Import & Export

Form import and export moves a form’s structure and settings. It does not include submission data.

Use it when you need to move a form between environments, reuse it on another project, or keep a portable copy of the form setup. You can manage both from Formie → Settings → Import/Export.

Exporting a Form

When you export a form, Formie downloads a JSON file containing the pieces that make up the form itself, including:

• form details
• form settings
• pages and fields, including synced field settings and relationships
• email notifications
• form template
• email template
• PDF template

This is a structural export of the form, not a dump of what people have submitted through it.

Importing a Form

To import a form, upload a JSON file that was previously exported from Formie. Formie will review that file first, then step you through how it should be applied.

Formie only supports its own export format here. An arbitrary JSON file will not import correctly.

If Formie finds an existing form with the same handle, you can either:

• create a new form
• update the existing form

Creating a new form will generate a separate form with a unique handle that you can change later. Updating an existing form is a full overwrite of that form’s structure, including its fields, notifications, and template assignments, so it should be used carefully.

Importing Synced Fields

Formie keeps synced fields linked when you import a form, so they carry across environments. It creates any missing synced fields and reuses them when you import other forms containing those fields. You can import those forms separately, in either order.

Formie matches synced fields by their unique identifier (UID) in the export. A field with the same label or handle is not automatically considered the same field. Each imported form uses the same synced field settings, while Required can be set separately wherever the field appears.

The review step notes each synced field in the list of fields: whether it will be created, is already on this site, or has different settings. You only need to make a choice when the settings differ. Formie lists the forms using that field, and you choose how to handle it:

If you don’t want a field to be synced on the destination, detach it in the form builder before exporting.

Importing a synced field requires permission to manage every form using it, including uses inside nested fields. If the matching field has a different type, change or detach it in the form builder, then export the form again. Formie shows these problems in red and doesn’t allow the import until they’re resolved. If a synced field changes after you preview an update, Formie asks you to review it again before applying the change.

Updating Previously Imported Forms

Use Update existing form for subsequent deployments. Matching fields keep their identities and existing submission values. The review step lists any fields and notifications the update will remove.

If a field was previously imported without its relationship, updating the form links it to the imported synced field and keeps its existing submission values. Formie matches fields within the updated form by reference or handle path, and lists them in the review step before you import.

An existing parent field, such as a Group or Name field, can’t be linked this way: replacing its nested field identities could make existing answers unreadable. Create a new form instead. Shared parent fields that already have the matching identity can be reused and updated.

Exports without synced field UIDs cannot reconstruct relationships. Export the source forms again when those identities are available.