How to export Lovable code: GitHub, ZIP and download

Which export method to use

Plan requirements as documented by Lovable in GitHub integration and View and edit your project's code, checked on 17 September 2026.

Export Lovable code to GitHub

1. Open Project settings → Git → GitHub. The same option is in the chat's + menu under Connectors → GitHub.
2. Click Connect next to the GitHub connection of your workspace. The first time, GitHub asks you to authorise Lovable.
3. Lovable creates a new private repository and starts syncing. Every change you make in Lovable is pushed to it.
4. To get a ZIP without a paid plan, open the repository on GitHub and use Code → Download ZIP.

How the sync behaves. Lovable syncs one branch at a time, main by default. Commits you push to that branch from your own editor come back into Lovable; commits on other branches do not. You can switch the synced branch or create a new one from the branch picker in the same settings screen.

Download Lovable code as a ZIP

1. Open Project settings → Git and use the Download codebase section, or open the code editor and click Download codebase at the bottom of the file panel.
2. Your browser saves the whole project as a .zip file.

The button needs a paid plan and edit access to the project. On Enterprise workspaces an admin can restrict it to admins and owners. On the free plan the code editor is read-only and only single files can be downloaded, so use the GitHub route above.

What is inside the export

A normal front-end project with nothing proprietary to unlock. What the folders look like depends on when the app was created:

• Apps created before 13 May 2026 are React + Vite: index.html, src/main.tsx, routes in src/App.tsx, one component per page in src/pages.
• Apps created from 13 May 2026 use TanStack Start with server-side rendering: file-based routes in src/routes, with __root.tsx as the shared layout.
• Both have src/components (with the shadcn/ui pieces in components/ui), a global stylesheet with the design tokens as CSS variables, images in public or src/assets, and package.json.

If the app uses Lovable Cloud as its backend, the code expects the environment variables VITE_SUPABASE_URL, VITE_SUPABASE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY and VITE_SUPABASE_PROJECT_ID. The database itself is not in the export; it stays in Lovable Cloud.

Run the exported project

npm install
npm run dev      # local development server
npm run build    # production build

Lovable recommends Node 22. For React + Vite apps the build writes the site to dist/, and VITE_ variables are baked in at build time, so set them before you build. The exact commands for your project are in the scripts section of package.json. Lovable's external deployment guide covers hosting the build elsewhere, and our Lovable hosting guide compares the options.

Common export problems

• There is no Download codebase button. You are on the free plan, or an Enterprise admin restricted downloads. Connect GitHub and download the ZIP there.
• Commits from your editor do not appear in Lovable. Check that you pushed to the synced branch. If GitHub's notification was missed, the commit shows up after your next push.
• Sync stopped after you moved the repository. Renaming a repository is safe. Transferring it to another owner, or renaming your GitHub account or organisation, breaks the connection; Lovable support can re-attach a transferred repository.
• You deleted the repository. Restore it on GitHub, or disconnect and reconnect in Lovable to create a new one.

What to do with the exported code

Most people export for one of three reasons:

• Keep building with developer tools. Clone the repository, work in your editor, and let the sync bring changes back into Lovable.
• Host it somewhere else. The build runs on Netlify, Vercel, Cloudflare Pages or your own server. See where to host a Lovable site.
• Move the site to WordPress. Drop the ZIP, or paste the repository URL, into the IQDesk converter. It turns the project into an editable WordPress block theme, shows it next to your published Lovable site so you can check every page, and lets you download the theme. Converting is free.

The full migration route, from export to an installed WordPress theme:

1. Export the code with either method above.
2. Copy the published address of your Lovable site (yourproject.lovable.app or your custom domain) for the side-by-side comparison.
3. Load the project in the converter and choose which pages, products and forms to convert.
4. Review each page against the original; ask the AI agent to fix what differs.
5. Download the theme ZIP, then in WordPress go to Appearance → Themes → Add New → Upload Theme, activate it and open the home page once.

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