Convert Qualtrics to LimeSurvey (QSF to LSS)
Upload the .qsf export of your Qualtrics survey, review the imported structure question by question, and download a LimeSurvey 6-ready .lss file. Structure migrates automatically; platform-specific logic is reported for manual rebuild — never silently dropped.
Why teams move from Qualtrics to LimeSurvey
The usual drivers are cost and control. Qualtrics is licensed per seat and per feature, while LimeSurvey is open source and can be self-hosted, which matters for budget-constrained research groups and for organizations with strict data-residency requirements. Universities that lose institutional Qualtrics access at the end of a project, public-sector teams that must keep respondent data on their own servers, and GDPR-sensitive studies are the most common migration cases we see.
The obstacle is that neither platform reads the other's files. Qualtrics exports a JSON-based .qsf file; LimeSurvey imports an XML-based .lss file that mirrors its database tables. Rebuilding a 60-question survey by hand takes hours and invites transcription errors — options in the wrong order, a missing matrix row, a mistyped export code that breaks the analysis script downstream. A structural converter removes exactly that manual, error-prone part.
This tool parses the QSF the same way Qualtrics wrote it: SurveyEntry metadata becomes the survey title and language, each survey block becomes a LimeSurvey question group (the Trash block is skipped and reported), each SQ payload becomes a question with the closest native LimeSurvey type, and every DataExportTag is preserved as the question code so your response columns keep their names after the move.
Question type mapping: Qualtrics → LimeSurvey
| Qualtrics question | QSF encoding | LimeSurvey result |
|---|---|---|
| Multiple choice (single answer) | MC / SAVR | List radio (L) |
| Multiple choice (multi answer) | MC / MAVR | Multiple choice (M), options as subquestions |
| Dropdown list | MC / DL | List dropdown (!) |
| Text entry (single line) | TE / SL | Short free text (S) |
| Text entry (essay) | TE / ML or ESTB | Long free text (T) |
| Matrix (Likert, single answer) | Matrix / Likert / SingleAnswer | Array (F) |
| Matrix (Likert, multi answer) | Matrix / Likert / MultipleAnswer | Array (F) — verify multi-select behavior |
| Rank order | RO / DND | Ranking (R) |
| Slider | Slider / HSLIDER | Slider-style question — review scale after import |
| Descriptive text / graphic | DB / TB | Text display (X) |
| Heat map, signature, other advanced types | various | Long free text (T) + import warning |
Anything outside this table imports as a long-text question and is named in the import warnings together with its original QuestionType/Selector pair, so nothing disappears without a trace.
Migration steps
1. Export the QSF from Qualtrics
In Qualtrics open the survey, go to Tools → Import/Export → Export Survey, and save the .qsf file. The QSF contains the full survey definition: blocks, questions, choices, and export tags.
2. Upload the .qsf file
Upload the .qsf to the converter with LimeSurvey LSS selected as the target format. Platform files are parsed deterministically — no AI extraction, no waiting on model calls.
3. Review the imported structure
The review screen shows every block as a question group with its questions, options, and matrix rows and columns. Import warnings list display logic, branches, and any question type that was degraded.
4. Download the LSS file
Confirm the schema and download a LimeSurvey 6-compatible .lss file. A legacy LSS variant is available for older LimeSurvey installations.
5. Import into LimeSurvey and rebuild logic
In LimeSurvey choose Surveys → Create survey → Import, select the .lss file, then rebuild the flagged display logic as relevance equations and test the survey end to end.
What does not migrate automatically
Qualtrics expresses conditions as display logic, skip logic, and survey-flow branches; LimeSurvey expresses them as relevance equations written in its own expression language. There is no faithful automatic translation between the two systems, so this converter deliberately does not guess. Every question that carries display logic keeps the raw Qualtrics expression attached, and the review screen lists a warning per affected question. Flow-level features — branches, randomizers, embedded data fields, end-of-survey elements — are reported the same way.
Budget the rebuild realistically: a screener with three or four skip conditions takes minutes in the LimeSurvey condition designer, while a diary study with dozens of nested branches deserves a dedicated testing pass. Quotas, custom themes, and Qualtrics contact lists are out of scope entirely and stay on the source platform.
Migration checklist
Before: export the .qsf and note which questions carry logic (Qualtrics marks them in the editor).
During review: compare group count, question count, and option lists against the Qualtrics editor.
After import: rebuild flagged logic as relevance equations, then run a full test response in LimeSurvey preview.
Reverse direction? See LimeSurvey to Qualtrics.
Format details: What is a QSF file · What is an LSS file