavericks, the User Library is not visible, so to make it visible all you need to do is go to Go menu in finder and then press the 'alt' key and your User Library will then be visible. Place your domain.sites files there.


Unfortunately, under Lion, Mountain Lion and Mavericks, you cannot open individual domain.sites files so you need to download an app named Domain Cracker or iWeb Switch. This allows you to open individual domain files.


The only thing that you then need is a copy of iWeb on your iMac and as long as you have this you are okay.

Jun 9, 2014 9:08 AM in response to v8vitesse

There's only one file that needs to be moved (in addition to the iWeb application in case the other Mac doesn't have iWeb) and that's called Domain.sites (iWeb 2) or Domain.sites2 (iWeb 3).


This file resides in your Home/Library/Application Support/iWeb folder. Copy it to the same location on your new Mac.


NOTE: In Lion and Mountain Lion the Home/Library folder is now invisible. To make it permanently visible enter the following in the Terminal application window: chflags nohidden ~/Library and press the Return key - 10.7: Un-hide the User Library folder.


For Mavericks, 10.9, go to your Home folder and use the View ➙ Show View Options menu to bring the this window:

User uploaded file

Food for thought:


Since iWeb has been discontinued for 2 year now, this might be a good time to switch over to an application that is actively supported and is full featured as iWeb is not.


To get an idea of the potential replacements for iWeb do a search in this forum for "iWeb replacement" or "iWeb alternative". You'll find many topics discussing them.


One app that many have gravitated to is EverWeb which is very, very similar to iWeb in it's graphical user interface and drag and drop capability. However, it is a modern, up to date application with so many more feature that iWeb only wished it had. There's a demo which you can try to see if it might be worth while switching to. Most of the other candidates also have demos for you to try.


OT

Jun 10, 2014 12:19 AM in response to v8vitesse

No, EverWeb like iWeb is a Mac only programme and will not work on a PC and as Old Toad has already said, you'll have to start from scratch with re-building your sites as EverWeb cannot import anything as iWeb cannot.


If you want something that will work on a PC then you'll have to do a search and there are lots of PC only web design programmes out there, but I can't comment on what they are like. There is something called Expression Web that is PC only that took over from FronPage, but if you want something that will work for both Mac and PC, then you'll have to go for something that can be accessed online such as http://www.wix.com where you build and publish the site online or http://wordpress.com where you can do the same or if you have hosting already, use the Content Management Systems, such as Joomla, Drupal or WordPress.org instead.

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How to move an iWeb website created on macbook to another computer

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