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Import and export apps

Learn how to import and export Retool apps.

You can import and export apps to share them across your organization. Importing and exporting is also useful for copying apps between cloud and self-hosted Retool instances and for bulk renaming components or queries in an app.

The export of an app contains its queries, components, and modules. It does not contain any resources. After importing an app, check the queries and their resources are correctly configured. If you intend to import an app into a different Retool organization, you must create those resources separately.

An app can be exported as either a single JSON file or a Toolscript archive of many files.

Import apps​

To import an app from an existing app, in the App actions menu, click Import app from JSON/ZIP. This replaces the current app with the imported app.

To import an app from the homepage, on the Apps tab, click Create new > From JSON/ZIP. This creates a new app.

Export apps​

When you export an app, the JSON file or Toolscript archive for the app downloads to your browser.

To export an app from the App IDE, in the App actions menu, click Export to JSON or Export to Toolscript ZIP.

To export an app from the homepage, on the Apps tab, select the ... menu on the app and click Export to JSON or Export to Toolscript ZIP.

Import legacy single-page apps as pages​

You can import legacy single-page apps as a new app page to eliminate the need for rebuilding an app from scratch. Click + > Import app as page and select the app to import.

Import an existing app as a page.

When you import an existing app as a page:

  • Header and Sidebar frame conflicts must be handled. You can choose to retain the current app's existing frames or override them with the incoming app.
  • All code is page-scoped.
  • Any app settings are ignored.

If you override the Header or Sidebar frames using the imported app, value reference errors may occur. You must verify and update any code or components that rely on values within these frames, such as accounting for globally scoped and page-scoped value changes.

Apps have a global Header and Sidebar frame. If you have a collection of apps that share the same Header or Sidebar frame content using a module (e.g., shared navigation), import each app and create the necessary Header or Sidebar frame content.