Export IONOS Website Builder: Full Offline Copy Guide

There is no button that will export an IONOS website builder site. IONOS says that sites built with MyWebsite Now or MyWebsite Creator run only on its own infrastructure. To take one with you, you save the published pages as HTML. You can do that page by page in your browser, with HTTrack on Windows, or as a single ZIP from an online downloader that works on any device. The copy keeps your text, images and layout. It loses contact forms, the shop checkout, blog comments and site search, and some stock images from the IONOS image pool may not be licensed for use outside the builder.

Why can't you export an IONOS website builder site?

IONOS's builders are hosted editors. Your pages are stored in IONOS's own system, and the HTML is generated on IONOS servers when someone visits. There are no theme files or database dump you could hand to another host. The one IONOS help page on this topic says so plainly and suggests two workarounds: save each page with your browser's Save page as, or use HTTrack. It doesn't explain how to do either.

Both workarounds rely on the same idea. The published website is ordinary HTML, CSS, JavaScript and images, and you can save those files. You won't get an editable builder project. You will get a complete, browsable copy of the site that you can archive, host somewhere else or use as the blueprint for a rebuild. Wix, GoDaddy and Hostinger builders work the same way (see our GoDaddy builder checklist).

Before you start: domain, email, shop data and image pool licences

The website is only one part of what you have at IONOS. Sort these out before you cancel anything:

• Domain. If IONOS registered your domain, it is usually a separate contract item. You can keep it at IONOS and point it at a new host, or transfer it to another registrar with the authorisation code from your IONOS account. Check whether the domain belongs to the builder package, so cancelling one doesn't end the other.
• Email. Mailboxes on your domain are often bundled with the package. Before cancelling, export or move the mail with your mail client or the new provider's import tool. Then update the domain's MX records once the new mailboxes are ready.
• Shop data. A downloaded copy shows your product pages as they look. It does not include a usable product catalogue, customer list or order history. Look in the store administration for a product export (usually a CSV file), and save invoices and order records separately. Keep these in case you need them for accounting.
• Image pool photos. Stock images inserted from the builder's image library are licensed for use with that product. Assume the licence does not come with you, and plan to replace those images on the new site. Your own uploaded photos are not affected. If you're unsure about a particular image, read IONOS's terms. If the site matters commercially, ask a lawyer. This article is not legal advice.
• Form submissions and blog comments. If you need them, export or copy them out of the dashboard now. They won't be in the offline copy.

Method 1: "Save page as", page by page

This is the route IONOS mentions first, and for a three-page business card site it's enough:

1. Open your live site in Chrome, Firefox, Edge or Safari.
2. Press Ctrl+S (Windows, Linux, ChromeOS) or Cmd+S (Mac) and choose Webpage, Complete (Safari: Web Archive).
3. Repeat for every page, including pages that are only reachable from a submenu or footer.

It gets tedious quickly. Each page is saved with its own folder of images and styles, so the same files are duplicated over and over. The links between pages still point to the live site, so clicking through the copy sends you back online, or to an error once the IONOS site is gone. Safari's web archive format only opens in Safari. On a tablet, browser saving is very limited. Use this method for one or two pages, not for a site you plan to move.

Method 2: Download the whole IONOS website as a ZIP on any device

An online downloader crawls the published site the way a visitor would. It follows every internal link, collects the images, stylesheets, scripts, fonts and media, and rewrites the links so the pages point to each other offline. With Website Downloader there's nothing to install, so it works on a Mac, Chromebook, iPad or Android tablet as well as on Windows:

1. Open your live IONOS site and copy its address, for example https://www.your-business.com. Use your own domain, not the builder's editor URL.
2. Paste it into the download field on the home page and start the download.
3. Watch the live progress as pages are counted. You can close the tab or turn the computer off, because the crawl runs on the server.
4. Download the finished ZIP, unpack it and open index.html in any browser.

Most IONOS builder sites are small, and the free plan covers up to 100 subpages without an account (the archive is kept for one day, so download it right away). A larger site or a shop with many product pages fits in the one-time Single Site plan (7.99 EUR, up to 5,000 subpages, kept 30 days). Once you have the ZIP, click through the menu and a few deep pages. If something looks unstyled, this troubleshooting guide explains the usual causes. For more on how the archive is structured, see downloading a website as a ZIP.

