How to Use STSADM to Import/Export a SharePoint Subsite

The STSADM tool allows you to import and export SharePoint sites by specifying STSADM -0 Import and STSADM -o Export. The Import/Export options are ideal for backing up and restoring subwebs. To backup and restore entire site collections use STSADM -o Backup and STSADM -o Restore options.

Let’s say you want to backup a Demo subsite at http://www.server1.com/demos and restore it to a different site at http://www.server2.net/demos. You can use the following method to export the demo site and then restore it to the intended destination. If you want to preserve permissions use the -includeusersecurity switch.