How can you access the content of a Webflow CMS website without rebuilding everything if the customer no longer wants to use the site as a CMS?

If your customer wants to stop using Webflow’s CMS but still needs access to the site’s content, you can export it in a way that retains structure and usability. Here’s how:

1. Export CMS Collections as CSV

• Go to Webflow’s CMS panel by clicking the Collection you want to export.
• Click the Export button (top-right corner).
• Webflow will generate and download a CSV file containing collection content.

2. Export the Static Site Code

• Click Site Settings in Webflow’s Designer or Dashboard.
• Go to the Export Code section (located in the top-right corner).
• Click Export to download a ZIP file that contains:
• HTML files (static versions of pages)
• CSS, JavaScript, and images
• This gives you a fully static version of the site that can be hosted elsewhere.

3. Manually Copy CMS Content to Static Pages (If Needed)

• Since Webflow’s exported code does not include CMS-driven content, you’ll need to manually add the exported CSV content to static pages if you want to keep it visible.
• Options include:
• Rebuilding CMS content as static pages in Webflow before exporting.
• Using another tool (like a WordPress importer or a custom-built static site generator) to process and display the CMS data.

4. Set Up Hosting on an External Server (If Needed)

• If moving away from Webflow completely, host the exported HTML files using:
• Netlify for quick, free static hosting.
• GitHub Pages, Vercel, or AWS S3 for more flexibility.

Summary

To retain a Webflow CMS site's content without using the CMS, export CMS Collections as CSV, export the site’s static HTML, and manually integrate dynamic CMS content into static pages. You can then host the static files elsewhere if needed.