diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 165c93c75..feb6dde17 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -23,6 +23,7 @@ The format is based on [Keep a Changelog](https://keepachangelog.com/en/1.0.0/).
 - Ignore min_qod when getting single results by UUID [#1276](http://github.com/greenbone/gvmd/pull/1276)
 - Fix alternative options for radio type preferences when exporting a scan_config [#1278](http://github.com/greenbone/gvmd/pull/1278)
 - Replace deprecated sys_siglist with strsignal [#1280](https://github.com/greenbone/gvmd/pull/1280)
+- Copy instead of moving when migrating predefined report formats [#1286](https://github.com/greenbone/gvmd/pull/1286)
 
 ### Removed
 - Remove DROP from vulns creation [#1281](http://github.com/greenbone/gvmd/pull/1281)
diff --git a/src/manage_sql_report_formats.c b/src/manage_sql_report_formats.c
index f427a7654..529f6f430 100644
--- a/src/manage_sql_report_formats.c
+++ b/src/manage_sql_report_formats.c
@@ -1274,69 +1274,22 @@ create_report_format_no_acl (const char *uuid, const char *name,
 }
 
 /**
- * @brief Create Report Format from an existing Report Format.
+ * @brief Create a report format dir.
  *
- * @param[in]  name                 Name of new Report Format. NULL to copy
- *                                  from existing.
- * @param[in]  source_uuid          UUID of existing Report Format.
- * @param[out] new_report_format    New Report Format.
+ * @param[in]  source_dir        Full path of source directory, including UUID.
+ * @param[in]  copy_parent       Path of destination directory, excluding UUID.
+ * @param[in]  copy_uuid         UUID (dirname) of destination directory.
  *
- * @return 0 success, 1 Report Format exists already, 2 failed to find existing
- *         Report Format, 99 permission denied, -1 error.
+ * @return 0 success, -1 error.
  */
-int
-copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
-                    report_format_t* new_report_format)
+static int
+copy_report_format_dir (const gchar *source_dir, const gchar *copy_parent,
+                        const gchar *copy_uuid)
 {
-  report_format_t new, old;
-  gchar *copy_uuid, *source_dir, *copy_dir, *owner_uuid;
-  gchar *tmp_dir;
-  int ret;
-
-  assert (current_credentials.uuid);
-
-  sql_begin_immediate ();
-
-  ret = copy_resource_lock ("report_format", name, NULL, source_uuid,
-                            "extension, content_type, summary, description,"
-                            " signature, trust, trust_time, flags",
-                            1, &new, &old);
-  if (ret)
-    {
-      sql_rollback ();
-      return ret;
-    }
-
-  sql ("UPDATE report_formats SET predefined = 0 WHERE id = %llu;", new);
-
-  if (report_format_predefined (old))
-    sql ("UPDATE report_formats SET trust = %i, trust_time = %i"
-         " WHERE id = %llu;",
-         TRUST_YES,
-         time (NULL),
-         new);
-
-  /* Copy report format parameters. */
-
-  sql ("INSERT INTO report_format_params "
-       " (report_format, name, type, value, type_min, type_max,"
-       "  type_regex, fallback)"
-       " SELECT %llu, name, type, value, type_min, type_max,"
-       "  type_regex, fallback"
-       "  FROM report_format_params WHERE report_format = %llu;",
-       new,
-       old);
+  gchar *copy_dir;
 
-  /* Copy files on disk. */
-
-  owner_uuid = report_format_owner_uuid (old);
-  assert (owner_uuid);
-  source_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
-                                 "report_formats",
-                                 owner_uuid,
-                                 source_uuid,
-                                 NULL);
-  g_free (owner_uuid);
+  g_debug ("%s: copy %s to %s/%s", __func__, source_dir, copy_parent,
+           copy_uuid);
 
   /* Check that the source directory exists. */
 
@@ -1344,90 +1297,49 @@ copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
     {
       g_warning ("%s: report format directory %s not found",
                  __func__, source_dir);
-      g_free (source_dir);
-      sql_rollback ();
-      return -1;
-    }
-
-  copy_uuid = report_format_uuid (new);
-  if (copy_uuid == NULL)
-    {
-      sql_rollback ();
       return -1;
     }
 
   /* Prepare directory to copy into. */
 
-  copy_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
-                               "report_formats",
-                               current_credentials.uuid,
-                               copy_uuid,
-                               NULL);
+  copy_dir = g_build_filename (copy_parent, copy_uuid, NULL);
 
   if (g_file_test (copy_dir, G_FILE_TEST_EXISTS)
       && gvm_file_remove_recurse (copy_dir))
     {
       g_warning ("%s: failed to remove dir %s", __func__, copy_dir);
-      g_free (source_dir);
       g_free (copy_dir);
-      g_free (copy_uuid);
-      sql_rollback ();
       return -1;
     }
 
   if (g_mkdir_with_parents (copy_dir, 0755 /* "rwxr-xr-x" */))
     {
       g_warning ("%s: failed to create dir %s", __func__, copy_dir);
-      g_free (source_dir);
       g_free (copy_dir);
-      g_free (copy_uuid);
-      sql_rollback ();
       return -1;
     }
 
