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Export and Import Image Download Tasks — Bulk Image Downloader Pro

danito

When a download setup takes time to build, you should not have to recreate it from memory. The ability to export and import image download tasks helps preserve the work behind a batch: URLs, folders, filename patterns, file type filters, schedule settings, and other task options.

Bulk Image Downloader Pro treats download work as tasks. That makes CSV export and import useful for backups, repeat jobs, spreadsheet-driven workflows, and moving a task setup between machines.

What task export is for

Exporting tasks gives you a copy of the setup outside the browser. Use it when you have a carefully configured batch that you may need again: supplier product image URLs, recurring catalog work, migration image lists, client jobs, or internal asset downloads.

An export can also act as a safety net before you make big changes to task settings. If the next version of the task is wrong, the exported file gives you something to rebuild from.

What task import is for

Import is useful when the task list starts in a spreadsheet or needs to be rebuilt later. You can prepare rows with URLs and task settings, then bring them into Bulk Image Downloader Pro instead of clicking through each task manually.

This is especially helpful when each task needs its own URL list, folder, filename pattern, schedule, or output settings.

Use the CSV template and schema carefully

The extension provides a CSV template and expects task data in a specific structure. Use the exported header or template as the starting point instead of inventing your own column names. For schema v4, URL lists can be stored inside a cell as one URL per line, which is easier to manage than forcing a huge task into one flat line.

Before importing a large file, test one or two rows. Confirm the URLs, folders, filename settings, filters, and schedule fields appear as expected.

Tasks are different from scraper sessions

Tasks define what will be downloaded and how it should be saved. Scraper sessions capture discovery work from the side panel: images found from page scans, history, comparisons, and saved scraping context. Both can be useful, but they solve different problems.

If your goal is to preserve a final download setup, export tasks. If your goal is to preserve the result of a scraping session, use session save/export features where appropriate.

A practical backup routine

  1. Create or import the task list.
  2. Run a small sample to verify the output.
  3. Fix folders, filenames, filters, and schedule settings.
  4. Export the tested task setup to CSV.
  5. Keep the CSV with the project notes or source spreadsheet.

For related workflow management, read how to manage image download tasks. For direct URL-list work, see how to bulk download images from URL lists.