2.11 Copying and Transferring Maps

• Case 1: Your own account → Copy map
• Case 2: Another account, same server → Copy map
• Case 3: Another server → Import map from server
• Case 4: Save as a file → Export/import JSON
• Case 5: Merge two accounts → Merge
• Case 6: Only columns or boxes → Copy parts
• Case 7: One copy per student → Distribute copy to group

Rule of thumb:
Within one server: copy the map.
Between servers: import via link or JSON.

• www.edumaps.de (main server)
• he.edumaps.de (Hesse)
• nds.edumaps.de (Lower Saxony)
• nrw.edumaps.de (North Rhine-Westphalia)
• www.edumaps.ch (Switzerland)

That is why "Copy map" only works within one server. To move between servers, use Case 3 or Case 4.

• The whole map with all columns, boxes, contents, and the map background is duplicated.
• Your own uploads are not stored twice, the copy links to the same files.
• The copy gets a new map link. Links you have already handed out still point to the original.

Tip: Add a note such as "Backup" or "Copy 2026/2027" to the title of the copy so you can tell the two maps apart later.

1. You are not signed in and are visiting the map as an anonymous user. Sign in and reload the map.
2. The map owner has enabled the option "Disable map copying" in the map settings under Extras. In that case only the owner can copy the map.

The reverse also applies: if you want to prevent others from copying your map, enable exactly this option in your map settings.

1. The current owner opens the map, clicks the blue share button, and copies the map link (read or edit).
2. Sign in with the target account, the account that should own the map from now on.
3. Open the map link in your browser.
4. Click the map menu (three dots) at the top right and choose "Copy map".
5. The map is now stored as your own map in the target account, including all files.

• All files from the original map are copied into the storage of the target account. They stay available even if the previous owner deletes their uploads later.
• If the map is opened with read rights, only the visible columns and boxes are copied. With edit rights, everything is copied, including hidden columns and boxes.
• The previous owner must not have enabled "Disable map copying".
• The original stays with the previous owner and can be deleted afterwards.

There is no direct way to change the map owner. A transfer is always a copy made from the target account.

1. Sign in to the old account and note the links of all maps to be transferred. A folder is handy here: collect the maps in it and share the folder link with the new account.
2. Sign out and sign in again with the new account.
3. Open each map link one after the other and choose "Copy map" each time.

Alternatively, export all maps as JSON files (Case 4) and import them in the new account. Same effort, but it also works across server boundaries.

• When importing between servers, the files are always copied so they are available on the target server. Do not delete the original map or its uploads until the import is complete.
• Exactly what is visible via the link is transferred. Use a link with edit rights if hidden columns and boxes should come along too.
• With many or large files, the import takes a little time.

If the import fails, check the link, whether the map can be opened without signing in, and whether "Disable map copying" is not active.

• Each teacher imports their own maps via map link (see above) or via JSON file (Case 4).
• The school admin first creates the accounts on the new server so that everyone can import while signed in.
• For data protection reasons, no one can transfer other users' maps for them. Every user fetches their own content.

When changing servers, plan a transition period during which the maps on the old server remain accessible.

1. Open the map in edit mode (red pencil icon at the top right).
2. Click the map menu (three dots) and choose "Export".
3. Choose "Edumaps file (json)".
4. The file is downloaded. The file name contains the date and the map title.

• Map settings (title, format, background, tags)
• All columns and boxes with contents, colors, and settings
• Text fields and arrows on sticker walls
• References to uploaded files

The files themselves are not inside the JSON file. They are fetched from the source server during import. So do not delete the uploads of the original map as long as you still want to import the JSON file.

1. Sign in with the account that should receive the map (on any server).
2. In the sidebar, click "Create map" and choose "Import".
3. Choose "Edumaps file (json)" and upload the file.
4. A new map with a new map link is created.

• Import on the same server, your own files: the links stay unchanged, nothing is stored twice.
• Import on the same server, someone else's files: a copy is placed in your storage so the files remain available to you.
• Import on another server: all files are copied so they are available there.

Every import creates a new map. If you import the same file twice, you have two maps.

Uploaded files are only taken over during import if they still exist on the source server at the time of import.

If the new school is on a different server, moving the account is not possible. Then transfer your maps via map link (Case 3) or JSON file (Case 4) into the new account.

1. Open your own map in edit mode.
2. Click the three dots next to the "New column" button and choose "Copy column from map".
3. Navigate to the map that contains the column you want.
4. A red plus icon now appears on every column. Click the column you want to copy.
5. You are automatically taken back to your map. There you will find the copied column with all its boxes.

This function works within one server. From another server, import the whole map (Case 3) and then delete the columns you do not need.

1. Open your own map in edit mode.
2. Click the three dots next to the "New box" button (below the last box in a column) and choose "Copy box from map".
3. Choose where to search: My Maps, Received Maps, or Visited Maps.
4. Navigate to the map you want and click the red icon at the top right of the box.
5. The box appears in your column.

1. Open the box editor, click "Upload", and choose "My Uploads".
2. There you will find an overview of all your uploaded files.
3. Click the file you want in the box content, it is inserted automatically.

Map backgrounds can be reused too. You will find the last 5 map backgrounds you used in the image selection of the map settings.

1. Open your map and click the three menu dots at the top right.
2. Choose "Copy" and then click the tab "Distribute to group" in the dialog.
3. Choose the class or group.
4. Confirm. Every student in the group receives their own copy of the map in their account and a notification.

Difference from "Share with group": there, all students work together on one map. With "Distribute to group", everyone works alone on their own copy.

• Poll results and votes
• Ticks set in checklists
• Comments and student submissions
• Likes and ratings
• Bookings, reservations, and participant lists
• The map's history
• Shared links, column-group links, and group releases

That is usually what you want: the copy for the next class starts clean. If you need the results, save them beforehand, for example participant lists as CSV.

• The copy has a new map link. Distributed links and QR codes still point to the original.
• It is best to double-check passwords and access settings in the copy.
• Embedded columns from other maps remain references and do not become your own content.

• If you want to "transfer" a folder, simply share it with the other account. The other account can save the folder in its own folders.
• If the maps in the folder should really pass into the ownership of the other account, that account copies the maps individually (Case 2) and places them in its own folder.

For many maps, the folder is the easiest handover: the previous owner shares the folder, the new account gradually copies what it really needs.

• Same account: Copy map
• Another account, same server: open the link, copy map
• Another server: Create map → Import → Map from another server
• File for backup or handover: export the map as JSON, import later
• Duplicate account at school: the school admin merges the accounts
• Parts only: copy an external column or box
• One copy per student: distribute the map to a group

Your content belongs to you. With these ways, you can get it anywhere you need it.