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Export and Import Content Data

⏱ 15 minutes intermediate

Why export and import content

Section titled “Why export and import content”

Moving content between environments is essential for development workflows. You might need to transfer sample content from production to a staging environment for testing, migrate content during a platform upgrade, or move a microsite from one CMS instance to another. The export/import tools give you a structured way to package content and transfer it safely.

Export content

Section titled “Export content”

The CMS exports content as data packages that contain pages, blocks, media, and their relationships.

Export a content tree

Section titled “Export a content tree”
  1. Open the Admin section.
  2. Navigate to Export Data or Tools > Export.
  3. Select the root page of the content you want to export. All child pages under this root are included.
  4. Choose export options:
    • Include referenced content — Includes blocks and media referenced by the exported pages.
    • Include content types — Includes content type definitions so the target environment can create matching types.
  5. Click Export.
  6. Save the exported file to your local machine.
  7. Verify the file size is reasonable. Very large exports may indicate you selected too broad a content tree.

Selective export

Section titled “Selective export”

You can export specific items instead of an entire tree.

  1. In the export dialog, switch to Select Items mode.
  2. Browse or search for individual pages, blocks, or media items.
  3. Check each item you want to include.
  4. Choose whether to include dependencies (referenced blocks, media).
  5. Click Export.

Export multilingual content

Section titled “Export multilingual content”

When your site uses multiple languages, the export includes all language versions of each content item by default.

  1. Follow the standard export steps.
  2. Verify the export options include All Languages or select specific languages to export.
  3. Language branches are bundled together per content item in the export file.

If you need only one language, some CMS versions let you filter the export to a single language branch. Check the export dialog for language selection options.

Import content

Section titled “Import content”

Importing brings exported content into a target environment.

  1. Open the Admin section on the target environment.
  2. Navigate to Import Data or Tools > Import.
  3. Click Browse and select the export file.
  4. Review the import summary, which shows the number of items and content types included.
  5. Choose how to handle the import root. You can import under a specific page in the content tree or let the importer place content at its original location.
  6. Click Import.
  7. Wait for the import to complete. Large imports may take several minutes.
  8. Verify the imported content appears in the content tree at the expected location.

Handle import conflicts

Section titled “Handle import conflicts”

Conflicts occur when the target environment already contains content with the same identifiers or when content types differ.

Conflict typeCauseResolution option
Duplicate content IDContent with the same GUID exists in the targetChoose to overwrite, skip, or create as new
Missing content typeThe target lacks a content type from the exportImport content type definitions first, or add them via code
Property mismatchA property exists in the export but not in the target content typeThe property value is skipped during import
Missing referenced contentA referenced block or media item does not exist in the targetImport dependencies first, or accept broken references

Resolve conflicts during import

Section titled “Resolve conflicts during import”
  1. After uploading the file, the import dialog lists detected conflicts.
  2. For each conflict, select a resolution: Overwrite, Skip, or Create New.
  3. Overwrite replaces existing content with the imported version. Use this when you want the import to take precedence.
  4. Skip leaves existing content unchanged. Use this when the target version is more current.
  5. Create New imports the item with a new identity. Use this when you need both versions.
  6. Click Continue after resolving all conflicts.

Best practices

Section titled “Best practices”
  • Export from production, import to staging. This direction is safest because production has the authoritative content.
  • Test imports on staging first. Never import directly to production without verifying on a test environment.
  • Include content type definitions when moving between environments that may have different code deployments.
  • Document what you export. Note the root page, date, and purpose of each export for audit purposes.
  • Clean up after imports. Check for broken references and missing media after every import.