How to Export Printer (Machine) Settings (Profile) in Cura?

Machine settings is a section in Cura that allows you to input printer and extruder-specific configuration, and while it offers the customization of many parameters, such as dimensions of the printer’s build plate and the offsets of the printhead, the primary reason behind the usage of this section is to customize the start and end G-code routines, which the printer runs before and after each print.

Unfortunately, even though the machine settings section can get quite complex with these G-code routines, Cura does not offer a direct way to export this configuration for later usage, which is definitely a problem for those who need to move the printer-specific configuration around.

Today, we will be focusing our efforts on exporting (and importing) machine settings, also known as printer settings, in Cura, where we will try to find an alternative way to perform these actions in the most effortless way possible.

So, how to export printer settings, also known as machine settings, in Cura?

To export printer (machine settings) in Cura, all you have to do is save your project with the Save Project option in the File dropdown that you can find on the top menu Cura.

This process will export both the settings of your printer and the models that are part of the project into the same file, which you can import later on.

Next up, we will dive into exporting and importing printer settings in Cura in greater detail, find out how to conduct the same process for print settings, and finally, look at ways to transfer all Cura settings from one computer to another as quickly as possible.

How to Export Printer (Machine) Settings (Profile) in Cura?

While Cura does not offer a direct way to export machine (printer) settings, unlike print settings that you can export with the click of a button, there is a pretty effortless workaround to make it possible and save your printer settings for later use.

Here is a detailed step-by-step guide you can follow to export printer (machine) settings in Cura:

1. Configure the machine settings in the way you would like to export them.
2. Choose the printer you would like to save the settings for from the left pane (which displays the name of your printer) below the top menu of Cura.
3. Click the File button on the top menu of Cura.
4. Click the Save Project button in the dropdown menu that appears.
5. Click the Save button on the popup that appears, where you can see the name of the printer you’re exporting the settings for.
6. Input the name of your choice for the file, and hit the Save button again.

After this process, Cura will export the machine settings for the printer of your choice into the file you have just saved.

How to Import Printer (Machine) Settings (Profile) in Cura?

After exporting the printer settings in Cura, you will also need a way to import them, which Cura also doesn’t offer a direct way of doing.

Fortunately, the same workaround for exporting the printer settings also works for importing them, which is a pretty straightforward process once again.

To import machine settings in Cura with the project file you have exported earlier, you can follow the steps below:

1. Click the File button on the top menu of Cura.
2. Click the Open File(s) option in the dropdown menu.
3. Locate the file you exported earlier, select it, and click the Open button.
4. Click the Open as Project button on the popup that Cura shows.

Upon completing this process, you will see that the machine settings you have exported are available in Cura.

How to Export and Import Print Settings in Cura?

Exporting and importing print settings in Cura is a pretty straightforward process since there is built-in functionality that allows you to perform these actions with the click of a button.

Here is how you can export and import the print settings in Cura:

1. Click the Navigate tab on the top area of the Cura window.
2. Click the rightmost pane with the print settings information on it.
3. Click the Custom button to activate Custom mode if you haven’t already.
4. Click the Profile dropdown, and choose the Manage Profiles option.

In the Manage Profiles dialog, choose the profile you would like to export from the left pane, and click the Export button.

If you are trying to export a default Cura profile, click the Duplicate button first and Export the duplicated profile, as the Export button is inactive for default profiles.

On the other hand, to import a profile, hit the Import button in the Manage Profiles menu dialog, locate the file you have exported, and click the Open button.

How to Transfer All Cura Settings Between Computers?

In some cases, such as switching between two separate computers for your 3D printing tasks, transferring all the Cura settings between computers becomes a necessity, as having to perform changes on both computers repeatedly would become quite a chore.

Fortunately, there are two effortless ways to transfer all Cura settings between computers; the Cura Backups feature that uses Ultimaker’s own cloud servers and a manual method that doesn’t involve the cloud.

Transferring Cura Settings with Cura Backups

Using Cura Backups is the most effortless way of transferring all of your Cura settings between devices, as Cura handles both the backing up and the restoring, alongside storing your settings for you in its cloud servers.

Here are the steps we recommend following to transfer Cura settings with Cura Backups:

1. Launch Cura with the device you would like to copy the settings from.
2. Click the Extensions option on the top menu of Cura.
3. Bring your mouse pointer over the Cura Backups option, and click the Manage Backups option when it appears.
4. Click the “Backup Now“ button to create a backup of your current settings, which will create a backup entry on the My Backups section of the window.
5. Repeat steps 1 and 2 for the device you would like to transfer the settings to and click the Restore button next to the backup entry you have just created in the My Backups section.
6. Click the Yes button on the popup that shows up.

Upon restoring the backup file, Cura will restart, and when it loads again, the transfer will be complete.

Please note that you will need an Ultimaker account, and you will need to be signed into the same Ultimaker account on all the devices you would like to transfer the settings.

Transferring Cura Settings Manually

While slightly more technically challenging than using the Cura Backup method, this method allows you to have a local copy of your Cura settings.

With this method, the one advantage is that you can upload the backup to any cloud storage service you like or even carry it with you in a portable storage medium such as a flash drive.

Here is how you can transfer Cura settings manually between computers:

1. Press the Windows key and the R key; at the same time to bring up the Run dialog on the computer you would like to copy the Cura settings from.
2. Type %userprofile%\AppData\Roaming\ into the input box, and click the OK button.
3. Locate the cura folder, and copy it to the location of your choice.
4. Repeat steps 1 and 2, but this time for the computer you would like to copy the Cura settings to.
5. Copy the cura folder you have copied earlier to this directory.

While this method will work for all operating systems, the steps we have laid out are specific for Windows due to the directory paths.

Wrapping Up

Even though Cura doesn’t explicitly state a way to export and import machine settings, the simple workaround that we can use to perform these actions is just as good, other than the fact that there is no mention of it for users to find out.

To quickly recap, saving your project in Cura, which we primarily use to export the models we have imported, also exports the printer (machine) settings into the same file.

You can then import this file through the Open File option, which will allow you to either only import the models, or import the file as a project, which comes with the printer settings that you have exported earlier.

Happy printing!

Mike Davies

Mike started his 3D printing journey with the Anet A8 when it first came out back in 2017, and has been obsessed with 3D printers ever since. Nowadays, he primarily uses his Ender 3 to print functional parts that make his life more convenient whenever possible.