--- title: "How to export my Bolt app and run it elsewhere" description: "Bolt exports code as a zip or a GitHub repository, but not your data or keys. How to export, run it locally and deploy it on your own host." url: https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/how-to-export-my-bolt-app --- [Home](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/) / [Problems](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems) / [Code and ownership](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems#code-and-ownership) # How to export my Bolt app and run it elsewhere VC-47 · Bolt · Updated October 2026 · By [Nathaniel Kelley](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/authors/nathaniel-kelley) Quick verdict You can fix this yourself. Download or GitHub sync, both inside the Bolt UI - **How serious**: Medium - **Fix it yourself?**: Yes, you can fix this yourself - **Typical cost**: Nothing yourself, $300–$25,000 to move off the builder with help ([prices](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/pricing)) - **Top rated for Bolt**: [Afterbuild Labs](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/afterbuild-labs) · **10.0**/10 **What you see.** You want the Bolt project on your own computer, in GitHub, or on a different host, and are not sure what comes with it. ## Why it happens Bolt runs your project in a browser-based environment and keeps the files in its own storage. There are two ways out. The download gives you a zip of the project, which you unpack and run with `npm install && npm run dev` after installing Node.js. The GitHub integration creates a private repository on a `main` branch and commits each change Bolt makes that does not break the project. Bolt also checks GitHub about every 30 seconds and pulls in changes made outside it. Two things to know. Disconnecting a project from GitHub is permanent and you cannot reconnect it yourself. And the export is code only. Your Supabase database, your users, your Stripe keys and your Netlify settings are not in the zip or the repository. The older Export to StackBlitz option is unavailable for projects on Bolt's new code storage format. ## Fix it yourself 1. Connect GitHub first. Click the **GitHub icon** top right, log in, install the GitHub App, enter a name and click **Create repository**. Wait for **Synced to GitHub** in the status panel. 2. Take a snapshot too. Click the project title top left, then **Download**, and keep the zip somewhere safe. 3. To run it on your computer, install Node.js, unzip the folder, open a terminal there and run `npm install && npm run dev`. 4. Set the environment variables in the new place. The Supabase URL and publishable key are safe in a frontend build. A secret key never is. 5. Deploy from the GitHub repository to Netlify or Vercel. Keep Bolt connected if you still prompt in Bolt, and remember Bolt keeps its own version when both sides change at once. 6. Do not click Disconnect to tidy up. It is permanent, and reconnecting to the same repository needs Bolt support. ## When to get an engineer Hire help when the app has a backend you do not understand, when the Supabase project is tied to the Bolt integration, or when you want the move done with no downtime. Give the engineer the GitHub link, the Supabase project reference, and a list of every third-party service the app uses. Moving off the builder costs $300–$25,000 depending on how much backend has to be set up again. A simple frontend move sits at the low end. ## Top-rated companies for Bolt apps Ranked by our score: published prices, scope of work, AI tools named, timing and a low-risk first step. [How we score](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/methodology#score). - 1 · [Afterbuild Labs](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/afterbuild-labs) · **10.0**/10 · Best for: A check before launch · Free first step · from $49 - 2 · [Redlab](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/redlab) · **10.0**/10 · Best for: A full rescue by one team that keeps building · Free first step · from $490 - 3 · [Vibe Code Rescue (Lev Arakelyan)](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/companies/vibe-code-rescue-lev-arakelyan) · **9.0**/10 · Best for: A one-off check and a cleanup · From $299 [All 48 Bolt companies, ranked](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/best/bolt-developers) ## Check these CODE-01 · High The code lives in a Git repository you own Connect GitHub or export the project. If the builder account is lost, the product should not be. OPS-04 · Medium Secrets live in the host's environment settings Keys belong in environment variables on the server, not in the repository or in front-end code. CODE-04 · Medium Dependencies are current and audited Run `npm audit`. Critical advisories in packages you ship should be fixed before launch. OPS-02 · High Testing and real users use separate databases Experiments and AI agents should never run against production data. ## Questions ### Will I lose the ability to keep building in Bolt? No. GitHub sync is two-way. Bolt pushes its changes and pulls changes made outside it, so you can keep prompting while a developer works in the repository. ### Does the export include my database and users? No. Only code. Your data lives in Supabase or whichever backend Bolt connected, and moves separately. Sources: [Bolt Help Center: GitHub for version control](https://support.bolt.new/integrations/git); [Bolt Help Center: Manage your projects](https://support.bolt.new/building/using-bolt/projects-files); [Supabase docs: API keys](https://supabase.com/docs/guides/getting-started/api-keys). **Bolt guide** What Bolt builds, where it breaks and how to check it: [Bolt app rescue: moving a Bolt.new project to production](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/guides/bolt). **Same category** - [Lovable Cloud to Supabase: how to move your data and keep the app working](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/lovable-cloud-to-supabase-migration) - [I don't own my code and there is no GitHub repo](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/i-dont-own-my-code-no-github-repo) - [Can I export my Base44 app?](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/can-i-export-my-base44-app) - [How to move my Replit app off Replit](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/how-to-move-my-replit-app-off-replit) - [The codebase is too messy for anyone to continue](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/codebase-too-messy-for-anyone-to-continue) - [Handing an AI-built app to a developer: what they need from you](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems/handing-an-ai-built-app-to-a-developer) [All code and ownership problems](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/problems#code-and-ownership) **Run every check** The [production checklist](https://whocanfixmyapp.com/checklist) has all 24 checks with a verdict.