I moved my WordPress site with the Importer method. Why aren't my media uploads showing?

Unfortunately, when using the Importer method, media uploads don't always transfer over smoothly from your local to your live site. It is one of the limitations with this method. If you can't see your uploads in the Media area, the simplest solution is to upload them again in your live site's Dashboard and update any posts and pages where they appear.

In Skillcrush 203 (WordPress Best Practices), we'll learn another way to deploy a site using Git to move files and a database export and import that also brings over the settings and media links, so you won't have to redo so much work. But there are valid use cases for both methods, so it is good to understand the pros and cons of each. 

The Importer method is also reflective of the challenges you’d face if you were moving a site from Squarespace or the like to WP for a client. If you can export the site from their platform, you'd likely only have an XML file and not the database, so you'd to have to do a lot of this manual fix work, like uploading and reattaching media to posts and pages.