How to export your data from ServiceNow

ServiceNow lets you export any list of records (incidents, tables, reports) to Excel, CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, an export set, or a Google Sheet directly from the list view, with no special plan required for most formats.

Formats: Excel (XLSX), CSV, XML, JSON, PDF, Export Set, Google SheetsPlan: Any plan/instance (no special license needed for standard exports)Role: None for most formats; admin role required to export to XML

✓ Verified against ServiceNow's official documentation, September 2026

Step by step

1Navigate to the list of records you want to export (e.g. an incident list, a table, or a report).
2Filter the list to only the records you actually need, since export runs on the filtered list view.
3Right-click (or select and hold) any column header in the list to open the context menu.
4Choose Export, then pick a format: Excel (.xlsx), CSV, XML, JSON, PDF (portrait), PDF (landscape), PDF Detailed (portrait/landscape with each record's form), Export Set, or Google Sheets.
5Wait for the export job to run in the background; if the record count exceeds the configured warning threshold, you'll get a dialog to either wait or have the file emailed as an attachment.
6When the export completes, select Download to save the file.
7If the table has more records than the format's export limit, break the export into smaller filtered chunks and repeat the process for each chunk.

What the export includes

✓The fields and records visible in the exported list (subject to export limits per format)
✓Sys_id can be included by adding sysparm_default_export_fields=all to the list URL before exporting
✓Embedded lists are exported by exporting the parent record itself (Export data from a record for PDF/XML)

What it doesn't include

✗Records beyond the format's default export limit (10,000 rows for XML/CSV/Excel/JSON by default) unless system properties are raised or exports are chunked
✗Data governed by ACLs tied to the current user session — since exports run in a background thread without session context, results can differ from what's shown on screen
✗More than 500,000 cells or 32,000 rows per sheet in Excel exports — the file is truncated and a message recommends CSV instead
✗More than 250 detail pages / 5,000 rows / 25 header columns in PDF exports

Before you start

⚠Default export limits: 10,000 records for XML, CSV, Excel (XLSX/XLS), and JSON; controlled by system properties like glide.csv.export.limit, glide.xlsx.export.limit, glide.ui.export.limit, and glide.json.export.limit under System Properties > Import Export.
⚠PDF exports default to 1,000 rows (max 5,000) and 250 detail pages, with a 25-column-per-page limit.
⚠Excel exports stop once they exceed 500,000 cells (customizable via glide.xlsx.max_cells / glide.excel.max_cells) and each spreadsheet is capped at 32,000 rows; CSV is recommended for larger datasets.
⚠Exporting to XML requires the admin role; other formats require no special role.
⚠If the exported record count exceeds the glide.ui.export.warn.threshold property, you're prompted to wait for the file or receive it by email (subject to email attachment size limits).
⚠Data exported from a list may differ from what you see on screen if the table has session-dependent ACLs, because exports run from a background thread without access to session data.

Where to take your data

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

Freshservice

Alternatives

Export ServiceNow tickets/incidents to CSV, then use Freshservice's bulk CSV importer to map fields (subject, description, status, priority, requester) into tickets.

Zammad

Convert exported ServiceNow CSV/Excel data to Zammad's import CSV format and use Zammad's ticket import feature or API to load tickets and users.

osTicket

Reformat the ServiceNow CSV export to match osTicket's expected ticket import structure, or recreate tickets via the osTicket API using the exported data as source.

Exporting from ServiceNow: common questions

Can I export all fields of a ServiceNow table, including sys_id?+

Yes. Add &sysparm_default_export_fields=all to the end of the list's URL before triggering the CSV/Excel export to include all fields, including sys_id.

What's the maximum number of records I can export at once?+

By default, 10,000 records for XML, CSV, Excel, and JSON, and 1,000 rows (up to 5,000) for PDF. These limits are configurable via system properties, and larger datasets should be exported in chunks.

Do I need admin access to export data?+

No role is required for most export formats. Exporting to XML specifically requires the admin role.

Why does my exported data look different from what I see in the list?+

List exports run in a background thread without your session's ACL context, so if a table's access rules depend on session data, the export can include or exclude different records than the on-screen list.

Can I export a whole table instead of just a filtered list?+

Exports run against whatever list view you have open, so navigate to the table's list, clear or adjust filters to include all records you need, then export — keeping the format's export limit in mind.

Can I schedule recurring exports instead of doing it manually each time?+

Reports can be scheduled for delivery in various formats via the report's sharing/scheduling options, which is a separate flow from the manual right-click list export.