Templates
Import and export a website
Move a website between workspaces as a file, and validate one before importing.
- 3 minute read
- 3 interactive walkthroughs
- For people moving sites between workspaces or accounts
The website file#
A website can be downloaded as a single file: all the pages, sections, theme and wording, saved as ordinary JSON. It is the same format in both directions, so an export from one workspace is an import into another, which is how a site moves between accounts without retyping anything.
Pictures keep their media folders in the file, nested folders included, and importing recreates them. The file does not include messages, domains, or licence and billing details, and it never includes anyone's password. Files can be large, up to 67 MB, which is several thousand pages of ordinary content.
- Home
- Websites
- Licences
- Templates
- Media
- Cube apps
- Settings
Import a website file
Choose a CubeSites website file to preview what it contains before importing.
your-company.cubesites-site.jsonUnderstanding the file formatandOpen website overview
Download website file in website Settings makes a file like this from any site.
Step 1 of 3
One file, the whole site
Pages, sections, theme and wording as ordinary JSON: the same format in both directions.
Reduced motion is on, so the walkthrough waits for you. Use the arrows or pick a step.
Good to know: The format is open and documented. The developer pages carry the full JSON guide and schema for anyone building a site by generation rather than by hand.
Downloading a website file#
Download website file sits in the website Settings, under Export. One click produces the file for the site as it stands, drafts included: the file holds the working copy rather than the last published version.
Keep downloads somewhere that matches the file's content. It is a copy of a real website, not a trade secret, but it is nobody else's either.
- Home
- Websites
- Licences
- Templates
- Media
- Cube apps
- Settings
Import a website file
Choose a CubeSites website file to preview what it contains before importing.
your-company.cubesites-site.jsonUnderstanding the file formatandOpen website overview
Download website file in website Settings makes a file like this from any site.
Step 1 of 2
Download website file
In website Settings, under Export: the draft as it stands, not the last published version. Messages, domains and plan details stay behind.
Reduced motion is on, so the walkthrough waits for you. Use the arrows or pick a step.
Good to know: Export before a big change is a cheap insurance policy, next to version history which covers publishing.
Importing a website file#
Import website on the Websites page opens the import dialog: choose the file, and CubeSites shows what it contains before anything is created. Pages, images and a blog are counted, the file is checked, and importing stays disabled until it is understood.
If the file needs changes, Validate a JSON file in the site Settings reports the exact fields that need attention, with the path of each problem.
- Home
- Websites
- Licences
- Templates
- Media
- Cube apps
- Settings
Import a website file
Choose a CubeSites website file to preview what it contains before importing.
your-company.cubesites-site.jsonUnderstanding the file formatandOpen website overview
Download website file in website Settings makes a file like this from any site.
Step 1 of 3
Import website
From the Websites page, beside New website, because that is what it makes: a new website.
Reduced motion is on, so the walkthrough waits for you. Use the arrows or pick a step.
Before you continue: An import creates a new website in the workspace. It never overwrites an existing site, which is deliberate: imports cannot lose current work.
Common questions
Can I use the file to build a site somewhere else entirely?
The JSON is documented and readable, so yes, to the extent that anything can consume it. Only CubeSites renders it natively.
Does importing a file use a licence?
Yes. It creates a website like any other, so it takes a spare licence. Then build and preview normally, and publish when it is ready.
Related guides
Something here out of date, or a step that did not match what you see? Tell us and we will correct the guide. Never send a password or an API token.