Cloud migration methods for Jira

Depending on your needs, you may need to use one or more of the following methods to migrate to Jira Cloud. Read Choose a Cloud migration method for advice on how to choose the migration method that meets your needs.

Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (recommended)

The Jira Cloud Migration Assistant is a free Atlassian app that can be installed on your Jira Server or Data Center instance. The migration assistant is the easiest and most reliable way to move from Server or Data Center to Jira Cloud.

Learn more about what's migrated with the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant

Migration options:

The option to ‘Migrate all data at once’ will be discontinued

In September 2024, we’ll discontinue the migration option to 'Migrate all data at once'. For migrators who are actively using this option, we'll continue to support it and maintain its current functionality until September 2024. For more information on this announcement, read our Community post.

We recommend that all customers use the ‘Choose what to migrate’ option. This option is designed to be flexible to meet the unique needs of scaling organizations. How to choose what Jira data to migrate

Choose what to migrate (recommended)
Migrate all data at once

Benefits	Limitations
Choose what to migrate As part of a lift and shift migration, you can choose which of your data — product data, users, attachments and apps — and migrate it to Cloud with as little downtime as possible. Choose to migrate only attachments Choose to migrate only users and groups. You can also migrate users managed by external directories. Choose to migrate only users related to the projects you want to migrate Choose what projects you want to migrate Migrate in phases if needed Assess and migrate your apps The assistant will not overwrite existing data in your Cloud site Migrate Jira Service Management customer accounts Migrate Advanced Roadmaps Be guided through the migration with an easy-to-use interface Identify any problems with your data before you migrate Download pre- and post-migration reports	You need to be on a supported self-managed version of Jira
Migrate all data at once Migrate all data, including apps, in a single migration Be guided through the migration with an easy-to-use interface Migrate at higher speed	You need to be on a supported self-managed version of Jira This option is only available when no projects exist in your cloud site This migration option doesn’t support merging duplicated users (an automatic fix from ‘Assess and prepare users’). Learn more

Benefits

Limitations

Choose what to migrate
- As part of a lift and shift migration, you can choose which of your data — product data, users, attachments and apps — and migrate it to Cloud with as little downtime as possible.
- Choose to migrate only attachments
- Choose to migrate only users and groups. You can also migrate users managed by external directories.
- Choose to migrate only users related to the projects you want to migrate
- Choose what projects you want to migrate
- Migrate in phases if needed
- Assess and migrate your apps
- The assistant will not overwrite existing data in your Cloud site
- Migrate Jira Service Management customer accounts
- Migrate Advanced Roadmaps
- Be guided through the migration with an easy-to-use interface
- Identify any problems with your data before you migrate
- Download pre- and post-migration reports

You need to be on a supported self-managed version of Jira

Migrate all data at once
- Migrate all data, including apps, in a single migration
- Be guided through the migration with an easy-to-use interface
- Migrate at higher
  speed

You need to be on a supported self-managed version of Jira
This option is only available when no projects exist in your cloud site
This migration option doesn’t support merging duplicated users (an automatic fix from ‘Assess and prepare users’). Learn more

Jira Cloud CSV import

This isn’t a recommended migration method due to its limitations. Only use it when Jira Cloud Migration Assistant is not an option for your needs.

This method allows you to import issues from Jira Server or Cloud into a Cloud site. Learn more about using CSV import

Merge in Jira Server

If you manage multiple Server or Data Center instances, merging them might be a prerequisite step to your migration to Cloud. However, you may be able to skip this step depending on which migration method you choose. For example, if you’re using the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant, you don’t need to consolidate Server instances before importing issues to Cloud.

Learn more about merging instances in Jira Server

Use this method when you need to:

merge multiple Jira Cloud sites
merge multiple Jira Server instances
import only specific projects from one Cloud site to another

Benefits	Limitations
Jira Service Management (formerly Jira Service Desk) can be migrated	Apps and app data won’t be migrated. This means you'll need to reinstall apps, and you’ll lose data from apps that were installed in the source site. Learn more about assessing apps Users won’t be migrated. Learn about options for user migration Knowledge of how to install and set up a server application is required Merging sites usually takes time to complete, especially for large sites

More information and support

We have a number of channels available to help you with your migration.

For migration planning information, visit the Atlassian Migration Program website.
For technical issues or support with strategy and best practices, get in touch with our support team.
For peer advice, ask the Atlassian Community.
For expert guidance, work with an Atlassian Partner.
For more help, check out the Cloud migration guide or register for our Cloud migration demos with live chat Q&A.

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Cloud migration methods for Jira

Jira Cloud Migration Assistant (recommended)

Jira Cloud CSV import

Merge in Jira Server

More information and support

Additional Help