   /* Correct permissions as glib doesn't seem to do so. */
 
-  tmp_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
-                              "report_formats",
-                              current_credentials.uuid,
-                              NULL);
-
-  if (chmod (tmp_dir, 0755 /* rwxr-xr-x */))
+  if (chmod (copy_parent, 0755 /* rwxr-xr-x */))
     {
       g_warning ("%s: chmod %s failed: %s",
                  __func__,
-                 tmp_dir,
+                 copy_parent,
                  strerror (errno));
-      g_free (source_dir);
       g_free (copy_dir);
-      g_free (copy_uuid);
-      g_free (tmp_dir);
-      sql_rollback ();
       return -1;
     }
-  g_free (tmp_dir);
 
-  tmp_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
-                              "report_formats",
-                              current_credentials.uuid,
-                              copy_uuid,
-                              NULL);
-
-  if (chmod (tmp_dir, 0755 /* rwxr-xr-x */))
+  if (chmod (copy_dir, 0755 /* rwxr-xr-x */))
     {
       g_warning ("%s: chmod %s failed: %s",
                  __func__,
-                 tmp_dir,
+                 copy_dir,
                  strerror (errno));
-      g_free (source_dir);
       g_free (copy_dir);
-      g_free (copy_uuid);
-      g_free (tmp_dir);
-      sql_rollback ();
       return -1;
     }
-  g_free (tmp_dir);
-  g_free (copy_uuid);
 
   /* Copy files into new directory. */
   {
@@ -1444,9 +1356,7 @@ copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
                        source_dir, error->message);
             g_error_free (error);
           }
-        g_free (source_dir);
         g_free (copy_dir);
-        sql_rollback ();
         return -1;
       }
     else
@@ -1466,9 +1376,7 @@ copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
                            __func__, source_file, copy_file);
                 g_free (source_file);
                 g_free (copy_file);
-                g_free (source_dir);
                 g_free (copy_dir);
-                sql_rollback ();
                 return -1;
               }
             g_free (source_file);
@@ -1478,6 +1386,94 @@ copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
       }
   }
 
+  g_free (copy_dir);
+  return 0;
+}
+
+/**
+ * @brief Create Report Format from an existing Report Format.
+ *
+ * @param[in]  name                 Name of new Report Format. NULL to copy
+ *                                  from existing.
+ * @param[in]  source_uuid          UUID of existing Report Format.
+ * @param[out] new_report_format    New Report Format.
+ *
+ * @return 0 success, 1 Report Format exists already, 2 failed to find existing
+ *         Report Format, 99 permission denied, -1 error.
+ */
+int
+copy_report_format (const char* name, const char* source_uuid,
+                    report_format_t* new_report_format)
+{
+  report_format_t new, old;
+  gchar *copy_uuid, *source_dir, *copy_dir, *owner_uuid;
+  int ret;
+
+  assert (current_credentials.uuid);
+
+  sql_begin_immediate ();
+
+  ret = copy_resource_lock ("report_format", name, NULL, source_uuid,
+                            "extension, content_type, summary, description,"
+                            " signature, trust, trust_time, flags",
+                            1, &new, &old);
+  if (ret)
+    {
+      sql_rollback ();
+      return ret;
+    }
+
+  sql ("UPDATE report_formats SET predefined = 0 WHERE id = %llu;", new);
+
+  if (report_format_predefined (old))
+    sql ("UPDATE report_formats SET trust = %i, trust_time = %i"
+         " WHERE id = %llu;",
+         TRUST_YES,
+         time (NULL),
+         new);
+
+  /* Copy report format parameters. */
+
+  sql ("INSERT INTO report_format_params "
+       " (report_format, name, type, value, type_min, type_max,"
+       "  type_regex, fallback)"
+       " SELECT %llu, name, type, value, type_min, type_max,"
+       "  type_regex, fallback"
+       "  FROM report_format_params WHERE report_format = %llu;",
+       new,
+       old);
+
+  /* Copy files on disk. */
+
+  owner_uuid = report_format_owner_uuid (old);
+  assert (owner_uuid);
+  source_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
+                                 "report_formats",
+                                 owner_uuid,
+                                 source_uuid,
+                                 NULL);
+  g_free (owner_uuid);
+
+  copy_uuid = report_format_uuid (new);
+  if (copy_uuid == NULL)
+    {
+      sql_rollback ();
+      return -1;
+    }
+
+  copy_dir = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
+                               "report_formats",
+                               current_credentials.uuid,
+                               NULL);
+
+  if (copy_report_format_dir (source_dir, copy_dir, copy_uuid))
+    {
+      sql_rollback ();
+      g_free (source_dir);
+      g_free (copy_dir);
+      return -1;
+    }
+
   sql_commit ();
   g_free (source_dir);
   g_free (copy_dir);
@@ -4289,10 +4285,9 @@ migrate_predefined_report_formats ()
       new = g_build_filename (GVMD_STATE_DIR,
                               "report_formats",
                               owner_uuid,
-                              iterator_string (&rows, 0),
                               NULL);
 
-      if (move_report_format_dir (old, new))
+      if (copy_report_format_dir (old, new, iterator_string (&rows, 0)))
         {
           g_warning ("%s: failed at report format %s", __func__,
                      iterator_string (&rows, 0));