How to Migrate from ACF and CPT UI to JetEngine

If you’ve built your site using ACF for meta fields and CPT UI for custom post types, switching to JetEngine doesn’t mean losing your data. This guide shows a community-tested way to migrate CPTs, meta fields, and taxonomies while preserving all existing records.

Migrate CPT to JetEngine

Head to WordPress Dashboard > JetEngine > Post Types > Add New and create a CPT using the exact same Post Type Slug as the one previously created in CPT UI.

JetEngine will automatically recognize existing posts once the slug matches.

If you want to migrate posts to the JetEngine CPT with a different slug, follow these steps:

• Install and activate the Post Type Switcher plugin;
• Proceed to the CPT UI post type tab in the WordPress Dashboard and, for each post, click the “Quick Edit” link (by hovering over the post title) and select the corresponding JetEnginePost Type;

• Delete the old CPT UI post type;
• Go to WordPress Dashboard > JetEngine > Post Type, open the required post type for editing, and expand the Advanced Settings section. Enable the Rewrite toggle and, in the Rewrite Slug field, enter the original slug used in CPT UI.

Migrate ACF Meta Fields to JetEngine

Recreate all fields manually by proceeding to WordPress Dashboard > JetEngine > Meta Boxes > Add New.

Enter the Meta Box Title and select the source in the Meta Box for dropdown (“Post,” in this case).

Adjust other settings if needed, including Visibility Conditions, then scroll down to the Meta fields tab, where the required custom fields can be added. 

Enter the exact same meta key values as in the ACF fields, so they match. For the JetEngine meta fields, it’s the Name/ID field.

In ACF, it’s the Field Name.

Once the keys match, existing post data will load automatically — no need to re-enter anything.

After verifying that the data displays correctly, you can remove the ACF fields and field groups associated with this CPT.

Migrate Taxonomies

Go to WordPress Dashboard > JetEngine > Taxonomies > Add New and create a new custom taxonomy with the same Taxonomy Slug as in CPT UI. Do not create terms manually — keep the taxonomy empty.

Terms from the original taxonomy will transfer automatically to the JetEngine taxonomy, including all post assignments.

Then, you can remove the original taxonomy from the CPT UI.

Remove Old Plugins

Once you’ve verified that:

• The CPT posts display correctly in JetEngine;
• The meta field data appears properly on both the front end and back end;
• The taxonomy terms and their assignments are intact.

You can deactivate and delete CPT UI and ACF plugins.

Limitation: Repeater Fields

ACF and JetEngine store “Repeater” data in fundamentally different formats:

	ACF	JetEngine
Row count	Stored as a separate meta field	Not stored separately
Row values	Stored with serial numbers per row	Stored as a combined array
Field key format	repeater_name_0_subfield	repeater_name + subfield

There is currently no direct migration path for repeater fields. You’ll need to either:

• Rebuild repeater data manually after migration;
• Explore community workarounds in Crocoblock Facebook Community or Discord.

FAQ

That’s it. Now you know how to migrate custom post types, meta fields, and taxonomies from ACF and CPT UI to JetEngine without losing data on your WordPress website.