# Move Some topics to New Instance
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443
**Category:** Support
**Created:** [July 1, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443 "2025-07-01T14:57:37Z")
**Posts on this page:** 7
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [July 1, 2025, 2:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/1 "2025-07-01T14:57:37Z")
I am wondering on if there is a method to copy the user base to a fresh install. I am thinking maybe in the old instance create new categories to house the topics that are desired to copy to the new install.
Then on the original forum. I would like to copy certain topics not all of them to the new forum.
I do apologize if this is covered, but onna quick search wasn’t having much success.
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### Author:  [@omarfilip](https://meta.discourse.org/u/omarfilip)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2025, 10:17pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/2 "2025-07-02T22:17:42Z")
How many topics? Perhaps something like this:
- Create a backup from Forum 1
- Create a new instance
- Restore backup from Forum 1 and call this Forum 2
Now you have two identical Discourse forums - 1 and 2
- Delete topics/categories from Forum 1
- Delete topics/categories from Forum 2
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2025, 11:57pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/3 "2025-07-02T23:57:01Z")
> [@Heliosurge](#):
>
> create new categories to house the topics that are desired to copy to the new install.
This will work [Administrative Bulk Operations](https://meta.discourse.org/t/administrative-bulk-operations/118349)
> [@Administrative Bulk Operations](https://meta.discourse.org/t/administrative-bulk-operations/118349/1):
>
> **Export a set of complete categories**
>
> (…) For example:
>
> `rake export:categories["12 6"]`
>
> (…)
>
> **Importing a category file**
>
> Use the exported file’s name like the example below:
>
> `rake import:file["category-export-2019-05-16-052430.json"]`
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [July 2, 2025, 11:59pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/4 "2025-07-02T23:59:46Z")
That unfortunately would be quite the under taking as the current forum has 8 years of content.
Plus as a side idea. I may want to also copy topics from another forum as I have been creating user interface topics. So a backup would copy the entire instance when I am looking to just copy the user base and move a collection of topics. Plus want to start fresh adding themes and TC.
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### Author:  [@Heliosurge](https://meta.discourse.org/u/Heliosurge)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2025, 12:05am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/5 "2025-07-03T00:05:13Z")
Thank you this looks like exactly what I am looking for. Will look at more of it as I imagine from the quick scan it will cover copying user base. Otherwise imagine it might have some complications importing the topics.
🍻🤩👍✨
I imagine to move the files to import use something like Rsync?
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### Author:  [@RGJ](https://meta.discourse.org/u/RGJ)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2025, 6:39am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/6 "2025-07-03T06:39:33Z")
It covers the users that participated in one of the moved topics.
> [@Heliosurge](#):
>
> I imagine to move the files to import use something like Rsync?
Or `scp` which is usually a bit more simple to use.
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### Author:  [@system](https://meta.discourse.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [August 2, 2025, 6:39am UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/move-some-topics-to-new-instance/372443/7 "2025-08-02T06:39:35Z")
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