If you need to copy all, or some, data from one Cliniko account to a different Cliniko account, we can help! Whether you've purchased a new business, sold your business, or are going out on your own—and have already been using Cliniko—we'll be able to assist you in copying your data across to your new Cliniko account.
Please note that this data transfer service is a process that we will work on with you—not something that you'll need to do yourself. Please don't import spreadsheets or manually add any information into your destination Cliniko account before the transfer, as duplication will result when your data is copied across from the source Cliniko account.
The very first step is booking your transfer date! We sometimes book months in advance, so we strongly recommend you book as soon as you can to avoid further delays:
Once you've done that, please read through the guide below. It's important to review each section thoroughly, as it outlines your role in the transfer, and what we do for you.
The guide is broken into the following sections:
If you have any questions on what's mentioned here, just ask!
Access to your Cliniko accounts
For a Cliniko to Cliniko transfer, we’ll refer to the account the data is being copied from as the "source account", and the account data is going into as the "destination account". You will need to create the new destination account, if it does not already exist. This is done by clicking the Get started button a the top of the page at https://www.cliniko.com/.
The transfer process does not alter or remove any data from the source account; all transferred data is duplicated into the destination account only.
To read data from the source account and copy it into the destination account, we’ll need the Cliniko account URLs, as well as API keys to both accounts. In the electronic form sent to you, we ask for these details. Here's how to get them:
Cliniko account URLs
The URLs can be found in your browser address bar when you are logged in to Cliniko, and will look something like https://{your-clinic}.cliniko.com. This is required so that we can confirm we’re copying between the correct accounts.
Source Cliniko account API key
Please log in to your source Cliniko account to generate the API key. You'll need to be logged in as an administrator user so that the API key generated has the required data access permissions. Please see our guide on generating a Cliniko API key.
To have the correct permissions, the source API key must belong to an administrator user.
Destination Cliniko account API key
Please log in to your destination Cliniko account to generate the API key. You'll need to be logged in as an administrator user who is also an active practitioner, so that the API key generated has the required data access permissions. Please see our guide on generating a Cliniko API key.
To have the correct permissions, the destination API key must belong to an administrator user who is also a practitioner. Please do not give us an API key for an administrator that is not also a practitioner.
Your API keys are like passwords, and must be handled with care. It is very important that this information is transmitted to us securely. When you book a transfer date, you'll be sent a confirmation email which includes a link to a secure electronic form. This form is where you can securely communicate your API keys and other information to us. If you miss the confirmation email, another link to the same form will be sent in a reminder email closer to your transfer date. Please let us know if you do not receive these emails.
Owner/administrator consent
Taking a copy of any data from a Cliniko account is a big deal, and we'll need to ensure we have consent to do this. We’ll need to perform some verification of an owner or administrator of the source account to get permission to copy data, so please ensure a mobile number is included in all administrator user profiles, as we will need to send a verification code to an owner/administrator mobile phone. We will also need to notify all account owners and administrators of the planned transfer.
You will need to ask the account administrator/owner to contact us to verify the transfer.
Setting up the destination account
There is some setup in the destination Cliniko account that you’ll need to complete prior to transfer. These are things that we cannot transfer, or are specific to the destination account.
Required - Please ensure the following items are set up as soon as possible:
All required users and practitioners are created,
All sites/locations of your business are set up as Cliniko business locations,
Your time zones have been set correctly (to ensure that appointments get copied to the right spots),
Mobile phone numbers have been added to the admin user's account so that we can authenticate prior to transfer, and
Credit card added to the account to lift the file upload limit (no subscription fees are processed until your trial period expires)
While not required prior to transfer, letter templates are not transferred and will need to be set up manually in the destination account. See our guide on letter templates if you are unsure how to create these.
Past practitioners
Note that when we transfer appointments, we will need a practitioner assigned to the appointment. This is a little complicated for instances where the practitioner is no longer with you and therefore not in Cliniko. In these cases, please let us know whether you would prefer to assign the appointments to:
A generic ‘Former practitioner’ that you create in Cliniko,
Another active practitioner in Cliniko, or
Exclude them entirely.
Alternatively, you may create all your specific members of staff (past and present) in Cliniko, and we’ll assign all appointments correctly. You can set those former practitioners as inactive, as your Cliniko subscription price is based on the total number of active practitioners.
File attachments
As mentioned, Cliniko limits the volume of patient attachments in trial accounts. To remove this limit, please add your billing details into your account. Your free trial will continue until completion, and your credit card will not be charged until your trial period has expired.
You can quickly search for and find our guides and help articles to assist you with the setup process on our help site, here.
What do we transfer?
The transfer process does not alter or remove any data from the source account; all transferred data is duplicated into the destination account only.
