How to export your data from Linear

Linear lets workspace admins export all issues to CSV from Settings > Administration > Import Export, export members, projects, and initiatives as separate CSVs, and pull individual issues as PDFs or Markdown; there is no one-click full workspace backup, and full programmatic access requires the GraphQL API.

Formats: CSV, PDF, Markdown, JSON (via API)Plan: Any plan (Free, Business, Enterprise) - the export tools themselves aren't plan-gated, but on Enterprise plans only the workspace Owner can run themRole: Workspace Admin (Owner only on Enterprise plans) for workspace-wide issue/member exports; regular Members can export smaller CSVs from individual views

✓ Verified against Linear's official documentation, September 2026

Step by step

1Go to Settings > Administration > Import Export (linear.app/settings/import-export)
2Click the 'Export data' button at the bottom of the page to export all workspace issues as CSV
3Toggle 'include private teams' on if you need issues from private teams included
4Wait for an email containing a download link - the export is processed asynchronously
5Download the CSV within 12 hours, as the link expires after that
6Separately, go to Settings > Administration > Members and click 'Export CSV' to get the member list
7For projects or initiatives, select them in a list view, open the Cmd/Ctrl+K command menu, and choose the CSV export option (or use the view's dropdown menu)
8For a single issue with full comment history, open it and use Cmd Opt C to copy it as Markdown, or Cmd/Ctrl+P to save it as a PDF

What the export includes

✓Workspace CSV export: issue ID, Team, Title, Description, Status, Estimate, Priority, Project, Creator, Assignee, Labels, Cycle info, all key dates (Created, Updated, Started, Triaged, Completed, Canceled, Archived, Due Date), Parent issue, Initiatives, Project Milestone, SLA Status
✓Member list CSV export of workspace members
✓Project CSV export: Name, Summary, Status, Milestones, Creator, Lead, Members, key dates, Teams, Initiatives
✓Initiative CSV export: Name, Description, Details, Status, Creator, Owner, Target Date, key dates, Projects, Teams, Health, Latest Update
✓Customer request CSV export tied to an issue, project, or customer
✓Markdown copy of an individual issue including comments and customer requests
✓Full data access via Linear's GraphQL API and webhooks

What it doesn't include

✗Attachment files - CSV exports don't include the actual files, only links to them inside the description text
✗Comments - not a field in the bulk issue CSV export (only available per-issue via the Markdown/PDF copy)
✗Teams themselves - there is no CSV export for teams; moving teams requires importing them into another Linear workspace
✗Workspace settings, integrations configuration, and audit logs are not part of these exports

Before you start

⚠The workspace-wide CSV export is emailed as a link that expires after 12 hours
⚠Running a full workspace export is recorded in the audit log
⚠Regular Members exporting from an issue view are capped at 250 issues at a time; Admins (Owners on Enterprise) can export views with up to 2,000 issues
⚠Guest users cannot export issues from a workspace at all
⚠Members can export up to 200 projects or initiatives at a time from a list view
⚠Exporting from a project's issues page exports the issues in that project, not the project record itself - use the project/initiative list view for that
⚠Google Sheets sync only covers issues, projects, and initiatives from public teams, not private teams

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a Linear export. See all Linear alternatives →

Linear Free

Alternatives

Linear's own Free plan supports the same CSV/API-based import tooling, so a smaller team can simply create a new free Linear workspace and re-import the exported issue CSV or use Linear's built-in importer instead of switching tools entirely.

Plane

Alternatives

Plane (plane.so) is open-source and offers a free self-hosted tier; it includes issue importers that accept CSV data, so you can map Linear's exported issue CSV fields (Title, Description, Status, Assignee, Labels, etc.) to Plane's import format.

GitHub Issues

GitHub Issues doesn't have a native CSV upload UI; teams typically write a script against the GitHub REST/GraphQL API (or use a community importer) to create issues from the exported Linear CSV, mapping Title/Description/Labels/Assignee fields.

Exporting from Linear: common questions

Can I export my entire Linear workspace in one click?+

Not as a single backup file. You export issues, members, projects/initiatives, and customer requests as separate CSVs, and use the API for anything else.

Does the Linear export include file attachments?+

No. CSV exports don't include attachment files - only links to them may appear inside the exported issue descriptions.

Does the Linear export include comments?+

The bulk issue CSV export does not include a comments field. To get comments for a specific issue, copy that issue as Markdown (Cmd/Ctrl Opt C), which captures its full context including comments.

Who can export data from a Linear workspace?+

Workspace admins can run the workspace-wide CSV and member exports; on Enterprise plans this is restricted to the workspace Owner. Regular members can still export smaller CSVs from individual issue, project, or initiative views, up to lower row limits. Guest users cannot export issues at all.

How long do I have to download my export?+

Once you request a workspace-wide export, Linear emails you a download link that expires after 12 hours, so download it promptly.

Can I export Linear teams to move them to another workspace?+

There is no CSV export for teams. To move a team, you import it directly from one Linear workspace into another using Linear's importer.