When exporting and importing security settings, the typical workflow is to export the security settings of the current folder structure, and then import them to another matching or closely matching folder structure. This way you can quickly apply an entire folder structure’s security settings to another folder structure.

The export process creates an Excel file on the local file system, in which the security settings of the current folder structure are stored. When you go to import, the security settings of the top level folder in the Excel file will be imported to the current folder selected in the Access Control tab. The name of the current folder and the top level folder in the Excel file do not need to match. To import the security settings from subfolders in the Excel file, there must be matching subfolders at the same levels under the current folder selected in the Access Control tab. The importation of security settings down any branch of the current folder structure stops if or once a subfolder is reached that does not have a matching subfolder in the Excel file. If there is a subfolder in the Excel file which does not have a matching subfolder (at a matching level) in the current folder structure, those settings will be ignored during import.