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Import & Export

Back up, share, and migrate your tunnel configurations as a JSON file.

Quick Reference

Export Tunnels

  1. Choose File → Export Tunnels… (Shift+Cmd+E).
  2. Choose All Tunnels or Selected Tunnel, and set the content options.
  3. Click Export, then choose where to save the file.

Import Tunnels

  1. Choose File → Import Tunnels… (Shift+Cmd+I).
  2. Select the JSON file.
  3. Enter the password if the file is encrypted, and resolve any conflicts.

Exporting

The default file name is tunnels-export.json. Passwords are never exported.

Export Options

Option Description Default
Tunnels All Tunnels, or Selected Tunnel for the tunnel selected in the main window All
Include SSH Keys Embed the private keys that the exported SSH tunnels use Off
Compress Output Smaller file size Off
Encrypt Output (Premium) Encrypt the file with a password using AES-256-GCM Off

To export one tunnel, select it in the sidebar first and choose Selected Tunnel. Without a selection, Export is unavailable in that mode.

SSH keys are private key material

Include SSH Keys writes private keys into the file. Turn on Encrypt Output when you use it, and treat the file like a password.

Encrypted Export (Premium)

  1. Turn on Encrypt Output.
  2. Click Set Password…, enter a strong password, and confirm it.
  3. Click Export. Store the password separately from the export file.

Free plans show Upgrade in place of the encryption toggle.

Importing

StormTunnel adds the imported tunnels to your existing ones. Nothing is removed.

Conflict Resolution

When an imported tunnel conflicts with a saved one, a Resolve Import Conflicts sheet asks how to handle all of them:

Option What Happens
Skip Keep the saved configurations
Update Use the imported configurations
Duplicate Import copies with new names (" (Copy)" is appended)

Tunnels without conflicts are imported either way.

You can also drop a tunnel export file onto the main window to import it.

Importing Encrypted Files

  1. StormTunnel detects encryption automatically and asks for the password.
  2. Enter the password used during export and click Decrypt.
  3. The file decrypts and imports normally.

Lost Password

There is no recovery for encrypted exports. If you lose the password, the file cannot be imported.

Common Use Cases

Personal Backup

  • Export regularly with the date in the file name (backup-2026-10.json).
  • Encrypt the file if you included SSH keys.
  • Store it in a secure location.

Team Sharing

  • Export the tunnels the other person needs.
  • Leave Include SSH Keys off; recipients use their own keys and AWS profiles.

New Mac Setup

  1. Export all tunnels (encrypted if you included SSH keys).
  2. Transfer the file to the new Mac.
  3. Import it, then verify that each tunnel connects.
  4. Enter SSH passwords again; they are not exported.

What Gets Exported

Included Not Included
Tunnel names and settings Passwords
Hosts, ports, connection type AWS credentials and SSO tokens
AWS profile, region, instance, and host SSH keys, unless Include SSH Keys is on

Keyboard Shortcuts

Action Shortcut
Export Shift+Cmd+E
Import Shift+Cmd+I