How to export your data from Jira
Jira Cloud lets you export work items (issues) to CSV — including comments and custom fields — from any project's issue list or a global search, one filtered set at a time; there is no single button to export an entire site, and physical attachment files are not included in bulk exports.
✓ Verified against Jira's official documentation, September 2026
Step by step
- 1Open the project you want to export and select List (or from any page select Filters > Search work items to build a cross-project set).
- 2Optional: edit the filter or JQL query so it returns only the work items you want in the export.
- 3Click the 'More actions' menu (the three dots) in the issue list toolbar.
- 4Choose Export to open the export options.
- 5Select 'Export CSV - all fields' to include every field, including custom fields and comments, or 'Export CSV - current fields' for just the visible columns.
- 6Jira generates the CSV file and downloads it to your device automatically.
- 7Repeat the process per project or saved filter — Jira has no single 'export entire site' button for issues.
- 8For a full account-level backup (all projects, users, and configuration) instead of just issues, use the Backup Manager in your site's administration settings, described on Atlassian's 'Export data from Jira Cloud' page.
What the export includes
- ✓Work item fields (summary, description, status, priority, assignee, reporter, dates, etc.)
- ✓Custom fields, when 'Export CSV - all fields' is selected
- ✓Comments, each mapped to its own 'Comment' column in chronological order
- ✓Issue keys and other standard metadata needed to re-import the data
What it doesn't include
- ✗Physical attachment files — Jira Cloud does not natively support bulk-downloading attachments; only their URLs can be exported in the CSV, or a marketplace app is needed for the actual files
- ✗Board, sprint, and workflow configuration
- ✗Automation rules, permission schemes, and other project/site configuration
- ✗Linked development data from integrations (GitHub, Bitbucket, etc.)
Before you start
- ⚠Jira exports CSV files in UTF-8; older versions of Excel can misread the encoding and show garbled characters, so open the file with a UTF-8-aware editor or spreadsheet app
- ⚠Export is scoped to whatever project list or search/filter you run it from — there's no one-click export of an entire Jira site's issues
- ⚠Attachments require a separate process (URL export or a Marketplace app) since bulk file download isn't built in
- ⚠The exported CSV can be re-imported into the same or a different Jira Cloud instance if you need to move issues between sites
Where to take your data
Free and cheaper tools that can take a Jira export. See all Jira alternatives →
Use Linear's CSV/Jira importer, mapping Jira's exported CSV columns (or connecting directly via Linear's built-in Jira import) to bring in issues, statuses, and comments.
Use Plane's Jira importer (or its generic CSV import) and upload the CSV exported from Jira's issue list to recreate work items and fields.
Jira Free
If you're only trying to cut cost rather than leave Jira, downgrade to the Jira Free plan instead of exporting/re-importing — existing projects and issues stay in place, subject to Free plan user and feature limits.
Exporting from Jira: common questions
Can I export all my Jira projects in one go?+
No. Jira's CSV export works on one project's issue list or one saved search/filter at a time, so exporting an entire site means repeating the export per project or running a broad cross-project JQL search first.
Does the Jira export include attachments?+
Not in bulk. Jira Cloud doesn't natively support downloading attachment files in bulk, so you either export attachment URLs in the CSV or use a Marketplace app to pull the files themselves.
Will comments be included in the exported file?+
Yes, if you choose 'Export CSV - all fields' — each comment is placed in its own 'Comment' column, in chronological order.
Do I need admin rights to export my issues?+
No. Any user who can view the project or search results can export them to CSV. Admin access is only needed for a full site-level backup via the Backup Manager.
Can I re-import a Jira CSV export back into Jira?+
Yes. The CSV exported from Jira Cloud can be used to import work items back into the same instance or a different Jira Cloud site.
My CSV export looks garbled with strange characters — why?+
Jira exports CSV in UTF-8 encoding; older Excel versions can misinterpret it as ANSI. Open the file in a UTF-8-aware text editor or a modern spreadsheet app to fix the display.
Sources
This guide was written from Jira's own documentation and checked against it in September 2026. If a step has changed, the official page wins.
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