> ## 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.

# Export formats reference

> What TimeTracker exports and in which format – report CSV, Excel and PDF, invoice PDFs, leave exports, and the complete workspace data bundle.

Everything you can take out of TimeTracker, and the format it comes in.

## What exports, and how

| What                | Formats                                     | Where                                                         |
| ------------------- | ------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------- |
| A report            | CSV, Excel (`.xlsx`), PDF                   | [Export a report](/reports/export-a-report)                   |
| An invoice          | PDF                                         | [Download an invoice PDF](/invoicing/download-an-invoice-pdf) |
| Time off – requests | CSV, Excel                                  | [Export leave](/time-off/export-leave)                        |
| Time off – balances | CSV, Excel                                  | [Export leave](/time-off/export-leave)                        |
| The whole workspace | One bundle containing a CSV per record type | [Export your data](/data/export-your-data)                    |

<Note>
  Exports are a **Pro** feature. On Free you can read every number on screen – you just
  cannot take it out as a file. See [plans and features](/concepts/plans-and-features).
</Note>

## CSV

Plain text, comma separated, standards-compliant. It opens in any spreadsheet.

| Detail        | Behaviour                                                                                                                          |
| ------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Structure     | A header row, then one row per result                                                                                              |
| Report totals | A **Total** row is appended at the end, with each money column's reconciled total                                                  |
| Leave exports | No totals row – there is nothing to total                                                                                          |
| Money         | Written as exact decimals, never rounded through a floating-point step                                                             |
| Dates         | Rendered in your workspace's date format and timezone                                                                              |
| Safety        | Any cell that could be read as a spreadsheet formula is neutralised, so an imported value cannot execute when the file is reopened |

## Excel (`.xlsx`)

The same rows as the CSV, but every cell is a real typed value rather than text, so
you can sort, filter and pivot without cleaning it up first.

| Column kind             | How it is written                                                              |
| ----------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Dates                   | A real date, formatted to match your workspace's date format                   |
| Durations               | Elapsed hours, so a 40-hour week reads `40:00` rather than wrapping to `16:00` |
| Durations, decimal mode | A plain decimal number when the report is set to decimal time                  |
| Percentages             | A real percentage                                                              |
| Money                   | A number, not a string                                                         |
| Counts                  | A plain number                                                                 |

Grouped reports keep their outline, so you can collapse and expand groups in Excel.

## PDF

A rendered, page-numbered document, built for sending to someone rather than for
analysis.

The PDF writes each cell **exactly as it appears on screen**. Nothing is re-totalled
or re-formatted on the way out, so the document and the page always agree.

Invoices are the other PDF surface, and they carry your sender details, line items,
taxes and totals. See [invoice sender details](/invoicing/invoice-sender-details).

## The screen, the CSV and the Excel file always agree

Report totals are computed once and shared by all three outputs. The on-screen total,
the CSV total row and the Excel total cell match to the cent, by construction.

If they ever disagree, that is a bug worth reporting. See
[contact support](/troubleshooting/contact-support).

## Large exports run in the background

| Size             | What happens                                                            |
| ---------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Up to 5,000 rows | Built immediately and downloaded straight away                          |
| Over 5,000 rows  | Built in the background. You get a notification when the file is ready. |

You can keep working while a background export runs. Narrowing the date range is the
quickest way to keep an export in the immediate lane.

<Warning>
  **Export files are kept for a limited time.** If a download link stops working, run
  the export again – the data has not gone anywhere, only the generated file.
</Warning>

## The full workspace export

This is the no-lock-in guarantee: a complete, portable copy of everything in the
workspace.

| Detail       | Behaviour                                                                                               |
| ------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Contents     | Every record type in the workspace, each as its own CSV                                                 |
| Packaging    | One versioned bundle you download in a single file                                                      |
| Completeness | Every record type appears, even the empty ones, so the shape is predictable                             |
| Order        | Parents before children – clients before their projects, projects before their tasks                    |
| Money        | Exact decimals, passed through untouched                                                                |
| Coverage     | Operational and financial records, plus members, saved views, notification settings and the audit trail |

Run it from [Settings → Export](/settings/export-your-data). It needs the
`data.export` capability, which Owners, Admins and Finance hold.

## Pivot reports cannot be exported yet

A pivot report has no export option. Rebuild it as a grouped report to export it, or
export the underlying grouped view. See
[grouping and pivots](/reports/grouping-and-pivots).

## What is in an export depends on who runs it

An export is a snapshot of what **you** can see, not of the whole workspace.

* **Columns** you lack the capability for are dropped. Someone without `time.viewCost`
  gets a file with no cost column.
* **Rows** outside your [supervision scope](/concepts/supervision-scope) are not
  included.

Two people exporting the same saved report can get different files, and both are
correct.

## Permissions

| Action                     | Capability       | Roles                                  |
| -------------------------- | ---------------- | -------------------------------------- |
| Export a report            | `report.export`  | Owner, Admin                           |
| Export the whole workspace | `data.export`    | Owner, Admin, Finance                  |
| Download an invoice PDF    | `invoice.manage` | Owner, Admin, Project Manager, Finance |

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why does my Excel file show 16:00 for a 40-hour week?">
    It should not – durations are written as elapsed hours precisely so they do not
    wrap at 24. If you see a wrapped value, check that the cell format was not changed
    after the file was opened.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I get decimal hours instead of hours and minutes?">
    Yes. Set the report's time format to decimal, and the export follows it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is a column missing from my export?">
    You do not hold the capability that column needs. Cost, margin and roster columns
    are all gated. See [report metrics](/reference/report-metrics).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="My export link stopped working.">
    Generated files are kept for a limited time. Run the export again.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Is there an automatic export?">
    Reports can be scheduled to arrive by email on a regular basis. See
    [schedule a report](/reports/schedule-a-report).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Export a report" icon="file-arrow-down" href="/reports/export-a-report">
    The three formats, step by step.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export your data" icon="download" href="/data/export-your-data">
    Take a full copy of the workspace.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Schedule a report" icon="clock" href="/reports/schedule-a-report">
    Have it emailed on a schedule.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export a timesheet" icon="table" href="/timesheets/export-a-timesheet">
    Getting a week out as a file.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export leave" icon="umbrella-beach" href="/time-off/export-leave">
    Requests and balances.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export hours for payroll" icon="money-check-dollar" href="/guides/export-hours-for-payroll">
    The month-end payroll routine.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>