# Export/Edit/Import a flow containing a subflow, I am ending up with multiple copies of subflow with auto renamed
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913
**Category:** General
**Tags:** subflow
**Created:** [2 September 2025 12:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913 "2025-09-02T12:09:33Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 12:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/1 "2025-09-02T12:09:33Z")
I had a small flow with subflow in it, I copied and pasted multiple bits and ended up having a huge duplicates of subflow, what is the correct way ?
i followed this discussion which seems to be similar , but i could not understnad much.
> [@Why does importing a clipboard with a subflow create a "new" identical but renamed subflow](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/why-does-importing-a-clipboard-with-a-subflow-create-a-new-identical-but-renamed-subflow/15668):
>
> Edit: Now that I know the behavior I observe is inherent to Node-RED, I reposted this over on the feature requests: [Import a flow containing a subflow without unintentionally creating a duplicate subflow](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-without-unintentionally-creating-a-duplicate-subflow/15683) I need to copy/paste a flow that contains a subflow. However, when I do this, nodered creates an identical subflow but appends (2) or (3) or (4), etc. to the end of the subflow name. So far I determined a very basic test subflow does not behave like this, but once I include an mqtt node, I …
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### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 12:12 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/2 "2025-09-02T12:12:48Z")
> [@smanjunath211](#):
>
> i followed this discussion which seems to be similar , but i could not understnad much.
Which one?
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### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 12:16 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/3 "2025-09-02T12:16:31Z")
OOps, forgot to paste. edited the main post.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 12:28 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/4 "2025-09-02T12:28:44Z")
> [@smanjunath211](#):
>
> I copied and pasted multiple bits
Do you mean copy/paste or Export/Import?
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### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 12:54 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/5 "2025-09-02T12:54:55Z")
Sorry, my post was not complete. apologies.
It is indeed export and import back, BUT with editing in notepad.
so i have 25 machines for which i made a small flow whcih included a subflow, i needed 24 copies of these each for an hour on clock. (complex story, which can be simplified, subject for another topic), i assumed exporting one block and changing the values in the change node to replace 00 with 01, etc for 24 times, made a quick alternate for copy paste since i need to change each change node for 25 machines for every hour.
it did work, as i expected (well) except for the duplicate copies of the subflow. and i cannot delete them because they are referred to in some of the flows.
repeat this 24 times one for each hour.
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### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 13:04 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/6 "2025-09-02T13:04:01Z")
If you `import` with a `subflow` NR should detect the existence of it and ask you to either `replace` or.... _something else_.... (Can't remember)
So making _copies_ of it shouldn't happen. They should be filtered at the NR level.
(BTW, versions?)
NR,
O/S,
Node.js,
Javascript,
etc...
May help.
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### Author:  [@Colin](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Colin)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 13:05 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/7 "2025-09-02T13:05:28Z")
Go back to your previous version (assuming that you are using some sort of version control/backup strategy) and start again, using Copy/Paste.
Also please edit the title of this thread and your initial description to say Import/Export, they are very different.
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### Author:  [@smanjunath211](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/smanjunath211)
#### Post date: [2 September 2025 14:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/8 "2025-09-02T14:52:13Z")
> [@Colin](#):
>
> start again
Yes, I did that, and as i told, i have a repetetive task of changing the change node contents, i want to copy, but change the hour marker from H00 to H01 etc. i thought editing the json was easy after exporting and before importing. OR, i could only exclude the subflow bit of the flow, export , change the json , import and wire it manually. whcih is a tedious process again, but better than opening change node, editing the contents and save it.
or may be there is a function node alternative, using a for next loop which may reduce my flow logic.
> [@Colin](#):
>
> Also please edit the title
done, thanks for pointing out.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [16 September 2025 14:52 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/export-edit-import-a-flow-containing-a-subflow-i-am-ending-up-with-multiple-copies-of-subflow-with-auto-renamed/98913/9 "2025-09-16T14:52:42Z")
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