Import Projects

Import adds folders that are already on your computer. The app finds the stack of each folder:

Folder	Added as
Has .ddev/config.yaml	A DDEV project, with the name, type and PHP version from that file
Any other folder	A project, with the stack that the app finds (for example .NET, Node.js or Go)

Drag and drop

Drag one or more folders from Finder, File Explorer or your file manager, and drop them anywhere in the app window. When you drag folders over the window, the app shows Drop folders to import.

The Import projects dialog opens with one row for each folder. Drag and drop and Import use the same steps, so the result is the same.

Drops on a code editor (for example in Files or the Scratchpad) or on a terminal do not open the dialog. When you drag over these areas, the app does not show Drop folders to import. Drop the folders on a different part of the window.

If you drop a file on a different part of the window, the dialog shows it as a row with the problem This is a file. Drop a folder. The app does not import it.

While the Import projects dialog is open, the folders that you drop are added to its list. When another dialog is open, the app ignores the drop.

Choose a folder

1. Click Import in the top bar.
2. Drag folders into the dialog, or click Choose folder.
3. To add more folders, drop them on the window again, or click choose a folder below the list.

Review the list

Each row shows:

• The project name. For a folder without DDEV, you can change the name. The app makes it from the folder name in kebab-case, and adds a number if another project already uses the name.
• The stack, for example Laravel, Drupal 11, .NET or Node.js. See Stack detection.
• DDEV, if the folder has a DDEV configuration.
• The PHP version of a DDEV project.
• The folder path.

The app does not import a row that has a problem. The row shows the reason in red:

Problem	What to do
A project with the same name exists	For a folder without DDEV, change the name. For a DDEV project, change name in .ddev/config.yaml.
Another row uses the same name	Change one of the names, or remove one row.
The name is not valid	Use lowercase letters, numbers and hyphens. Start and end with a letter or number.
The folder does not exist, or it is a file	Remove the row.
DDEV is not installed	Install DDEV, then drop the folder again.
The folder is being imported now	Wait until the import is complete.

For a DDEV project with a problem, click Open folder to open the project folder.

If a folder is already a project in the app, the row shows Already in DevWorkspace Pro. Click Open to go to that project. If the project is hidden, click Show and open. This shows the project again on the dashboard.

To remove a row, click ×. The footer shows how many projects are ready to import, and how many rows it skips.

Import

Click Import project, or Import N projects, or press Enter. While the app checks the folders, the button shows Checking folders…. The dialog closes, and a notification shows each step.

• If you import one project, the app opens it. If you go to a different page during the import, the app does not open it. Click Open in the notification.
• If you import more than one, click View projects in the notification.
• A new DDEV project is stopped. Click Start in the notification, or start it later.

If a folder fails, the notification shows the folder and the error. The other folders are still imported.

Your DDEV configuration does not change

To add a project to DDEV, the app runs ddev config --auto in the project folder. This command rewrites .ddev/config.yaml, so the app then puts back the original file, byte for byte, including your comments. DDEV can still add generated files in .ddev, for example .ddev/traefik. ddev start also adds these files.