Transfers from Cliniko to Cliniko include the following data types:
Patients ✩
Individual appointments ✩
Group appointments ✩
Unavailable Blocks
Appointment attendance status (arrived, DNA, cancelled)
Treatment notes (but not including body chart questions)✩
Patient attachments/files
Medical alerts
The following types are also optional:
All products
All billable items
All concession types
All contacts
All treatment note templates
All appointment types✩✩ (including colour, but not including communications templates or related billable item, product, or treatment note template)
✩ These entities are filterable by either business or practitioners. For example, if you are moving data belonging to a single practitioner, we will only transfer patients, appointments, treatment notes, etc. linked to that practitioner.
✩✩ When transferring appointments, we will use the appointment types from the source account. If you choose not to transfer appointment types, the source appointment types will only be used for copied appointments, and not be copied further into the destination account.
Once we’ve finished the transfer, you will need to review your appointment types within Cliniko and finish setting them up (assign practitioners to them, assign colours, relate billable items and treatment note templates, assign reminder templates, and so on). Transfers can take anywhere from a few hours to a day, depending on the volume of data being copied.
Prior to the data transfer, please avoid performing any data imports for:
Patients
Products
Contacts
Appointment types
Billable items
We will import all of these as part of the Cliniko-to-Cliniko transfer. If that data is already in your destination Cliniko account, it will be duplicated.
Please let us know if you have any further queries about this.
What don’t we transfer?
Unfortunately, all financial details are excluded from transfer. There is not a way to import financial data into Cliniko, even from an existing Cliniko account. This includes:
Invoices
Payments
Credits
Account statements
Appointment invoice/payment statuses
If you'd like to record prior payment history or outstanding debts in Cliniko, you can create an opening balance for those patients. This is not considered revenue and will not affect Cliniko's reporting.
In addition, the following items are not transferrable and must be set up manually where needed:
Users and practitioners, practitioner reference numbers
Businesses, including uploaded logos and business settings
Cases
Expenses and stock adjustments
Integrations
Recalls and recall types
Custom marketing referral sources
Body chart treatment note questions
Communications
Waitlist
Report history
Letters and letter templates
Patient forms and form templates
All communication templates (email and SMS)
Filtering
The following filters are available to you for transferring a subset of the source account’s data:
Businesses
Practitioners
All data (no filter)
Please let us know which of these filters you want to use (only one may be selected) and the specific businesses/practitioners we should filter on.
If you select a business, keep in mind that some data like notes and file attachments are not assigned to a particular business. In this case, we will filter your patient list by the business, and then transfer all notes and file attachments associated with those patients.
On the day of the transfer
We shouldn’t need to hassle you much on the day of the transfer, unless some of the above information or setup is missing, or we still need to verify an owner/administrator, so please ensure that you're contactable on the day. We’ll get started in the morning (AEDT) and let you know when we're done! If it's looking like taking longer than that day, we’ll be sure to reach out and keep you informed of progress.
There is nothing stopping you from using either account on the day of transfer, but there are a couple of things to be mindful of.
We take a "snapshot" of the data from the source account early in the transfer process, and any data entered into the source account from that point forward will not be part of the transfer to the destination account. It is best to note down any data entered that day, and manually enter what is missing into the destination account once the transfer is completed.
In the destination account, do not archive or delete any data, or merge or delete any patient files. Doing so will upset the transfer process and restrict our ability to help if anything needs review after the transfer is completed. We strongly recommended to avoid any actions like this until the transfer is complete and all parties are satisfied that the transfer has been completed exactly as requested.
When the transfer is completed, you’ll be able to use your data within Cliniko immediately. If there’s anything you’d like to confirm or discuss prior to transfer, please do let us know—we’re here to help!
The final checklist
Having all of this done before the transfer takes place is super important. Please be sure that each item on these lists has been attended to prior to your transfer date!
Please be sure that you have completed the following:
The transfer date has been booked
Completed the secure form to:
Let us know your API keys and Cliniko URLs (see instructions)
Let us know which filtering option to use (see filtering info)
Let us know which optional data types you need transferred (see optional data types)
Let us know how you want any former/inactive practitioner appointments assigned in the destination account (see details)
Specific to the new (destination) Cliniko account:
[Required] Practitioners have been created, both active and inactive (see guide)
[Strongly recommended] All administrator user accounts have mobile numbers
[Required] Business locations have been created, both active and inactive (see guide)
[Required] Payment method added to your Cliniko account, to lift the file upload limitation (see guide)
After transfer, these destination account items will need attending to (non appointment type items can be addressed prior to transfer):
Ensure all required appointments types are created (see guide) and archive unwanted appointment types
Set practitioners as providers of appointment types (see guide)
Set up and relate confirmation and reminder templates to transferred appointment types (see guide)
Create all required letter templates (see guide)
We know that transferring from another Cliniko account is a big deal, and we want to help make the process as easy as possible for you. If you have any questions on anything at all, please reach out to us. We're always available to help!
We are easiest reached from within Cliniko by clicking Help on the blue sidebar, and clicking Chat with us!