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Control Panel & Admin

Import and export between environments

Form import and export moves form definitions between environments — not submission data. Use it when staging a new form for production, cloning a client's enquiry form to another project, or backing up structure before a major edit.

Prerequisites

  • Import & Export
  • Access to Formie → Settings → Import/Export on both environments

What export includes

Exporting a form produces a JSON file containing:

  • Form details and settings
  • Pages and fields
  • Email notifications
  • Form template assignment
  • Email template assignment
  • PDF template assignment

It is a structural snapshot — not a dump of submissions.

What export does not include

  • Submissions
  • Integration OAuth tokens (reconnect integrations per environment)
  • Spam settings and captcha secrets (see Project config, environment, and control panel settings)
  • Synced field definitions (only placements in the form — ensure definitions exist on the target environment)

Export workflow

  1. On the source environment, open Formie → Settings → Import/Export
  2. Select the form(s) to export
  3. Download the JSON file
  4. Commit to version control if your team tracks form structure in git (optional)

For multiple forms, export one at a time or automate via console commands if your deployment pipeline supports it.

Import workflow

  1. On the target environment, open Formie → Settings → Import/Export
  2. Upload the JSON file
  3. Review the preview — Formie validates the file format
  4. Choose how to handle handle collisions:
OptionWhen to use
Create new formProduction already has a different form with the same handle; import generates a unique handle (e.g. contactForm1)
Update existing formStaging → production promotion where handles match and you intend a full overwrite

Updating an existing form is a full overwrite of structure — fields, notifications, and template assignments. Submissions remain, but field handles that changed can orphan old submission data. Take a backup or export first.

  1. Complete the import and verify in the form builder

Formie only supports its own export format. Arbitrary JSON will not import.

Environment promotion patterns

Staging → production (same project)

  1. Build and test the form on staging
  2. Export JSON
  3. Import on production with Update existing form if handles match
  4. Re-test notifications, integrations, and captchas on production URLs
  5. Run project-config/sync if the import touched project-scoped resources

Client template → new project

  1. Export the canonical template forms from your starter Craft install
  2. Import on the client site as Create new form
  3. Rename handles to client conventions
  4. Assign form groups and site policies for the client's multi-site setup

Disaster recovery before a big edit

Export the current form JSON before deleting fields or restructuring. Re-import if the edit goes wrong.

Combine with project config

Some Formie resources travel via project config instead of import/export:

ResourceMechanism
Form groupsformie.formGroups in project config
Project stencilsformie.stencils in project config
Submission statusesformie.statuses
Reportsformie.reports

Use import/export for individual form snapshots. Use project config for team-wide defaults and stencils that should version with code.

See Stencils for repeatable form types.

Post-import checklist

  • Field handles unchanged (or migration plan for submission data)
  • Email notifications send from correct domain on target environment
  • Integrations reconnected with production credentials
  • Captcha keys set under Settings → Spam Protection
  • Form enabled on expected sites (form group site policy)
  • Front-end template or headless app points at correct form handle
  • Test submit on production
Last updated: June 27, 2026, 2:14:23 PM
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