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Importing and Exporting

APM supports importing data from external sources and exporting your vault contents in multiple formats. This enables migration from other password managers and secure backup creation.

Supported Formats

Format Import Export Encryption Support Notes
JSON ✅ ✅ ✅ Optional Full-fidelity, all entry types
CSV ✅ ✅ ❌ Password entries only
TXT ✅ ✅ ❌ Human-readable, optional redaction

Exporting

JSON Export

pm export json

Exports all vault entries to a JSON file with the full APM data structure. This is the most complete export format, preserving all entry types and their fields.

With encryption:

pm export json --encrypt

This encrypts the export file with a separate password, producing a protected JSON file that can only be read with the export password.

CSV Export

pm export csv

Exports password entries only in a standard CSV format:

account,username,password
github.com,aarav,s3cr3t_p4ss

Warning

CSV export includes passwords in plaintext. Handle the output file with extreme care and delete it after use.

TXT Export

pm export txt

Exports a human-readable text file covering all entry types with formatted sections.

With password redaction:

pm export txt --no-password

This creates a reference document with sensitive values replaced by ********.

Importing

From JSON

pm import json backup.json

Imports entries from a JSON file matching APM's export format. All entry types are supported.

From encrypted JSON:

pm import json encrypted_backup.json --decrypt

You'll be prompted for the export password.

From CSV

pm import csv passwords.csv

Expects columns for account, username, and password. This is compatible with exports from many other password managers (1Password, Bitwarden, Chrome, etc.).

From TXT

pm import txt vault_export.txt

Parses structured text files. The parser looks for Account:, Username:, and Password: labels.

Import Behavior

When importing:

  • Duplicate detection — APM checks for existing entries with the same account name
  • Space assignment — Imported entries are placed in the currently active space
  • Validation — Entries are validated against any loaded password policies
  • Audit logging — Each import action is recorded in the audit log

Migration from Other Password Managers

From Chrome / Brave / Edge

  1. Export passwords from chrome://settings/passwords (CSV format)
  2. Import: pm import csv chrome_passwords.csv

From 1Password

  1. Export from 1Password (CSV format)
  2. Import: pm import csv 1password_export.csv

From Bitwarden

  1. Export from Bitwarden (JSON or CSV)
  2. Import: pm import json bitwarden_export.json or pm import csv bitwarden_export.csv

From KeePass

  1. Export from KeePass (CSV format)
  2. Import: pm import csv keepass_export.csv

Tip

After importing, delete the export files from other password managers. They contain plaintext credentials.

Next Steps