# Exporting and Importing flows - problem with SUBFLOWS
**URL:** https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194
**Category:** General
**Created:** [3 April 2020 23:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194 "2020-04-03T23:18:46Z")
**Posts on this page:** 4
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [3 April 2020 23:18 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194/1 "2020-04-03T23:18:46Z")
If I write a _flow_ and export it then import it to another machine, all the existing nodes are honoured and not overwritten.
Alas I have seen that if you write a subflow and export a flow with it then import it to another machine which already has that subflow, a second (or third, etc) copy of the subflow is created.
Just asking:
Why?
I get that subflows can be different between machines. Though I can't exactly see why.
They are like nodes.
If you have a different version of NR on one machine to another when you copy flows, they don't take their _most up to date_ (or older) nodes with them.
If the two (sub)flows are different, then maybe make another _version_ of it on the second machine.
Otherwise, I can't see why it is creating a copy.
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### Author:  [@knolleary](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/knolleary)
#### Post date: [17 April 2020 00:09 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194/2 "2020-04-17T00:09:17Z")
To be as direct as possible: it does that because no one has written the code to detect the existing subflow and avoid adding a duplicate.
There is an item on the backlog to improve this behaviour.
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### Author:  [@Trying\_to\_learn](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/Trying_to_learn)
#### Post date: [17 April 2020 00:14 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194/3 "2020-04-17T00:14:07Z")
Thanks.
I don't mind directness. (Or I hope I don't)
No problems. It slipped through the gaps - no one is perfect.
I just have to be careful when exporting flows with subflows in them.
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### Author:  [@system](https://discourse.nodered.org/u/system)
#### Post date: [16 June 2020 00:21 UTC](https://discourse.nodered.org/t/exporting-and-importing-flows-problem-with-subflows/24194/4 "2020-06-16T00:21:40Z")
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