RWMover

Give your RapidWeaver project a new home

RWMover helps you bring an existing RapidWeaver Classic 8 or 9 project into the standalone Stacks 6 app. Instead of rebuilding every page by hand, start with an editable Stacks project and review the result in Stacks.

Choose a .rw8 or .rwc project, start the transfer and follow its progress page by page. RWMover creates a new .stacks project next to your original. Your RapidWeaver project stays unchanged.

What RWMover can transfer

• Pages and navigation structure: pages, subpages, their order and supported page settings, including titles, folders and filenames.
• Stack content: readable text, images, nested stacks and supported stack settings. Available project images are embedded in the new project.
• Foundation 6: additional support for its theme settings, colours, swatches and theme images.
• Partials: nested partials are resolved into regular, independently editable stacks by default. You can create new partials in Stacks afterwards.
• Code and metadata: supported RapidWeaver code fields and page metadata are transferred where the available Stacks features allow it.

A clear workflow

1. Install Stacks 6 and the stacks and frameworks your project uses.
2. Drop your RapidWeaver project into RWMover or choose it from the Finder.
3. Start the transfer. Stacks opens automatically; page-by-page progress shows what is happening. You can request cancellation while it runs.
4. Open the new project in Stacks, review the transfer notes and test your pages before publishing.

Partials: a choice for your project

The default is regular stacks without shared partials. This makes each use independently editable and avoids relying on shared partial behaviour for complex layouts. The optional “Use partials (Beta)” mode can reuse shared definitions. Uses with individual content may need separate partials, so their later edits will not automatically apply to every use.

What needs your attention

• Other frameworks and themes: their stack content can be transferred, but their RapidWeaver theme settings are not converted. An identical appearance is not guaranteed.
• Non-Stacks pages: content from RapidWeaver HTML pages and other page plugins is not converted as stack content. These pages may need to be rebuilt.
• Missing stacks: their saved project data is retained where possible. The actual stacks are not included or installed by RWMover; install compatible versions to edit and preview them.
• SEO Helper is optional: some metadata and separate browser and page-list titles may require it. RWMover uses supported native settings when it is unavailable and reports limitations. Review titles and metadata.
• Custom code: HTML, CSS, JavaScript and PHP snippets can depend on their insertion position, page extension and other resources. Check their behaviour after transfer.
• CMS and hosting: RWMover does not migrate your live CMS database, server configuration or publishing credentials. External files, forms, CMS features and third-party scripts may need manual setup.

Stacks 6 is still in beta

Stacks 6 is under active development. Its project format, automation interface and compatibility with individual stacks can change between beta releases. Preview or PHP warnings can also come from Stacks or an installed stack. RWMover cannot repair third-party stacks or guarantee compatibility with future beta versions.

Treat the converted project as a starting point to review, not an automatically publication-ready copy. A perfect or complete conversion is not guaranteed. Keep your own backup, read the notes and check layouts, links, forms, code and CMS functions before going live. RWMover does not publish your website.

Requirements and download

For macOS 14 Sonoma or later, on Intel and Apple Silicon Macs. Requires the standalone Stacks 6 app (beta 66) with its automation interface available, plus the stacks and frameworks used by your project. Grant macOS accessibility access if RWMover requests it.

RWMover is free, with no subscription or license key. The app and release notes are available in English and German.