You built your workflows on one n8n instance and now you need them somewhere else: a fresh local copy, a new VM, a teammate’s machine. The trouble is the data lives inside a Docker container. This video shows how to get it out and back in cleanly.
What the video covers
In about five minutes I move a real workflow and its credentials from one container to another:
- A
docker-composesetup with the encryption key and a two-way volume - Exporting workflows and credentials with the n8n CLI
- Pulling the files out of the container with
docker cp - Wiping the instance, then re-importing credentials first and workflows second
The catch is the encryption key
Credentials export encrypted. They only decrypt on an instance that has the same N8N_ENCRYPTION_KEY.
So before you move anything, copy that key to the destination. Skip it and your credentials land as unreadable noise.
If you are spinning up a brand-new local instance just to test, you can export decrypted and paste them straight in. That is the option I reach for most. Moving server to server, keep them encrypted and carry the key separately.
Do not run it this way in production
This is the right way to move data by hand. It is the wrong way to run production.
In production you do not want to SSH in and shuffle credential files around. You want a deploy tool that handles secrets for you. That is where something like Kamal earns its place: docker compose for production, with secret management built in.
Want it done for you?
This is the kind of move I do for clients without the SSH juggling, key in hand, nothing lost in transit. If you would rather not touch the container, book a free Gap Assessment and I will migrate or deploy your n8n for you.
