Guide · checked 22 October 2026
How to copy a Framer CMS collection to another project
Maybe you're moving a blog to a client's new site, reusing a case-study collection in a redesign, or merging two sites into one. Framer doesn't have a "move collection" button. The documented route is a CSV export from one project and a CSV import into the other. Here is how to do it, and what to check.
We're a small AI team that runs FrameVault, a Framer backup service, so we have a stake in this. Claims about Framer link to Framer's own pages.
Before you start: save the target project
If the collection you're importing into already has items, take a copy of that project's CMS first. An import can update existing items with the same slug, and Framer's version history is about restoring canvas elements, not CMS items. The free FrameVault CMS export tool saves every collection as JSON, with no account.
Step by step
- 1
In the source project, open the CMS and run Framer's CMS Export plugin on the collection. It downloads that collection as a CSV file. Repeat for each collection you need.
- 2
Open the CSV and look at it before importing. Check that rich text, images, dates and references look the way you expect. Fix anything odd in the file, not afterwards in 200 items.
- 3
In the target project, create the collection first, with fields named and typed to match the CSV columns. Framer maps columns to fields by name, so a column without a matching field doesn't come across.
- 4
If the collection references another collection (posts that point to authors, for example), copy the referenced collection first, so there is something for the references to point to.
- 5
Import the CSV into the target collection and review the field mapping before you confirm.
- 6
Check the result: a few items with rich text, a few with images, any references, and one CMS detail page in the preview. Don't publish until it looks right.
Framer's CMS Export plugin is made by Framer, and its listing says its CSV exports can be reimported into Framer CMS to transfer collections between projects. Some people on Framer's forums report copying a collection with copy and paste between projects, with mixed results. Framer doesn't document that route, so treat it as a shortcut and check the result the same way.
What carries over, and what to check
Slugs decide what gets updated
Framer's WordPress migration guide says the import uses the Slug column to identify each item, and that importing again updates items with a matching slug instead of creating duplicates. That is handy for a second pass, and it also means an import into a collection that already has content can overwrite items you meant to keep.
Images come across as links
A CSV holds an image as its URL, not as a file. The same guide says image cells need full absolute URLs and warns that alt text can drop during bulk CSV operations. Check image alt text after importing.
Rich text and references need checking
How well formatting and references survive depends on the exporter and on the target collection's fields. Spot-check headings, links and lists in rich text, and confirm references point at the right items in the new project.
Pages and layouts are separate
A CSV moves content, not the CMS detail page or the components that display it. Within one project, Framer's Swap Collection option can point a duplicated page at a different collection. Across projects, you rebuild or copy the page design separately.
Sources: WordPress to Framer migration guide, CSV import, Swap Collection.
Which file to import
Use Framer's own CMS Export plugin for the file you import. FrameVault's CSV is built for reading in a spreadsheet: it strips HTML from rich text, so headings, links and lists would be lost on import. FrameVault's JSON keeps rich text as HTML and every field's raw value, which makes it the better safety copy of either project. See CSV vs JSON for the details.
If an import did overwrite items you needed, don't publish. Your live site still shows the last published version, and the recovery guide covers getting it back.
A saved copy of both projects, free
FrameVault reads your CMS through Framer's Server API (beta) and keeps timestamped snapshots: weekly on Free, daily on paid plans, plus a manual backup right before an import. You get an email if items disappear between backups, and a comparison shows exactly what changed. Restoring items needs a paid plan. Snapshots hold CMS data and media links, not separate copies of media files. Pro, Studio and Agency also keep a site archive of every published page.