Import data to Jira using a CSV file
With the new import experience, you can easily transfer information from other project management tools into Jira, saving time and effort. This page provides instructions on how to import data using a CSV file.
This import experience is available for Jira and Jira Service Management. To import your data into Jira Product Discovery, use our old import experience.
Import data into a new project in Jira
You need to be an organization, site, or Jira administrator to use the new import experience.
In addition to administrators, users with permission to create team-managed projects can create and import data into team-managed business projects but won’t be able to move users. Instead, user fields in the new project will be unassigned and user tags in comments will appear as plain text.
To import data into a new project in Jira using a CSV file:
Next to Projects in the sidebar, select Create project ().
Scroll to the bottom of the sidebar then select Import data.
You can also navigate to the page through your settings. Select Settings (⛭), then System, then External System Import on the sidebar.
Select the app from which you’d like to import your data from.
Upload your CSV file
Upload the CSV file to begin the import. Make sure to prepare and structure your CSV file before uploading and select Next.
If you selected an app in the previous step, follow the directions provided to export a CSV file from the app.
You can also upload a configuration file under Upload a configuration file to bring in preferences from a previous import. What is a configuration file?
Set up a new project in Jira
Select a Jira project you’d like to create. You can choose a business, service, or software project. If you select a software project, you’ll also need to select a template. The available templates are kanban and scrum.
Select Show more to change your Project type, Access, and Key. The default Access is Open, and the Key will automatically be selected for you. You can modify the Project name and Key later in the Project Settings. Once you’re done, select Next.
Map project fields
After setting up the project, you will need to map the column data to fields in Jira. Select Next once you’re done. More on how to map data
Custom fields
To create custom fields, select the dropdown next to a listed CSV column, select Create a new custom field, and select a custom field type. More about custom fields
Enable value mapping
If you’d like to further map column values to work types, make sure to map a column from the CSV to the work type field. If you’d like to establish hierarchy levels, map columns to work item ID and parent fields in addition to the work type field. Read about mapping values to work types
Map values to work types
If you mapped work item ID, parent, and work type fields in the previous step, you’ll be able to map values from the selected column to work types in Jira in this step. If you didn’t map these fields, this step will be skipped and you’ll be directly led to the Move users to Jira screen.
In this step, you will need to map the data within the column mapped to work type field in the Map project fields screen to work types in Jira. Select Next once you’re done.
This step is available only for software and business project imports. This screen will be skipped by default during service project imports.
Depending on your Jira Cloud plan, you can also create custom work types by selecting “Create a new work type” in the dropdown menu. Read about structuring hierarchy
If you skip this step or don’t map some values to work types, they will be mapped to Task by default.
Move users to Jira
Move users into your new project by adding a valid email address for each user to import their information into Jira. You can also choose not to add users in this step. Select Next when you’re done.
Product admins can only add existing users from the site. To add new users, contact an organization admin to invite them before proceeding with the import. Any information of new users added on this page by product admins will not be imported.
Make sure to add email addresses and select user roles in Jira Service Management projects. Users with missing email addresses or user roles will not be imported.
Manual vs. auto-population of email addresses
If your CSV has email addresses in columns containing user information, they will be automatically populated. If you’re manually adding email addresses, make sure to provide the correct email information for each user to avoid data loss and to import the right users into your project.
User data when users are not imported
If you choose not to import users, user fields such as assignee and reporter will be unassigned, user @mentions in comments will be converted to plain text, and commenter names will be displayed as Anonymous.
Review project details
In this step, review how your data will be imported into Jira. If you’d like to save a configuration file on your device to use for your next import, select Download a configuration file. Select Import when you’re ready to begin the import.
The importer will automatically begin moving the data in the background. The status of your import will be visible on the project page. You will also receive an email once the import is complete.
Once the data is imported, the work items will appear in board view in Jira and queues in Jira Service Management.
Importing attachments
If your CSV file contains attachment links, publicly available files will be imported into your new project. Otherwise, they will be imported as web links.
Fixing import errors
When importing, the first 30 rows of your CSV file are checked based on how you map column headers to Jira fields. Errors in the first 30 rows will be displayed in the Map project fields step for you to resolve. Your import can fail if errors are present after 30 rows. If your import fails or is partially complete, you should be able to download an error log at the end of the import. Use the troubleshooting guide to fix errors and try importing your project again.
Contact support if you’re facing any issues with your import.
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