---
stage: Manage
group: Import
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://about.gitlab.com/handbook/engineering/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
---

# Importing issues from CSV **(FREE)**

Issues can be imported to a project by uploading a CSV file with the columns
`title` and `description`. Other columns are **not** imported. If you want to
retain columns such as labels and milestones, consider the [Move Issue feature](managing_issues.md#move-an-issue).

The user uploading the CSV file is set as the author of the imported issues.

You must have at least the Developer role for a project to import issues.

## Prepare for the import

- Consider importing a test file containing only a few issues. There is no way to undo a large import without using the GitLab API.
- Ensure your CSV file meets the [file format](#csv-file-format) requirements.

## Import the file

To import issues:

1. Go to your project's Issues list page.
1. Open the import feature, depending if the project has issues:
   - Existing issues are present: Select the import icon at the top right, next to **Edit issues**.
   - Project has no issues: Select **Import CSV** in the middle of the page.
1. Select the file you want to import, and then select **Import issues**.

The file is processed in the background, and a notification email is sent
to you after the import is complete.

## CSV file format

To import issues, GitLab requires CSV files have a specific format:

| Element                | Format |
|------------------------|--------|
| header row             | CSV files must include the following headers: `title` and `description`. The case of the headers does not matter. |
| columns                | Data from columns beyond `title` and `description` are not imported. |
| separators             | The column separator is detected from the header row. Supported separator characters are commas (`,`), semicolons (`;`), and tabs (`\t`). The row separator can be either `CRLF` or `LF`. |
| double-quote character | The double-quote (`"`) character is used to quote fields, enabling the use of the column separator in a field (see the third line in the sample CSV data below). To insert a double-quote (`"`) in a quoted field use two double-quote characters in succession (`""`). |
| data rows              | After the header row, following rows must use the same column order. The issue title is required, but the description is optional. |

If you have special characters in a field, (such as `\n` or `,`), surround the
characters with double quotes (`"`).

Sample CSV data:

```plaintext
title,description
My Issue Title,My Issue Description
Another Title,"A description, with a comma"
"One More Title","One More Description"
```

### File size

The limit depends on how your GitLab instance is hosted:

- Self-managed: Set by the configuration value of `Max Attachment Size` for the GitLab instance.
- GitLab SaaS: On GitLab.com, it's set to 10 MB.