Migrating from cloud to self-hosted
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- Can I have API access while I'm on a trial?
- Troubleshooting Common Login Issues
- I'm interested in the Enterprise Plan, how can I talk to a sales representative
- I'm looking to become an n8n Ambassador
- Contact the n8n Events Team' or 'Events Sponsorship and Participation Enquiries
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- I submitted a node
- Accessing the n8n Assistant
- Request for SOC-2 report
- How to delete a workflow
- I'm interested in a product demo. How can I schedule this?
- How to Retrieve Your n8n Level 1 or Level 2 Course Results
- Becoming an n8n template creator and getting help
- Understanding Workflow Publishing and Unpublishing n8n 2.0
- Work Experience and Internship Requests at n8n
- I have a marketing collaboration, sponsorship, or press inquiry
- How do n8n Academy and Community Forum accounts relate?
- Can I add or reset my Gateway credits?
- Do you have an Affiliate program?
- I want to partner or collaborate with n8n
- My n8n Community account was silenced. What should I do?
You can move your workflows from n8n Cloud to a self-hosted instance by exporting and importing them. A workflow export is not a complete instance migration: you’ll also need to recreate credentials and configure your self-hosted environment.
Export workflows from n8n Cloud
For a bulk download, the n8n Cloud instance owner can download workflows from a backup through the n8n Cloud console (Admin Panel in earlier versions):
Open the n8n Cloud console.
Select Export in the sidebar.
On the Data export page, select a backup.
Select Download workflows.
See Download workflows from n8n Cloud.
Check for recent changes: The download contains workflows from the selected backup and may not include your latest edits. To export an individual workflow directly from the editor, open its three-dot menu and select Download.
See Export and import workflows.
Credentials and other data
Workflow exports do not transfer your credential secrets. Recreate the required credentials in your self-hosted instance, then select them in the imported workflow’s nodes. OAuth-based connections may need to be authorized again.
Workflow JSON can still contain credential names and IDs, and some nodes may contain sensitive values such as authentication headers. Review exported files before sharing them.
You’ll also need to configure any other dependencies your workflows use, such as environment settings, variables, community nodes, and external services. Don’t assume workflow exports include execution history or all instance data.
Import workflows into your self-hosted instance
Create or open a workflow in your self-hosted instance.
Open the three-dot menu in the upper-right corner of the workflow editor.
Select Import from File.
Choose the exported workflow JSON file.
Recreate and assign the required credentials, then check the workflow’s settings and dependencies.
Repeat these steps for each workflow you want to transfer.
See Export and import workflows.
Before switching over
Test each imported workflow before publishing it.
Check references to sub-workflows and error workflows.
Update external services that use your Cloud webhook URLs to use the self-hosted URLs.
Verify schedules, timezones, and required integrations.
Coordinate the cutover so Cloud and self-hosted workflows don’t process the same events twice.
Once testing is complete, publish the workflows that require automatic production triggers. See Save and publish workflows.
Other transfer options
For larger transfers, the documentation also describes CLI and API-based options, including n8n packages, which are currently in Preview. These can help move workflows and their related structure, but shouldn’t be treated as a complete Cloud instance migration.
See Export and import workflows for available methods.