How to Open QField Projects in QGIS on a PC

Introduction

After you finish fieldwork with QField, you need to transfer the data you collected to QGIS before you can use it there. This article explains, separately for Android and iOS, how to transfer data collected in QField to a PC and open it correctly in QGIS.

The examples use a QField project that includes a polygon feature newly added in the field.

Transfer a QField project to a PC (Android)

Transfer a QField project to a PC

There are several ways to transfer a QField project from an Android device. The first is to connect the Android device to the PC over USB and copy the project folder to the PC.

First, find out where the project is saved. Tap the folder button in the main menu to see the path to the project.

For example, when you connect an Android device to a Windows PC over USB, the device name appears under This PC in File Explorer. Select it, go to the path you checked earlier, and copy the QField project folder to the PC.

The second method is to compress the project package into a ZIP file and send it by email or a cloud service. This way, you can transfer the project more easily and smoothly.

For this method, you need to go to the home screen. If a project is open, tap Return home in the main menu.

On the home screen, tap Open local file.

Go to the folder that contains the project, tap the ... button to the right of the project folder, and then select Send compressed folder to.

When the project is compressed into a ZIP file, you can choose an available app to send the file.

Transfer datasets individually

If there is a limit on file size, or you want to transfer only specific data, you can also transfer individual datasets only.

To do this, open the project and tap the folder button in the main menu. Then tap the ... button to the right of the layer you want to transfer and select Send to.

As above, choose an available app to transfer the layer to the PC.

Transfer a QField project to a PC (iOS)

Transfer a QField project to a PC

You have several options for transferring a QField project on iOS.

The first method is to connect the iPhone to the PC over USB. For example, on a Mac, when you connect the iPhone over USB, select iPhone under Locations in Finder and open the Files tab. Then drag and drop the folder inside QField to any location to transfer the data.

The second method is to send the files with an app such as email or a cloud service.

Open the Files app on the iPhone and open the folder that contains the QField project. Touch and hold the folder to show a pop-up menu, then select Compress.

When the project is compressed into a ZIP file, touch and hold the ZIP file and tap the Share button. Then choose an available app, such as email or a cloud sharing service, to send the file.

Transfer datasets individually

To transfer only individual datasets, use the Files app, just as when you transfer a QField project to a PC.

Open the Files app and open the folder that contains the QField project. Touch and hold the GeoPackage file or other file you want to transfer, then tap the Share button in the menu that appears to send the file.

Check project updates in QGIS

After you transfer the QField project to the PC, check the updates in QGIS. If the transferred project is a compressed file, unzip it first.

To check the QField project, just open the .qgs file in the transferred QField project with QGIS. The features you added in QField then appear in QGIS.

Note that opening the QField project this way leaves you with multiple project files, because the original QGIS project is still there. So be careful when you overwrite or delete the original project folder or files, to avoid mistakes.

Conclusion

This article introduced a simple way to transfer an updated QField project to QGIS. Because QField and QGIS have similar file structures, you can check the results on your PC right away.