Import a Moodle course (.mbz): units, files, assignments and quizzes

This guide covers whole courses. To bring students and question banks from Moodle, Google Classroom, Canvas or a spreadsheet, see Migrate from other platforms.

1. Download the course backup in Moodle

1. Open the backup page

   In Moodle, open the course → More → Course reuse → Backup (in Moodle 3.x: gear icon → Backup).

2. Choose what to include

   Keep activities and resources and the question bank ticked. Tick Include enrolled users only if you also want to bring your students. Grades, submissions, forum posts and logs are never imported, so you can leave them out to make the file smaller.

3. Download the .mbz file

   Click Jump to final step, wait until it finishes and download the file from Course backup area. Upload it exactly as Moodle gives it to you, without unzipping it.

2. Upload the backup

1. Open the Moodle importer

   Go to Import (from the Getting started guide on your Overview) and click Import a Moodle course.

2. Drop the file and click Upload and review

   Drag the .mbz onto the box or click to choose it (Moodle 3.x and 4.x, up to 2 GB). It uploads in parts and resumes if the connection drops. Nothing is saved yet.

   

3. Review and adjust

Acatudy reads the backup and lists every Moodle activity with what it becomes (Will be imported) or why it's left out (Skipped, with the reason). Before importing you can change:

• The name of the new subject (or topic in visual mode).
• The course it goes into, for example Grade 10, or None (shared by the whole academy).
• What each quiz is: a Practice test (doesn't count toward the grade) or an Official exam (graded).
• Students: if the backup includes them, tick Also prepare the import of … students.

Click Update preview after changing options.

4. Import and check the result

1. Click Import the subject

   Small backups (up to 40 MB) import right away. Bigger ones run in the background with a progress bar: you can leave the page and come back.

2. Read the report

   You get the totals, a downloadable Import summary (CSV) with every activity (unit, type, title, result, destination and detail) and buttons to Open the subject or Review students. The backup is deleted from the server.

3. Review the subject before telling your students

   The subject is created published: if its course is active, students can see it right away. Imported exams are saved as drafts, and units hidden in Moodle stay hidden. Check the content, then publish the exams.

What comes over

Students, if you chose to bring them, go to the usual student importer for you to review: no accounts are created until you confirm there, and each student gets an email to create their password.

What's skipped

• Forums, SCORM, H5P, LTI, workshops, glossaries, wikis, databases, lessons, chats, choices, surveys and any activity without an equivalent.
• Random questions and question types Acatudy doesn't have.
• Files of unsupported types (for example .exe or .zip) and files that don't fit in your plan's storage.
• Anything your plan doesn't include or that goes over its limits.
• Student grades, submissions and forum posts.

Each skipped item appears in the preview and in the CSV report with its reason.

Limits