> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://brewgravity.com/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Importing from Brewer's Friend

> Moving your recipe library over from Brewer's Friend, in bulk or one at a time.

Brewer's Friend exports BeerXML, which Brewgravity reads directly. You can move a
single recipe or your entire library.

## Export everything at once

This is the one you want if you are migrating.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Sign in to Brewer's Friend">
    The export is tied to your account, so you must be signed in at
    [brewersfriend.com](https://www.brewersfriend.com).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Beer Recipes menu">
    From the main navigation, go to your recipe list.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Choose Export BeerXML">
    The bulk export options are **Export BeerXML** and **Export HTML**. Pick
    **BeerXML** — HTML is for reading, not for importing.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Unzip the download">
    Brewer's Friend delivers the bulk export as a `.zip`. Unzip it; inside is
    one `.xml` file per recipe (or a combined file, depending on your account).
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Warning>
  Brewgravity's import accepts `.xml` and `.json` files, not `.zip` archives. If you
  drop the zip straight onto the drop zone, you will get "No .json or .xml files
  found" — unzip first, then drop the loose files.
</Warning>

## Export a single recipe

Open the recipe on Brewer's Friend and use its export function to download
BeerXML. This is the quicker path if you are only bringing over the two or three
beers you actually still brew.

## Import into Brewgravity

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the import page">
    Go to [brewgravity.com/import](https://brewgravity.com/import), or press
    <kbd>⌘</kbd><kbd>K</kbd> and choose **Import BeerXML**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Select every .xml file">
    Drag the whole unzipped folder's contents onto the drop zone, or use the
    picker and select all. There is no need to do them in batches.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Read the confirmation">
    Brewgravity lists the name of every recipe it created. If a name you expected is
    missing, see [troubleshooting](/docs/import/troubleshooting).
  </Step>
</Steps>

## After the import

Brewer's Friend and Brewgravity make slightly different assumptions, so check these
on any recipe you plan to brew soon:

| Field           | What to look for                                                                                                                        |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Efficiency**  | Brewer's Friend exports the recipe's efficiency, which may be the original author's rather than yours. Set it to your brewhouse number. |
| **Batch size**  | Confirm it matches your into-fermenter volume, not your pre-boil volume.                                                                |
| **Alpha acids** | Carried from the export. Update to match the packets in your freezer — IBU depends entirely on this.                                    |
| **Style**       | Comes across as the exported style name. If it is blank, set it so the AI assistant can check the recipe against BJCP guidelines.       |

<Tip>
  Import first, tidy later. Get the whole library in, then fix efficiency and
  alpha acids on individual recipes as you come to brew them. There is no reward
  for perfecting 80 recipes you will not touch this year.
</Tip>

## What does not come across

Brewer's Friend brew sessions, fermentation logs, and tasting notes stay behind —
BeerXML carries recipes, not brew history. If you want a past batch represented
in Brewgravity, create a brew session from the imported recipe and back-date it; see
[Brew sessions](/docs/guides/brew-sessions).