> ## 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.

# Import troubleshooting

> What the import errors mean and how to get past them.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="&#x22;No .json or .xml files found&#x22;" icon="file-circle-xmark">
    Brewgravity looked at what you dropped and saw nothing it can parse. Usually one
    of:

    * **You dropped a `.zip`.** Bulk exports arrive zipped. Unzip it and drop
      the loose files.
    * **The extension is missing or wrong.** Brewgravity picks its parser from the
      file extension. A BeerXML file saved as `myrecipe.txt` will not be read —
      rename it to `.xml`.
    * **You dropped a folder.** Select the files inside it rather than the
      folder itself.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="&#x22;No recipes found in the selected files&#x22;" icon="magnifying-glass">
    The files parsed, but contained no recipes. Open one in a text editor and
    check that it actually has a `<RECIPE>` element (BeerXML) or a `recipes`
    array (BeerJSON).

    A common cause is exporting the wrong thing — some apps let you export an
    *equipment* or *ingredient* profile as XML, which is a valid file with no
    recipes in it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="&#x22;Not authenticated&#x22;" icon="user-lock">
    Your session expired while the page was open. Reload, sign in again, and
    retry the import.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Some recipes imported, others did not" icon="triangle-exclamation">
    Brewgravity lists what it created. If a name is missing, that specific file
    failed to parse — most often malformed XML from a hand-edited file, or an
    unusual export from an older tool.

    Try re-exporting just that recipe from the source app. If it still will not
    import, the file itself is likely invalid.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="The numbers are wrong after import" icon="calculator">
    The import was probably fine. Check, in this order:

    1. **Efficiency** — the exported value is often the original author's, or a
       default. This is the usual cause of OG being off.
    2. **Batch size** — apps disagree about whether this is pre-boil, post-boil,
       or into-fermenter volume. Brewgravity means into-fermenter.
    3. **Alpha acids** — carried from the file, and specific to the author's
       crop year. IBU follows them directly.
    4. **Yeast attenuation** — drives estimated FG and therefore ABV. Missing
       attenuation in the export means Brewgravity has nothing to estimate from.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Mash steps are missing" icon="temperature-half">
    Extract and partial-mash recipes often export without a mash schedule, which
    is correct — there is nothing to mash. For an all-grain recipe with no
    steps, the source export simply did not include them; add them by hand in
    the recipe editor.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I imported the same recipes twice" icon="copy">
    Import does not deduplicate — every run creates new recipes. Delete the
    extras from the recipe list; deletions are undoable if you overshoot.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Still stuck?

Open the file in a text editor and check it starts with something recognisable —
`<?xml` for BeerXML, `{` for BeerJSON. Files that have been through a
spreadsheet, a rich-text editor, or an email client sometimes arrive with
mangled encoding or smart quotes that no XML parser will accept.

If the file looks fine and still will not import, email
[support@brewgravity.com](mailto:support@brewgravity.com) with the file attached.