# Migrating a PhpBB2 forum to Discourse
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [August 6, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844 "2015-08-06T20:43:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 6
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Columbo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Columbo)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2015, 8:43pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/1 "2015-08-06T20:43:15Z")
Hi all,
I’m a moderator on [c-plusplus.net](http://www.c-plusplus.net), a site currently employing PhpBB version 2. Switching to a modern software is long overdue, and Discourse is a strong candidate. However, we’re afraid that a migration might be impractical, as the package we’re using is so incredibly outdated.
We are aware that a migration from PhpBB3 is (officially) supported. Is something similar available for the predecessor? Has it been attempted before? Are there known hassles? If someone could share their experiences, that’d be great.
Many thanks in advance!
---
### Author:  [@Mittineague](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Mittineague)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2015, 8:52pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/2 "2015-08-06T20:52:24Z")
As migrating from version 3 is supported, would it not make sense to upgrade from 2 to 3 and then migrate?
---
### Author:  [@gerhard](https://meta.discourse.org/u/gerhard)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2015, 8:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/3 "2015-08-06T20:57:03Z")
There’s no direct migration path from phpBB2.
I suggest that you first upgrade to phpBB3 and then use the phpBB3 importer. That should work fine. I myself have a phpBB3 forum that was upgraded from phpBB2 years ago. The migration to Discourse works fine.
Make sure you keep a copy of your old phpBB2 database in case you need it to fixed some issues after the upgrade.
> [@Migrate a phpBB3 forum to Discourse](https://meta.discourse.org/t/importing-from-phpbb3/30810):
>
> So, you discovered Discourse and want to know how to migrate from your existing phpBB3 forum? Great! Then keep on reading. This guide will show you how to use the [phpBB3 import script](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/main/script/import_scripts/phpbb3.rb) for importing from phpBB 3.0 up to 3.3. What data can be imported? Users Avatars (optional) Anonymous users (either as user “system” or as suspended users) Password hashes, which can be used with the [migratepassword plugin](https://github.com/communiteq/discourse-migratepassword) (optional) User profile data (birth date, website, location, custom fields, etc.) G…
* * *
> [@Columbo](#):
>
> Are there known hassles?
I noticed two problems that were caused by the upgrade from phpBB2 to phpBB3. I’m not sure if they were fixed in later versions of the upgrader or if they still exist. There are solutions for both of them:
- Private Messages can be fixed by [enabling an option in the settings](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/master/script/import_scripts/phpbb3/settings.yml#L42-L46).
- Invalid votes can be fixed with this [SQL script](https://gist.github.com/gschlager/c6ba58bdd2fa2839aebd).
---
### Author:  [@chrisalley](https://meta.discourse.org/u/chrisalley)
#### Post date: [August 6, 2015, 10:02pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/4 "2015-08-06T22:02:53Z")
I’ve successfully migrated a phpBB2 forum to Discourse (through phpBB3). See [this topic](https://meta.discourse.org/t/phpbb3-import-script-improvements/22935) for details of some issues I encountered.
---
### Author:  [@Columbo](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Columbo)
#### Post date: [August 7, 2015, 9:54am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/5 "2015-08-07T09:54:31Z")
Well, those answers are pretty concordant. @chrisalley, I’m glad that someone has converted a similar forum to Discourse before - that’s the kind of PoC I was looking for. @gerhard Thanks for your list as well, I’ll keep it in mind.
Btw., the gap between our software and this one is astonishing… 😉 I can only pray for this to become our new one!
---
### Author:  [@JammyDodger](https://meta.discourse.org/u/JammyDodger)
#### Post date: [June 8, 2024, 12:46pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/migrating-a-phpbb2-forum-to-discourse/31844/6 "2024-06-08T12:46:09Z")
This topic was automatically closed after 3228 days. New replies are no longer allowed.