---
title: "Import behavior"
slug: "import-behavior"
abstract: "The behavior of imported elements, depending on their type."
---
# Import behavior

When importing packages using the **Import/export** functionality, the behavior of the imported elements might vary according to their type.

> [!note]
> You can import user group policies that only include member-level security (no rules required).

## Profiles

The following table shows the profile merge behavior during import.

| Exported profile | Behavior |
| --- | --- |
| New profile | A new profile is created. |
| Existing profile, with changes | The profile is overwritten. |
| Existing profile, with no changes | The profile remains unchanged. |

## Settings

The following table shows which settings are overwritten during import.

| Setting | Overwritten |
| --- | --- |
| Chili | Yes |
| Composite assets | Yes |
| Drafts | Yes |
| DRM | Yes |
| Excel import/export | Yes |
| Integration | Yes |
| Portal configuration | No |
| Renditions | Yes |
| System-owned settings | No |
| Users | Yes |

## Option lists

[Imported option lists](https://doc.sitecore.com/ch/en/users/content-hub/import-option-lists.html "Import option lists") overwrite the existing option lists.

## Taxonomies

When a taxonomy is imported, its identifier in the destination instance is the same as it was in the source instance. However, the taxonomy is assigned a new `id` in the destination instance, different to the source `id`. For example, *Province-Leinster* has an `id` of *9690* in the source instance and *9735* in the destination instance.

| `id` in source instance | `id` in destination instance |
| --- | --- |
| ![Id of taxonomy element in the source instance](https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/ch/en/users/content-hub/images/id_of_taxonomy_element_in_the_source_instance.png) | ![Id of taxonomy element in the destination instance](https://doc.sitecore.com/api/markdown-image/ch/en/users/content-hub/images/id_of_taxonomy_element_in_the_destination_instance.png) |

The following table shows the taxonomy merge behavior during import.

| Precondition | Merge behavior |
| --- | --- |
| The imported taxonomy does not exist in the destination instance. | A new taxonomy is created. |
| The imported taxonomy exists in the destination instance, but has different child elements. | The child elements are combined. |
| The imported taxonomy exists in the destination, but one of its child elements has differences in the number or content of its descendant elements. | The child element and its descendants are overwritten with the ones in the imported taxonomy. |

## User group policies

With the latest version of the import/export functionality, when you import user group policies, they are bound to user groups using the user group `GroupName` instead of the entity `Identifier`. Target user group identifiers are retained.