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Export and Import Monitors

You can export and import monitors in Distill to:

  • Add URLs in bulk for monitoring
  • Create manual backups of your data
  • Transfer monitors between accounts

We recommend taking regular backups to protect against accidental data loss.

Export formats: JSON vs CSV

Format Use Case
JSON Best for backups. Includes each monitor’s configuration.
CSV Best for bulk imports. Upload multiple URLs for full-page monitoring.
(Does not include monitor configurations.)

Exporting Monitors (JSON)

  1. In your Watchlist, use the checkboxes to select the monitors you want to export.
    Tip: Use search to filter, then select all.

  2. Click the hamburger menu (≡) → Export → JSON.

    Downloading JSON of selected monitor

  3. In the pop-up, choose:

    • Selected monitors (based on your selection), or
    • All monitors (exports the entire Watchlist).
      Then click Download.

    Note: Actions associated with monitors are not included. You can re-add them during import.

    Downloading JSON of selected monitors

  4. The exported file is saved to your system’s Downloads folder.

Importing Monitors (JSON)

  1. In Watchlist, click the hamburger menu (≡) → Import → JSON.

    Import monitor JSONs to watchlist

  2. Choose one of the following:

    • Select JSON file from your device, or
    • Paste JSON directly into the editor.
    Import monitor to watchlist

  3. Preview the file contents in the editor to confirm they look right.

    Import monitor to watchlist

  4. Click Next to optionally:

    • Add common actions via Add Action (applied to all imported monitors), or
    • Skip this step.
    Import monitors and add action

  5. Choose the device where these monitors will run (e.g., cloud or local).

  6. Click Import.

Exporting Monitors (CSV)

  1. In your Watchlist, select monitors using checkboxes.
    • Leave all unchecked to export the entire Watchlist.
  2. Click the hamburger menu (≡) → Export → CSV.
  3. Click Download.

Bulk URL Import via CSV

Include the following columns in your CSV to import a list of URLs:

  • Name
  • URL
  • Labels (optional; comma-separated, e.g., Test,North America)
  • Content Type (optional; defaults to Webpage if not provided)

Supported Content Type values:

Type Code
Webpage 2
XML 4
Feed 5
PDF 7
DOC 8
JSON 9

Example CSV (headers + 2 rows):

Name,URL,Labels,Content Type
Distill Blog,https://distill.io/blog/,News,2
Example Docs,https://example.com/file.pdf,"Docs,Team",7

Import Monitors (CSV)

Use CSV import to create a large number of full-page monitors at once.

👉 Use our CSV template to get started.

  1. In your Watchlist, click the hamburger menu (≡) → Import → CSV.

    Export monitors to CSV file

  2. Choose:

    • Select CSV file if you already have one, or
    • Create one using the template.
    Import monitors with csv

  3. Distill will auto-detect column attributes. You can also match them manually if needed.

    Import monitors with csv

  4. Click Next → Configure options and actions.

    • (Optional) Add a common action.
    • Click Import.

Data Included in Export

Data field JSON export CSV export Notes
Monitor URL ✓ ✓
Monitor Name ✓ ✓
Content Type ✓ ✓ CSV values: Webpage, Feed, PDF, Word, JSON, Sitemap, XML
Schedule for checks ✓ —
Timestamp ✓ — JSON includes a general timestamp; CSV splits into Created/Changed
Conditions ✓ — JSON only
Tags / Labels ✓ ✓ CSV column name: Monitor Labels
Config (selectors) ✓ —
Monitor state (On/Off) ✓ —
Created On — ✓ CSV only
Changed On (last detected change) — ✓ CSV only
Text (monitored snippet) — ✓ CSV only
Error status — ✓ CSV only

⚠️ Not included in exports: Actions and change history. You can set common actions during import.

Watch the Video

Watch this quick video to learn how to import and export monitors:

Suggested Reading

  • Bulk setup: How to set up multiple full-page monitors using CSV import
  • How to save web page changes in Google Sheets
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