• The first case is the easiest, because here you can always transfer the entire project as a MAXQDA project from one computer to another, knowing that all team members always have the same data pool. However, you can never have two people coding project documents or creating memos simultaneously on different. Evaluation in which no new codes are created, no variable values are changed and no new memos are assigned can of course be carried out simultaneously.
• The transfer of MAXQDA projects is very easy: MAXQDA saves all aspects of the project in a MX12 file. If you name a project “ForumAnalysis,” it will be saved on your computer as “ForumAnalysis.mx12.”

The project file can be transferred to other team members in the form of a single file. It can also be sent by email. It can also be saved in the shared folder of a cloud system, such as Dropbox or Onedrive.

If the MX12 project file is opened on any other computer where MAXQDA 12 is installed, the entire project appears with all its components.

If you want to set up the project, so that various members of the team can work on it at the same time, it is recommended that you start by importing all documents into a MAXQDA project on one computer, and then sending a copy of that file to everyone in the team. This saves you the work of importing the files on each individual’s computer and guarantees that everyone will have the exact same data set.

Sharing Projects that have External Files

If you have associated audio or video files to documents or if you did not import very large PDF or image files, they will not be saved in the project file, but rather in a folder for external files (path listed under Project > Preferences (Windows) or MAXQDA 12 > Preferences (Mac)). If you want to share these files along with the project file, follow these steps:

1. Send the project (MX12) file.
2. Group all the external files together by selecting Project > Bundle external data files. A compressed ZIP folder with those files attached to the project will then appear in the same folder as your MX12 file, which you can then send to your team members
3. Pass on this file to your fellow researchers. The file can be very large, especially if it contains audio and video data. It can therefore not be sent via email but rather using a cloud system or USB stick.

Procedure for Receiving the Files

1. Open the MX12 file.
2. Select the Unpack bundled data files option from the Project drop-down menu and choose the ZIP file that was sent with the external files. MAXQDA unpacks these external files and puts them in the appropriate folder, so that they are connected to the newly-opened project.