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To back up an SCCM (now Microsoft Configuration Manager) custom collection, export it to a Managed Object Format (MOF) file. Restore it by importing that file in the Configuration Manager console or with PowerShell. This preserves a collection definition; it is not a backup of the Configuration Manager site or its database. Microsoft documents collection export and import as a way to back up custom collections, but referenced collections are not included.
Choose the right backup for your goal
| What you need to preserve | Documented method | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| A custom collection definition | Export and import a collection MOF | The selected collection; referenced collections are excluded. Microsoft’s Export-CMCollection reference and collection management guidance describe this path. |
| A Configuration Manager site or database | Use the Backup Site Server maintenance task or a manually recovered site database backup | Site recovery material, including the site database and specified files and settings. Follow Microsoft’s backup and recovery documentation. |
| A saved Configuration Manager query | Export and import a query MOF | The query object, separately from a collection. See Export-CMQuery and Import-CMQuery. |
For a collection-only backup or transfer, use the collection MOF workflow below. A site recovery requires the separate site backup and recovery process; exporting collections does not substitute for it.
Export a collection to a MOF file
Using PowerShell
Run Configuration Manager cmdlets from the Configuration Manager site drive, such as PS XYZ:>. Microsoft documents exporting a collection by name, ID, or collection object. For example:
Export-CMCollection -Name "testUser" -ExportFilePath "C:collection.mof"The file path is an example; choose a destination that is backed up and accessible to the administrator who will perform the import. For routine exports of multiple collections, use distinct, stable filenames so names that are duplicated or unsuitable for file paths do not overwrite one another.
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Using the Configuration Manager console
- Open the Configuration Manager console and go to Assets and Compliance.
- Open Device Collections or User Collections, as appropriate.
- Select the collection, then choose Export to open the Export Collection Wizard.
- Save the resulting MOF file in the location where you keep collection backups or transfer files.
Microsoft says the exported file can be archived or imported into another Configuration Manager site. Console labels can vary by installed release, so use the matching documentation if the menu differs.
Account for referenced collections before importing
Microsoft warns: “When you export a collection, referenced collections aren’t exported.” A referenced collection is one used by the selected collection through an Include or Exclude rule. The exported MOF therefore should not be treated as a self-contained package of every collection it depends on.
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- Before export, record the collection’s limiting collection and any Include or Exclude collection references.
- Export or otherwise preserve dependency collections separately when they are needed in the destination site.
- After import, confirm that those references resolve to the intended collections and that membership rules produce the expected membership.
Import the collection
Using PowerShell
Run the import from the Configuration Manager site drive in the target site:
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Import-CMCollection -ImportFilePath "C:pathcollection.mof"Use the actual path to the previously exported MOF. Microsoft describes this cmdlet as importing a collection from an exported MOF file. Review the imported collection in the target site before relying on it.
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Using the console
Use the Configuration Manager console’s collection import workflow and select the exported MOF file. The exact wizard labels may depend on the installed Configuration Manager release; consult that release’s console guidance if they differ.
Validate the result in the target site
Do not assume that an imported definition restores every related object or all surrounding configuration. The Microsoft collection guidance lists collection-related areas such as membership rules, limiting collections, deployments, maintenance windows, and collection variables, but does not establish that every such property is included in every MOF export. Check what matters to your environment:
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- Confirm the imported collection’s name, intended collection type, limiting collection, and membership rules.
- Check Include and Exclude references and verify that their targets exist and are correct.
- Review actual membership after the collection evaluates.
- Separately verify deployments, maintenance windows, and collection variables if the restored collection must operate with those settings.
For a saved query that also needs to move, use the query export/import cmdlets separately; a query MOF and a collection MOF represent different objects.
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The Backup Site Server maintenance task creates site recovery material rather than a collection-only export. Microsoft’s backup guidance identifies the site database, specified registry keys, folders and files, and the CD.Latest folder among its contents. It also documents a manually recovered site database backup as another supported site recovery method.
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Microsoft recommends that the default site backup task run at least once every five days, tied to SQL Server change tracking retention. This is guidance for the site backup task, not a required schedule for exporting individual collections. The task is available for central administration sites and primary sites, but not for secondary sites or site system servers; its enabled-by-default status differs by site type, so check the maintenance task configuration and the documentation for your installed release.
Check that a site backup completed
- Inspect timestamps in the configured destination folder for a recent backup.
- Check SMS_SITE_BACKUP component status messages; Microsoft identifies message ID 5035 as successful completion.
- Review
Smsbkup.login the destination folder for “Backup completed” andSTATMSG: ID=5035.
For the actual site restore workflow, use Microsoft’s backup and recovery guide and the recovery plan for your Configuration Manager version.
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