When you open MAXQDA, a window will appear offering resources, tutorials, and example projects. If you are interested in viewing these, click on the items you’d like to see. To start working on a new project, click on New Project. To continue working on an existing project, select Open Project. 

If you are creating a New Project, enter a file name for your project and choose the folder you’d like to save the project to, then click Save. Make sure the file extension for MAXQDA project files is .mx20. Once you create and save your project, you do not need to continue to save it manually. MAXQDA always saves your progress automatically.

You can import most common file formats into MAXQDA, as well as data from third party websites like X (Formerly known as Twitter) and Survey Monkey.

Importable File Formats

.doc	. docx	.html	.3gp	.wma
.odt	.rtf	.htm	.3ggp	.mov
.xlsx	.xls	.pdf	.mpg	.aac
.txt	.png	.jpeg	.avi	.avchd
.tif	.gif	.jpg	.wmv	.wav
.svg	.bmp	.mp3	.m4v	.mp4
.m4a

To import documents into your project, click on Import, then choose the type of file you’d like to import.

Locate and click on the file you would like to import, then click Open.

After the import is finished, you can find all of your documents in the Document System window. Double click on a document to open it in the Document browser window and begin editing!

Adding codes to your data will help you organize the information, and improve your analysis. To create a code, click Codes, and then the New code icon.

Enter a name for the code you would like to create, and choose a color.

Once you have added the new code, it will appear in the Code System window.

If you need to make changes to the code, right click over the code name to see a list of options, such as Color (to change color), Delete Code, Rename Code, and new code.

Once you have created code names in the Code System, highlight a section (text, image, video) and drag it onto the code name to apply the code to the section.

Once the data has been properly coded, you will see the code name and color next to it.

All of the data created or imported into the project will be found in the Document System, while all of the codes you create for analyzation will be in the Code System. When you open data in the Document System, it will be shown in the Document Browser.

If any of these are closed, you can re-open them with the icons below Reports.

For more tutorials like this, check out MAXQDA’s Support Website.

Documents can be exported from MAXQDA as PDF, XLS/X, or RTF file types. To export a document, click the Export icon that appears within the Document Browser heading. This option can also be found within the Reports tab at the top. 

Choose which file type you would like to export as, and select the boxes below based on your specifications. Technical Support cannot provide guidance on how to export your file per homework requirements, but you can reach out to your instructor if you have any questions.

There are many other ways to export content within MAXQDA. For a full list of the options available, check out the MAXQDA Import/Export Guide.

If you save your MAXQDA file on a USB, network, or cloud service (e.g., Microsoft OneDrive, DropBox, and Google Drive), it may result in an error or corruption of your file. MAXQDA recommends always saving your file to your computer’s local storage. Once the file has been corrupted, we cannot guarantee the recovery of the file, but you can try the following:

1. Make sure that you open your .mx20 file using your MAXQDA application.
2. If the error message persists, we recommend sending a ticket to MAXQDA’s online support system.
   
   Scroll down on MAXQDA’s support page until you reach the section that states, “If you haven’t yet found an appropriate answer to your question, you can contact our Online Support Team. Please select…”. Select the Technical Support option and then fill out the contact form.
   
   
   
   The contact form includes multiple questions that require attention. Please refer to the guidance below when completing your ticket:
   • For the MAXQDA version, you may find it on the title bar of your MAXQDA application.
     
     
     
   • For your operating system, you may refer to https://whatsmybrowser.org and look for Operating system section.
     
     
     
   • For License/Demo*, please select I own a license. Then, enter the serial number you used to activate your MAXQDA. You may also refer here to get it.
     
     
   • For the MAXQDA release number, you may refer to your MAXDQA application’s title bar to get it.
     
     
     
   • Upload your file.
     
     
   • Click the Send support request button once you entered all the required information.

If you are still unable to recover your file, you may need to start the project over.