--- title: "Exporting and Importing Layout Versions" slug: "exporting-and-importing-layout-versions" updated: 2026-05-06T11:15:22Z published: 2026-05-06T19:13:29Z canonical: "help.hyperscience.ai/exporting-and-importing-layout-versions" --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://help.hyperscience.ai/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Exporting and Importing Layout Versions Each layout can have multiple *versions*, which are iterations of the same layout. In each iteration, the system may be told to extract information from slightly different locations, or there may be different specifications for the kinds of characters to expect from each field. Files for existing layout versions can be exported, or downloaded, from a Hyperscience instance. You can then upload them to another system, allowing both layout images and field definitions to be quickly transported. Note that exporting and importing happens at the layout-version level. You cannot export or import individual layout variations. > [!NOTE] > **No backward compatibility** > > Layouts are not backward compatible with older versions of Hyperscience. For example, you can import a layout from v41 to v42, but you cannot do the same from v42 to v41. ## Exporting layout versions Layouts can be downloaded from the Layout Library so they can be moved to another instance. ### Export the latest version of a layout You can export the latest version of a layout from the Layout Library or from that layout’s details page. #### From the Layout Library 1. Go to **Library** > **Layouts**. 2. Click the **Download Latest Version** icon (![DownloadLatestVersion.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808457359629.png)) for the layout you would like to download. 3. Click the **Notifications** button ( ![BellWithNotifications.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808448579213.png)), find the entry for your layout, and click its **Download** link. #### From the layout details page 1. Go to **Library** > **Layouts**, and click on the name of the layout you want to export. 2. Click the menu next to the layout’s name ( ![ThreeDotsMenu.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808448579725.png) ), and then click **Download last committed version**. 3. Click the **Notifications** button ( ![BellWithNotifications.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808448579213.png)), find the entry for your layout, and click its **Download** link. ### Export the latest layout version of multiple layouts 1. Go to **Library** > **Layouts**, and select the checkboxes for the layouts you would like to export. 2. Click **Actions**, and then click **Download**. 3. Click the **Notifications** button ( ![BellWithNotifications.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808448579213.png)), find the entry for your layouts, and click its **Download** link. ### Export a specific version of a layout 1. Go to **Library** > **Layouts**, and click on the name of the layout you want to export. 2. Click **Version History**, and find the version you would like to export. 3. Click on the menu on the right side of its row in the table (![ThreeDotsInVersionRow.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808457360781.png)), and click **Download**. 4. Click the **Notifications** button ( ![BellWithNotifications.png](https://cdn.us.document360.io/87894cef-4958-4f3f-be6f-b75a78c82548/Images/Documentation/24808448579213.png)), find the entry for your layout, and click its **Download** link. ### File format and content - The export will be a ZIP file containing a JSON file for each layout version. The JSON file will provide information on the layout variations and any field customizations that are included in the version. - Even if you are exporting only one layout version, the exported file will still be a ZIP file. - Task restrictions are not included in the exported file. - The name of the file will be in the format *layout_group_versions_YYYYMMDD_HHMM.zip*, where *YYYYMMDD* and *HHMM* are the date and time of the export in GMT. ## Import existing layouts You can import a single layout or multiple layouts at time by following the steps below. 1. Go to **Library** > **Releases**, and click **Add Release**. 2. Click **Upload Existing**. 3. Do one of the following: - Drag and drop the ZIP file into the box provided. - Click **Choose File** to find the file on your machine and upload it. 4. Select an option under **How To Handle Duplicate Custom Data Types?** - the option is only applicable to data types with a list of expected values To learn more about these data types, see [Creating Data Types with a List of Expected Values](/v43/docs/creating-data-types-with-a-list-of-expected-values). - **Skip if duplicate custom data type exists** - selecting this option ensures that the existing custom data type’s list of values **will not** be overwritten with the JSON from the imported file. - **Update with data from the JSON** - selecting this option ensures that the existing custom data type’s list of values **will be** overwritten with the JSON from the imported file. 5. Click **Upload**. It may take a few minutes for the system to process your layout or layouts. You will receive a notification when the processing is finished. ### Importing layout versions If you’re importing a version of an existing layout, and that version does not already exist: - the imported version will become the most recent committed version of the layout. - The current working version of the layout will be overwritten with the contents of the imported version. - If you want to save the changes you’ve made to the working version, be sure to commit your changes before importing a version of the layout. If you need to access those changes later on, you can restore the version that contains those changes. If the imported version already exists, the import of that version will be skipped. Task restrictions cannot be imported through the layout import feature. If you wish to associate your layout with task restrictions, you have to create them through the UI. ### Submission deadlines for imported layouts If you import layouts to a different instance of Hyperscience, and those layouts already exist in that instance, any existing deadlines specific to those layouts or their variations will remain in effect. If the layouts being imported don’t exist in the destination instance, the layouts and their deadlines will be imported. For more information about layout- or layout-variation-specific deadlines for submissions, see [Prioritizing Submissions](/v43/docs/prioritizing-submissions).