> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.timetracker.in/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Import your data

> Moving to TimeTracker from another tool: how to bring clients, projects and tasks across today, and how to export everything back out.

TimeTracker does **not** have an automatic importer today. There is no CSV upload
and no connector for Toggl, Clockify or Harvest.

This page covers what to do instead, and how to get your data back out whenever
you want it.

<Note>
  Being straight about this is the point. An import screen that half works is worse
  than a plan you can follow in an afternoon.
</Note>

## The good news

Most of what you need to move is **structure**, not history. Clients, projects,
people and rates are usually a few dozen rows, and they only get typed once.

Historical time entries are the large part, and most teams do not need them
inside the new tool. Keep the old export as your archive and start clean.

## What to bring across

| Bring                      | Why                                       |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| **Clients**                | Everything hangs off a client             |
| **Active projects**        | Only the ones still running               |
| **People and their rates** | Billing and cost rates drive every number |
| **Open tasks**             | Only work not yet done                    |

| Leave behind            | Why                                            |
| ----------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- |
| Finished projects       | Your old tool is a perfectly good archive      |
| Historical time entries | They cannot be re-approved or re-invoiced here |
| Sent invoices           | They are already sent                          |

<Warning>
  Do not try to recreate last year's approved timesheets. Approved time is a record
  of a decision, and retyping it produces numbers that look official but were never
  actually approved by anyone.
</Warning>

## How to move in a day

<Steps>
  <Step title="Export from your old tool">
    Take a full CSV or Excel export and keep it somewhere safe. This is your
    archive of everything you are not bringing across.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create the workspace">
    See [Create a workspace](/getting-started/create-a-workspace).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add your clients">
    One row per company you bill. See
    [Create a client](/clients/create-a-client).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add active projects only">
    Attach each to its client. Set the budget while you are there. See
    [Create a project](/projects/create-a-project).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Invite your team">
    Send invitations, or add people directly. See
    [Invite your team](/getting-started/invite-your-team).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set rates">
    Billable rates first, cost rates once your people are in. See
    [Rates overview](/rates/overview).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add open tasks">
    Only work that is still outstanding. Bulk actions help here – see
    [Bulk actions](/tasks/bulk-actions).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a start date">
    Track everything from that Monday onward in TimeTracker, and nothing before it.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Tip>
  Pick the first Monday of a month as your switch date. A clean month boundary makes
  your first invoice and your first report obvious to read.
</Tip>

## Example

Northwind Studio moves off a spreadsheet-and-timer stack.

| Step     | What Maya does                                                                                            |
| -------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Clients  | Adds Bluebird Coffee, Harbor Logistics, Fenwick Legal                                                     |
| Projects | Website Redesign (\$40,000), Monthly Retainer (40 h/month), Mobile App (600 h), Brand Refresh (no budget) |
| People   | Invites 11 people. Ana Ferreira joins as a Contractor.                                                    |
| Rates    | Sarah $100/h billable, $45/h cost. Jonas $120/h, $60/h. Ana $80/h, $55/h.                                 |
| Tasks    | Only open work – about 60 tasks                                                                           |
| Cutover  | Everyone starts tracking in TimeTracker on 1 September                                                    |

Everything before 1 September stays in the old export. Nothing is lost, and no
number in TimeTracker is a retyped guess.

## Getting your data out

Export is fully supported, and it is a first-class feature.

Go to **Settings → Data → Export**. The page reads *"Take everything in this
workspace with you, in open formats."*

### Export all your data

The card describes it as: *"Clients, projects, time, rates, invoices and more, as
JSON plus per-entity CSV. Large workspaces are prepared in the background – keep
working and we'll post a download link here when it's ready."*

Click **Export all data**.

| What you get                    | Format |
| ------------------------------- | ------ |
| The whole workspace in one file | JSON   |
| One file per kind of record     | CSV    |

Included: clients, projects, sections, tasks, time entries, rates, budgets,
invoices, payments, expenses, members, saved views, notification settings and the
audit trail.

Small workspaces download straight away. Large ones are prepared in the
background – you get *"Preparing your export. We'll notify you here when it's
ready to download."* and a notification when the file is ready.

<Note>
  **Only the workspace owner can export all data.** The card says so: *"Only the
  workspace owner can export all data."*
</Note>

### Report exports

For a slice rather than everything, build a report and export it.

| Format    | Notes               |
| --------- | ------------------- |
| **CSV**   | Plain and universal |
| **Excel** | An `.xlsx` file     |
| **PDF**   | For sending on      |

See [Export a report](/reports/export-a-report).

## Options and settings

| Action                     | Where                        | Who                                                      |
| -------------------------- | ---------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Export the whole workspace | **Settings → Data → Export** | Workspace owner                                          |
| Export a report            | Any report → **Export**      | `report.export`                                          |
| Export a timesheet         | A timesheet                  | See [Export a timesheet](/timesheets/export-a-timesheet) |
| Export leave               | Time off                     | See [Export leave](/time-off/export-leave)               |

## Permissions

| Action                | Capability                                         | Roles                                  |
| --------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Full workspace export | `data.export`, and you must be the workspace owner | Owner                                  |
| Export a report       | `report.export`                                    | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance |

Exports are a **Pro** feature. The button shows a Pro badge on Free.

## What happens next

Once your structure is in and your team is tracking, the rest follows the normal
chain: Client → Project → Task → Estimate → Time entry → Approval → Budget impact
→ Invoice → Payment.

Work through [Setup checklist](/getting-started/setup-checklist) to confirm you
have not missed anything.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can I upload a CSV of clients and projects?">
    Not today. There is no CSV import. Add them through the normal screens.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there a Toggl, Clockify or Harvest importer?">
    No. Export from those tools for your own archive, then set up your clients,
    projects and rates in TimeTracker and pick a switch date.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I import historical time entries?">
    Almost never. Historical time cannot be meaningfully re-approved or
    re-invoiced. Keep your old export as the archive.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I get my data back out?">
    Yes, in full, as JSON plus per-entity CSV. That is a deliberate promise – your
    data is yours.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why can only the owner export everything?">
    A full export contains every rate, cost and invoice in the workspace. It is
    the single most sensitive action in the product.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long does an export take?">
    Small workspaces download immediately. Larger ones are prepared in the
    background and you get a notification with the link.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

**The export button shows a Pro badge.** Exports are a Pro feature. See
[Plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features).

**The export button is disabled.** Only the workspace owner can run a full
export. The note under the button says so.

**Export failed.** You see *"Export failed. Try again in a moment."* Nothing was
changed. Try again.

**My export never arrived.** Large exports are prepared in the background and
announced by a notification. Check your [Inbox](/notifications/inbox), and check
your notification settings have not silenced the **Project changes** category.

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Switch from another tool" icon="right-left" href="/guides/switch-from-another-tool">
    The full migration walkthrough.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Import clients and projects" icon="building" href="/guides/import-clients-and-projects">
    Setting up your client list quickly.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Setup checklist" icon="list-check" href="/getting-started/setup-checklist">
    Confirm nothing is missing.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export a report" icon="download" href="/reports/export-a-report">
    CSV, Excel and PDF from any report.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Integrations overview" icon="plug" href="/integrations/overview">
    Everything TimeTracker connects to.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export formats" icon="file" href="/reference/export-formats">
    What each export file contains.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>