When a client asks for their Framer site's code

When a client asks for their Framer site's code, the honest answer is that Framer doesn't export code, so there is no file to hand over, but there are ways to get them one. Ask what they need it for first: often they want security (a backup), independence (another host or developer), or a feature Framer can't do. Then offer the matching option: a backup and CMS export, a transfer of the Framer project, a code conversion of the published site, or a rebuild. The client owns the site, so whatever you offer happens with their permission and ends with them holding the result.

This post is for Framer freelancers and agencies. Deframer is an independent tool and is not affiliated with, endorsed or sponsored by Framer.

Why is there no code to give them?

A Framer site is built in Framer's editor and served by Framer's hosting. What exists is the Framer project and the published site, which Framer's runtime renders. Framer has no export for the site's code or HTML. So when a client says "send me the code", they're asking for something that doesn't exist as a file yet. Explaining this early prevents the impression that you're holding something back.

A simple way to put it: "Framer is like a hosted app, not a folder of files. The design lives in the Framer project. If you need code, we create it from the published site."

First, ask what they need it for

The right option depends on the reason. Common ones:

The four options to offer

1. Transfer the Framer project

If the project sits in your workspace, the most basic form of ownership is moving it to the client's own Framer account or workspace, so they hold the project, the plan and the billing. Check Framer's current help pages for how project transfer works. This doesn't give them code, but it often answers the real worry: "if we stop working with you, do we lose our site?"

2. Set up a backup

A backup keeps copies that don't depend on any account: CMS collections exported with plugins as CSV or JSON, original images and fonts, and a code copy of the pages. How to back up a Framer site is a full routine you can run for clients as a service.

3. Convert the published site to code

If they want a codebase, convert the published site. Deframer reads the files the published site serves and writes a TypeScript project for Next.js, Astro, TanStack Start, React Router or Vite: routes with metadata, components with CSS modules, CMS collections as JSON, forms as API routes, animations on motion, no Framer runtime. What you get in a converted project shows the folders; send the client's developer that link.

Converting is free, so you can show the client the result before anyone pays. Downloading the code needs proof that the site is theirs:

1. In Deframer, copy your personal verification code, a one-line meta tag.
2. Ask the client (or do it with their access) to paste it in the site's Site Settings, Custom Code, at the end of the <head>, and publish.
3. Click Check again in Deframer. The download unlocks for 1 credit.

The client publishing your tag is their permission, on record. Verifying Framer site ownership covers the details. If the tag can't be published, a direct download costs 10 credits after confirming ownership or permission.

4. Rebuild in code

For a site that's about to change a lot (a new backend, a new design system) a rebuild by a developer may make more sense than converting. A conversion can still help as a reference for exact styles, spacing and animation timings. What a migration costs compares the effort.

Handing over a converted project

If you convert, hand over properly:

1. Put the code in the client's repository, in their Git organization, or transfer yours to them.
2. Include the README. The converted project's README lists every route and a "Where to edit" table.
3. List the environment variables. For forms, FORMS_WEBHOOK_URL or a per-form variable, documented in .env.example.
4. Note the asset choice. With "Assets on Framer's CDN" (the default), images and fonts still load from Framer's CDN; with "Assets in the project", they're in public/. If the client plans to cancel Framer, use the second.
5. Write down what's not covered: the visual editor stays in Framer; content edits become code changes unless a headless CMS is added.
6. Remove the verification tag from Framer if they like; it's only needed to download, and it never ships in the converted code.

Hand off a Framer site to developers is a fuller checklist for the receiving developer.

What about sites you built on a template?

If the site started from a Framer template, the template's license applies to its design. Converting the client's published site doesn't change that license; check it before reusing the design elsewhere. The client's own content and changes are theirs.

A reply you can adapt

Thanks for asking. Framer doesn't export code: the site lives in the Framer project, and Framer hosts it. Depending on what you need, there are a few ways to get you full control. >If you want security, I can move the project into your own Framer account and set up a backup of your content and a code copy. If your developer wants to work on it, I can convert the published site into a Next.js project in TypeScript, which you'd own and host wherever you like. That needs a one-line verification tag published on your site, which proves the site is yours. >Can you tell me what you'd like to do with the code? Then I'll suggest the simplest option and send a quote.

Charging for it

Transfers and backups are usually quick. A conversion with handover, review and deployment is a small project; price it by the hours it takes. If the client buys their own credits through your affiliate link, you can earn a commission too: see earning twice from client migrations, and disclose it.