Why some settings are not imported
Updated October 26, 2026
The preview shows every setting an import would change. Some settings are never imported, and some items cannot be imported as they are.
Settings that stay as they are
| Setting | Why |
|---|---|
| Left out of the file | The export left out values that look secret, and values the person who exported chose to leave out. This site keeps its own value. |
| Secret on this site | This site keeps its password or key unless the file holds a value for it. |
| Permissions | Permissions are never imported. A file that holds them is refused. |
Hidden values
The preview does not show values that look secret, from this site or from the file. It shows that the setting changes, not the value.
ConfigPort finds these values with the settings form of the item on this site and with setting names such as password, api_key or token. If this site cannot read the item's settings form, for example because the extension's files are damaged, it cannot find a password field with a neutral name. The preview then hides every current value of that item and says so. Values from the file are found by their names only.
Values for one site only
Some values only make sense on the site they come from: web addresses, folders, email addresses, debug switches and settings that point to menu items, categories, user groups or access levels. The preview marks them with Check: this site only? A value inside a list marks the whole list. They are imported unless you leave the item out, so check them before you import.
Items that cannot be imported as they are
The preview shows a message under each such item. The table names the start of each message.
| Message starts with | What to do |
|---|---|
| "No ... on this site matches this item" | Install the extension, then upload the file again. |
| "Conflict at ..." | This site's value cannot be kept. See Merge or replace. |
| "After the import the settings would take ... bytes" | Joomla stores at most 65,535 bytes of settings per item. Merge keeps every setting this site has, so try Replace, which drops the settings the file does not hold. Or remove settings on the source site and export again. |
| "The current settings of this ... cannot be read" | The settings stored on this site are damaged. Save the item once in its edit screen, then check again. |
| "Only a Super User can" | The item is the Global Configuration, or it sets a guarded user group setting to a group with Super User permissions. Joomla lets only Super Users do this. Ask a Super User to import the file. |
Files that cannot be imported
ConfigPort checks the whole file before the preview. It refuses a file with an unknown format, a newer schema version, a broken structure or too many items, and lists the problems and their place in the file. Export the file again from the source site.