How to Import and Export a Password Vault

Know what the formats contain

CSV is widely supported and easy to inspect, but it has no standard password manager schema. Products name columns differently, represent multiple URLs in different ways, and may omit custom fields, notes, passkeys, attachments, or item history. CSV also does not provide encryption by itself.

JSON can preserve richer structure, but each product defines its own shape. “JSON import” does not mean every JSON export is compatible. Authier’s current browser vault imports credential CSV files containing recognizable name, username, password, and URL columns. Its TOTP JSON path expects an Authy-style record shape.

Before exporting

1. Update both password managers and use a device you trust.
2. Close screen-sharing, clipboard managers, and unrelated applications.
3. Create an encrypted temporary folder or encrypted removable drive.
4. Check free space and confirm cloud-sync tools will not upload the folder.
5. Review the destination’s documented formats and current capacity limits.
6. Keep the source vault intact until verification is complete.

Do not email an export to yourself, place it in a shared downloads folder, or leave it in a general cloud drive. Deleting a file after it has synchronized does not guarantee that every provider copy, backup, or version disappears.

Export from the source vault

Prefer the smallest export that preserves what you need. If the source can export credentials and TOTP records separately, handle each file as a distinct secret set. Record the item counts before migration so you have a simple completeness check later.

Inspect column headers and a few rows locally. Confirm that website URLs, usernames, passwords, labels, TOTP issuer names, digit counts, and periods appear as expected. Avoid editing with spreadsheet software that may transform long numbers, timestamps, leading zeros, or special characters.

Test a small import first

Create a copy containing a few low-impact records that cover the shapes you use: a normal credential, a username with unusual characters, a multi-page login, and a TOTP entry. Import those first and verify that the destination reconstructs each field correctly.

Authier normalizes credential URLs to hostnames and skips records that lack a usable URL, username, or password. It also checks for duplicates and reports added and skipped counts. Capacity limits still apply: the free tier accepts 40 credential records and 3 TOTP records unless a capacity pack increases those limits.

Verify before switching

• Compare the source count, imported count, and skipped count.
• Search for several records by label, hostname, and username.
• Log in to low-impact sites and test autofill.
• Generate TOTP codes and compare them with the source during the same time window.
• Review duplicates rather than deleting them automatically.
• Export from the destination once to confirm that future portability exists.

A matching item count is useful but not sufficient. One malformed row can place a password under the wrong username or discard a URL. Test behavior, not only totals.

Complete the migration gradually

Keep the old vault read-only while you use the new one for a reasonable verification period. Disable one extension’s autofill if two managers compete for the same page. For high-impact accounts, rotate the password after the migration and confirm the new record before deleting the old one.

TOTP migrations need special care. Preserve recovery codes before moving the seed. When a service allows it, re-enroll TOTP or replace it with a passkey or security key instead of relying indefinitely on a copied seed.

Clean up plaintext exports

First confirm the destination, backup, and recovery path. Then remove working copies, empty the operating system’s trash, clear recent-file shortcuts where practical, and check whether a backup or sync client captured the file. On flash storage and modern filesystems, secure deletion guarantees are complex; beginning inside an encrypted container is more dependable than trying to overwrite an unencrypted file afterward.

If you retain a backup, encrypt it with a strong independent secret and keep a tested copy in a location that will remain available if your primary device or password-manager account is lost.

Authier import and export summary

• Credential import: CSV with name or title, username, password, and URL-like columns.
• TOTP import: Authy-style JSON records.
• Credential export: CSV.
• TOTP export: CSV.
• Migration assistance: duplicate detection and added/skipped counts.

Import and export behavior can change as the product evolves. Inspect the current open-source implementation and test with non-critical data before depending on a workflow.