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Instructor Guide: Exporting and Importing a Question Category (Moodle 4.5)

If you want to reuse quiz questions in another course, you don’t need to recreate them. Moodle allows you to export a category of questions from one course and import it into another.

Updated over a week ago

When Should You Use This?

Use this process if you:

  • Want to reuse questions in a different course

  • Need to share questions with another instructor

  • Are building a new course from existing content

The Quick Idea

  1. Export a question category from your original course

  2. Download the file

  3. Import that file into another course

Part 1: Export a Question Category

Step 1: Open the Question Bank

  • Go to the course that contains the questions

  • Click More (top menu)

  • Select Question bank

Arrow pointing to the question bank in the More dropdown menu

Step 2: Go to Export

  • Use the dropdown menu near the top-left

  • Select Export

Dropdown menu showing Export option.

Step 3: Choose Export Format

  • Under File format, select:

    • Moodle XML format (recommended)

This format preserves the most information and works best when importing back into Moodle.

Screenshot of Export Page with "Moodle XML format" selected under File format.

Step 4: Select the Category

  • Under General, choose the category you want to export

Screenshot showing the Export Category chosen for this example is "Chapter 5 (20)"

Step 5: Export the File

  • Click Export questions to file

  • The file will download to your computer

    Screenshot of the export button "Export questions to file."

Part 2: Import the Category into Another Course

Step 6: Open the Destination Course

  • Go to the course where you want to add the questions

  • Click More

  • Select Question bank

Step 7: Go to Import

  • Use the dropdown menu near the top-left

  • Select Import

Screenshot of the dropdown menu showing Import being selected.

Step 8: Choose Import Format

  • Select Moodle XML format

Step 9: Upload the File

  • Drag and drop your exported file into the upload area
    ​or

  • Click Choose a file and upload it

Screenshot of area to drag and drop file for upload

Step 10: Choose Destination Category

  • Select the category where you want the questions to be imported

  • (Optional) Create a new category first if needed

Step 11: Import Questions

  • Click Import

  • Review the preview to confirm questions look correct

  • Click Continue

Helpful Tips

  • Use Moodle XML format for the best results

  • Create a category in the destination course before importing to stay organized

  • Keep category names consistent across courses

  • Double-check that images or media files were transferred correctly

Common Issues

Questions didn’t import correctly

  • Make sure you selected Moodle XML format

Images are missing

  • Re-export and ensure the original questions include embedded images

Questions imported into the wrong place

  • Move them to the correct category from the Categories page

Need Help?

If you run into any issues importing or exporting questions, feel free to reach out. We’re happy to help.

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