Export & Import

You can export a hoard to back up your data, transfer it to another account, or open it in a spreadsheet. You can also import a previously exported hoard to restore or duplicate it.

Why Export?

• Backup your data — keep a local copy for peace of mind
• Transfer between hoards — move items from one hoard to another
• Share with others — send your collection data to someone else to import
• Offline access — keep a local reference of your inventory
• Migrate from another platform — import from a spreadsheet or other collection tool

Exporting a Hoard

1. Go to the hoard page.
2. Click the Settings button.
3. Go to the Export section.
4. Choose your export format (see below).
5. Click the export button.
6. Wait for processing — large hoards may take a few minutes.
7. Download the file when the export is ready.

INFO

Exports are generated asynchronously and expire after 24 hours. You'll receive a notification when your export is ready to download.

Export Formats

JSON (Recommended for re-importing)

A complete export of all hoard data — items, custom fields, tags, acquisition info, and image metadata.

• Best for: Full backups, re-importing to Hoardly, data archival
• Can be re-imported: Yes

CSV (Spreadsheet)

Tabular data you can open in Excel, Google Sheets, or similar.

• Best for: Data analysis, printing lists, sharing with non-Hoardly users
• Can be re-imported: No (one-way export for reference only)

Full Export / ZIP (with Images)

Everything from the JSON export, plus all original item images bundled into a ZIP file.

• Best for: Complete offline backup, migrating away from Hoardly
• Can be re-imported: Yes (JSON portion)

What Gets Exported

Included ✓	Not Included ✗
Item names & descriptions	User permissions (collaborators)
All custom field values	Comments from other users
Tags	Community posts / cross-posts
Acquisition information	View counts or statistics
Item creation dates	Likes or favourites
Custom field definitions	Activity history
Hoard name & description

Importing a Hoard

1. From the Hoards section, click Import Hoard (or Create Hoard → Import from File).
2. Select your JSON export file.
3. Review the import preview.
4. Choose whether to create a new hoard or add to an existing hoard.
5. Click Start Import.

INFO

Large imports may take several minutes to process. You can navigate away and will be notified when the import is complete.

Import Modes

Create New Hoard — creates a brand new hoard with all the data from the export file. The original hoard name and settings are preserved.

Add to Existing Hoard — merges imported items into an existing hoard. Custom fields from the import will be matched to or added to the target hoard's field definitions.

WARNING

CSV exports cannot be re-imported. Only JSON and ZIP (JSON-based) exports can be used for importing.