# Export and import vault secrets

Since vault secrets are only available locally, they aren't preserved when you sign out of Postman, switch between the Postman desktop and web apps, or switch to a different machine. [Export your vault secrets](#export-vault-secrets) from your Postman Vault to preserve them in a JSON file for later, either in encrypted or plaintext format. Then [import your vault secrets](#import-vault-secrets) back in to your Postman Vault after you've signed in or switched to a different Postman app or machine.

As an Admin on a Professional or Enterprise plan, you can [manage whether your teammates can export vault secrets](/docs/administration/managing-your-team/manage-team-workspaces/#manage-exporting-vault-secrets).

## Export vault secrets

1. Open your Postman Vault.

2. Click <img alt="Options icon" src="https://assets.postman.com/postman-docs/aether-icons/action-options-stroke.svg#icon" width="16px" /> **View more actions** in the upper right of your Postman Vault, then select **Export**.

3. Choose how you'd like to download your vault secrets:

   * **Encrypted** (recommended) - Download your vault secrets in encrypted format. Set a password with a minimum of 12 alphanumeric characters. Postman requires the password when importing the JSON file into Postman.
   * **Unencrypted** - Download your vault secrets in plaintext format.

   <img src="https://assets.postman.com/postman-docs/v11/export-vault-secrets-v11.jpg" alt="Export vault secrets" />

   <Info>
     If you're on a Professional or Enterprise plan, an Admin may have [restricted options for exporting your vault secrets](#manage-exporting-vault-secrets).
   </Info>

4. Click **Export** to download your vault secrets as a JSON file.

## Import vault secrets

You can import vault secrets into your Postman Vault using the JSON file you downloaded when [exporting your vault secrets](#export-vault-secrets).

To import vault secrets into your Postman Vault, do the following:

1. Open your Postman Vault.

2. Optionally, you can clear all of the vault secrets from your Postman Vault. Click <img alt="Options icon" src="https://assets.postman.com/postman-docs/aether-icons/action-options-stroke.svg#icon" width="16px" /> **View more actions** in the upper right of your Postman Vault, select **Clear**, and click **Clear** to confirm.

3. Click **Import** in the sidebar.

4. Select or drag a file or folder, enter a link to a specification file, paste raw text, or import from a remote repository.

   <Info class="iconless-callout">
     Vault secrets created with a [Postman Vault integration](/docs/sending-requests/postman-vault/postman-vault-integrations/) are only supported in the Postman desktop app. After importing your vault secrets, you'll need to [reauthenticate with your external vault](/docs/sending-requests/postman-vault/manage-postman-vault-integrations/#reauthenticate-with-an-external-vault) from the desktop app.
   </Info>

5. If you're importing vault secrets from an encrypted JSON file, enter your password.

6. Click **Import**.

7. Postman notifies you if you're importing duplicate vault secrets. You can take the following actions:

   * Select the checkbox next to **Apply to all *number of vault secrets* conflicts** to apply the same decision (replace or keep) to multiple vault secrets you're importing.
   * Click **Replace** to delete the existing vault secret with the same name and replace it with the new vault secret.
   * Click **Keep** to keep the new and existing vault secrets with the same name. In your Postman Vault, the existing vault secret has a warning icon <img alt="Warning icon" src="https://assets.postman.com/postman-docs/aether-icons/state-warning-stroke.svg#icon" width="16px" /> next to its name, indicating that it's being overwritten by the new vault secret.