> ## 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 a report

> Download a report as CSV, Excel or PDF, or print it. How big exports are queued, how files are named, and why an export never contains hidden figures.

Every report can leave TimeTracker as a file. Open the report, click **Actions**, and pick a format.

## The four options

| Option           | What you get                                                               |
| ---------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Export CSV**   | A comma-separated file that opens in any spreadsheet                       |
| **Export Excel** | An `.xlsx` workbook                                                        |
| **Export PDF**   | A rendered document, built on the server so it looks the same for everyone |
| **Print**        | Your browser's print dialog, with the app chrome stripped away             |

**Print** is not gated and is not the PDF path. Use **Export PDF** when you need a file you can send; use **Print** for a quick paper copy.

## How to export

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the report">
    Go to **Reports** and click the report you want.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Open the Actions menu">
    It sits at the top right of the report.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Pick a format">
    **Export CSV**, **Export Excel**, **Export PDF** or **Print**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait, or carry on">
    A small CSV downloads straight away. Everything else is prepared in the background and you are told when it is ready.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Small exports and big ones

A small CSV is built immediately and downloads on the spot.

Anything larger, and every Excel and PDF export, is prepared in the background. You get a toast instead of a frozen screen:

> Preparing your export. We'll notify you here when it's ready to download.

The notification arrives in your inbox when the file is ready. See [/notifications/inbox](/notifications/inbox).

<Note>
  The cut-off is 5,000 rows. At or below that a CSV builds inline; above it the export is queued. Excel and PDF are always prepared in the background.
</Note>

## What is in the file

An export runs the **saved** report – the same source, period, columns, filters, grouping and sorting – over the complete filtered set, not just the page you can see.

| Part          | In the file                                              |
| ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- |
| Header row    | The column labels shown on screen, including any renames |
| Data rows     | Every row in the filtered set                            |
| Subtotal rows | On a grouped report, the subtotal rows are included      |
| Totals row    | A final **Total** row                                    |

The totals row is fed from the same calculation the screen uses. The number on your screen, in the CSV, in the Excel file, in the PDF and in a scheduled email are one figure – identical to the cent.

<Warning>
  A temporary period or filter override in the viewer does **not** reach the export. The export always runs the saved report. If you want the tweaked version as a file, click **Save as new report** first, then export that.
</Warning>

## File names

All three formats use one naming rule:

```
<report-name>-<yyyy-mm-dd>.<extension>
```

`Hours by project` exported on 14 July becomes `hours-by-project-2026-07-14.csv`. The same report as Excel is `hours-by-project-2026-07-14.xlsx`.

Names are lowercase, with anything that is not a letter or number collapsed to a hyphen, so repeat downloads sort together in a folder.

Excel workbooks also get a readable worksheet name, taken from the report name and trimmed to what Excel allows.

## Non-English characters

CSV files are written with a UTF-8 marker so Excel on Windows reads names, clients and descriptions correctly instead of mangling accented characters.

## Exports and permissions

An export is built under **your** permissions, at the moment you request it.

* A column your role cannot see is never in the file. It is not blanked, it is not present.
* The rows cover only the people your supervision scope reaches.

This is the same firewall the screen uses, applied on the server. There is no way to export a figure you cannot see on screen.

<Warning>
  The reverse also matters. If you **can** see cost and margin, they are in the file you download – and in anything you forward. Check before sending an export outside the business.
</Warning>

## What cannot be exported

| Limitation        | Detail                                                                                                                                                                  |
| ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Pivot reports** | The **Actions** button is disabled, with the tooltip *"Export isn't available for pivot reports yet."* Switch the layout to Plain or Subgroups to export the same data. |

The control stays visible rather than disappearing, so you can see the option exists and why it is unavailable.

## Printing

**Print** opens your browser's print dialog. TimeTracker strips the sidebar, the toolbar and the builder panel, so only the report prints.

A grouped report prints with its full structure – subtotal rows, detail rows and the grand total – the same document the CSV and Excel exports produce.

Pivot reports have no print output, for the same reason they have no export.

## Example

Daniel Okafor needs Northwind Studio's July hours for Bluebird Coffee, to attach to an invoice email.

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the report">He opens `Bluebird hours – weekly`.</Step>
  <Step title="Check the window">The context strip shows **This month**, which is what he wants.</Step>
  <Step title="Export">**Actions → Export PDF**. The toast says it is being prepared.</Step>
  <Step title="Download">A notification arrives in his inbox with the file, named `bluebird-hours-weekly-2026-07-31.pdf`.</Step>
</Steps>

Because Daniel holds invoice and billing access, the PDF carries the Revenue column. If Sarah Lin exported the same report, her file would have the hours but not the money.

## Permissions

| Action                     | Capability                |
| -------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| Open the **Actions** menu  | `report.view`             |
| Download CSV, Excel or PDF | `report.export`           |
| Print                      | None beyond `report.view` |

Out of the box, only Owner and Admin hold `report.export`. Project Manager, Finance, Member, Contractor and Client do not.

Exporting is also a Pro feature. The three export items stay listed on Free and carry a **Pro** badge; clicking one opens the upgrade dialog rather than failing. **Print** is never gated.

<Note>
  `report.export` never implies cost access. Someone who can export but cannot see cost gets a file with no cost columns in it.
</Note>

## What happens next

* A small CSV lands in your downloads folder immediately.
* A queued export appears in your inbox when it is ready.
* Exported files are kept for a limited time. Once that window passes, run the export again.

## Common questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Does the export contain every row, or just the page on screen?">
    Every row in the filtered set. The page limit only affects what is drawn on screen.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do CSV, Excel and PDF totals agree?">
    Yes, exactly. All three, plus the screen and any scheduled email, come from one calculation.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is my Excel export taking longer than the CSV?">
    Excel and PDF are always built in the background. That is what keeps a large export from timing out.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I export a report someone else built?">
    Yes, if you can open it and hold `report.export`. It is built under your permissions, not theirs.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why does my export have fewer columns than my colleague's?">
    Cost and revenue columns are gated per role. The file mirrors what you can see.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I export a pivot?">
    Not yet. Switch to the Subgroups layout, which carries the same data with subtotals.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I get a report as a file automatically?">
    Schedule it. See [/reports/schedule-a-report](/reports/schedule-a-report).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Troubleshooting

| Problem                                                           | Why                                 | Fix                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Actions** is disabled with a tooltip                            | The report is a pivot               | Switch the layout to Plain or Subgroups                        |
| Export items show a **Pro** badge                                 | Exporting is a Pro feature          | See [/billing/free-vs-pro](/billing/free-vs-pro)               |
| *"Export failed. Try again, or narrow the date range and retry."* | The export could not be built       | Narrow the period or remove columns, then retry                |
| *"That export is no longer available."*                           | Exports are kept for a limited time | Run a new export                                               |
| Accented names look wrong in Excel                                | The file was opened as plain text   | Reopen it – CSV exports carry a UTF-8 marker Excel understands |
| The export does not match my temporary filters                    | Exports always run the saved report | Save as a new report first, then export                        |
| Nothing downloaded                                                | The export was queued               | Check your inbox for the ready notification                    |

## Related guides

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Schedule a report" icon="clock" href="/reports/schedule-a-report">
    Get the same file automatically.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Report permissions" icon="lock" href="/reports/report-permissions">
    Why your file may have fewer columns.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Saved reports" icon="bookmark" href="/reports/saved-reports">
    Save a tweaked view before exporting it.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export your data" icon="database" href="/data/export-your-data">
    Taking everything out, not just one report.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Export formats" icon="file" href="/reference/export-formats">
    The formats TimeTracker writes.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>