If your contract has already ended and the site is offline, you can still recover it from the Internet Archive, provided it was captured there. The Wayback Machine downloader rebuilds it as a clean ZIP without the archive.org toolbar.

Method 3: HTTrack on Windows, and its trade-offs

HTTrack is the free desktop mirroring tool IONOS names. The Windows version (WinHTTrack) has a wizard. You create a project, enter your site's address, keep the default Download web site(s) action and let it run. The Linux version is a command-line tool, and using it on a Mac means installing it through a package manager and running it in Terminal.

It does the job, but you have to look after it. The computer must stay on and online for the whole crawl. Default limits on depth and file types can leave out assets that a site loads from a CDN, and if the crawl is too aggressive the server may block it. HTTrack doesn't run on Chromebooks or tablets. If those trade-offs bother you, the comparison in HTTrack alternative online goes into more detail, and the device guides for Mac and Chromebook list every option for those systems.

Does the contact form still work in an offline copy of my IONOS site?

No. A form sends its data to a script on IONOS's servers, and that script isn't part of any download. The same applies to everything else that needs a server to respond. Here is what to expect:

• Works: all page text and layout, navigation menus, your uploaded images and galleries, fonts, embedded video files, downloadable PDFs, and product pages as displays.
• Doesn't work: contact and booking forms, the shop cart and checkout, blog comments, site search, newsletter sign-up, password-protected pages (they aren't downloaded at all), and anything that loads live data.

For an archive, that's usually fine. If you plan to put the copy online again, list every form and shop feature now so you know what you need to rebuild.

Can I move my IONOS MyWebsite to WordPress or another host?

Yes, but you rebuild the site from the copy rather than importing it. There are two realistic routes.

Route A: host the static copy as it is

Upload the unpacked ZIP to any web host through its file manager or FTP, with index.html in the web root, then point your domain there. This is the fastest way to keep a brochure site online. Replace the pieces that need a server: link to a hosted form service or use a plain email link in place of the contact form, swap out image-pool photos, and remove any shop buttons that lead nowhere. Content changes then mean editing HTML, which suits sites that rarely change.

Route B: rebuild in WordPress or another builder

Use the copy as your source material. Every text, image and page structure is in the ZIP, so you don't depend on the IONOS dashboard while you rebuild. Recreate the pages in the new system and keep the same URLs where you can. If URLs do change, set up 301 redirects from the old paths so search engines and bookmarks find the new pages. Import shop products from the catalogue export, not from the HTML. Switch the domain's DNS only after the new site has been checked.

Whichever route you choose, keep the ZIP as a dated archive. It records what the site looked like on the day you left, which helps if questions ever come up about what was published.

FAQ: cancelling IONOS, keeping your site, products and images

Will my IONOS website be deleted when I cancel the contract?

Once the builder contract ends, the site goes offline and you lose access to the editor and its content. Download a full copy before the end date, ideally on the day you give notice, while everything is still live. If it's already gone, a Wayback Machine restore may recover it, provided the site was captured.

Can I take the IONOS image pool stock photos with me?

Assume you can't. Those images are licensed for use within the IONOS product, and the licence doesn't move with your files. Replace them with your own photos or with images you license yourself. Your own uploads are yours to keep.

How do I export my IONOS online store's products and orders?

Use the export functions in the store administration for the product catalogue (typically a CSV file), and save order records and invoices separately. A website download captures product pages for reference, not data that a new shop system can import.

Can I download my IONOS site on a Mac, Chromebook or tablet without HTTrack?

Yes. An online downloader runs in the browser, so it works on any device and you don't install anything. Paste your site's address on the home page, then download the ZIP when it's ready. The FAQ covers limits such as login-protected pages.

What happens to my domain and email when I leave the IONOS website builder?

That depends on how your contract is set up. Domains and mailboxes are often separate items that you can keep at IONOS or transfer away with the authorisation code. Move your email before cancelling anything, and change the DNS only once the new site and mailboxes are working.