Migrating from Jira to Jalonio, step by step.
Two paths lead to the same import screen: a CSV export from Jira, or a direct connection to Jira through its API. In both cases, you check the mappings, run a dry run, then import. Nothing is written before you agree, and Jira is never modified.
Published on 20 October 2026 by KersAI Factory.
CSV or API: which method should you choose?
- CSV export: available to project leads (into their project) and to people allowed to create projects. Handy for a first try, or if your Jira can only be reached on your internal network.
- API connection: reserved for organisation administrators. More complete: it also brings over sprints, all comments and attachments, with no file to handle. It works with Jira Cloud and Jira Data Center.
Before you start
- Invite your team to Jalonio first: people from Jira are matched with existing accounts by their email address or name.
- Note the Jira project key (for example
PORT): by reusing it in Jalonio,PORT-12staysPORT-12. - For the API, check that the Jira account used can browse the project. Read-only access is enough.
- Tell the team: after the import, Jalonio is the reference.
Method 1: import a CSV export
- Export from Jira. In Jira’s filters, search for the project’s tickets, then export the search as CSV (all fields). For attachments, prepare a ZIP archive of your files if needed.
- Open the import screen. In Jalonio: “Projects”, then “Import from Jira”.
- File and project. Drop the CSV file (50 MB at most; encoding and separator are detected), and the ZIP archive of attachments if you have one: files are matched by name. Choose “New project” or “Existing project”.
- Mappings. “Analyse the file”: Jalonio suggests a mapping for each column, each status, type and priority, and each person. Everything can be changed. Jira exports in English and in French are both recognised. The title (“Summary”) and key (“Issue key”) columns are required.
- Dry run. “Dry run” writes nothing. Check the figures (tickets to create, to update, skipped), the issues line by line and the preview of the first 10 tickets.
- Import. “Start the import”: progress is shown, and you are notified when it ends.
- Report. Tickets created, updated, skipped, attachments not imported. “Download the detailed report (CSV)” keeps a record of the migration.
Method 2: connect to Jira through the API
- Create a token in Jira. Jira Cloud: the API tokens page of your Atlassian account, “Create API token”, with a short lifetime. Jira Data Center: your profile, “Personal Access Tokens”, with an expiry date.
- Choose the source. In Jalonio: “Projects”, “Import from Jira”, then “Connection to Jira (API)”.
- Test the connection. Choose Cloud or Data Center, paste the Jira address, the account’s email address (Cloud) and the token, then “Test the connection”. Any error is explained in plain words: credentials refused, missing permission, address not found, invalid certificate.
- Choose the projects. The Jira project, and the target Jalonio project: by default, a new project with the same name and key, to keep the numbers.
- Read the tickets. “Read the tickets from Jira” shows progress. If Jira limits the number of requests, reading slows down, then resumes by itself.
- Finish as with CSV. Mappings (sprints included), dry run, import and report.
The token is stored encrypted for the duration of the import, then erased: at the end, on failure, or if you click “Cancel and erase the credentials”. Also revoke it in Jira once the import is finished.
What is carried over, and what isn’t
| Jira item | CSV export | API |
|---|---|---|
| Title, description, type, status, priority | Yes, markup converted to Markdown | Yes, markup converted to Markdown |
| Assignee, reporter, labels, dates, due date | Yes | Yes |
| Epics, sub-tasks, links between tickets | Yes | Yes |
| Comments | Those in the export, with original author and date | All, with original author and date |
| Attachments | With the optional ZIP archive | Yes, downloaded and verified |
| Custom fields | Yes, through mapping | Yes, through mapping |
| Sprints (name, state, dates) | No | Yes |
| Watchers | Yes, if the column exists | No |
| Time spent (worklogs) | No | No |
| Change history | No | No |
Time spent is not carried over because Jalonio does not offer time tracking. The original Jira key remains visible on every ticket and can be found by search.
After the import: the checklist
- Read the report and deal with skipped lines.
- If needed, activate the accounts created as deactivated during the import (Administration, Users).
- Check the board and the backlog: statuses, current sprint, epics.
- If you correct a mapping, “Replay the import” updates the tickets, without duplicates.
- Revoke the Jira token if you used the API.
- Connect your forge (GitLab, GitHub, Gitea, Forgejo) and your chat tools.
- Review the project’s automatic behaviours: each one is turned on or off with a checkbox.
Frequently asked questions
Does the import change anything in Jira?
No. The CSV import starts from a file, and the API import only reads the project in Jira.
Can we import from a Jira installed on our internal network?
Through the API, no: a private address is refused by Jalonio’s network protection. Use the CSV export, which works in every case.
What happens to Jira people who have no Jalonio account?
You choose for each one: link them to an existing account, create a deactivated account that the administrator will activate, group them under “Imported user”, or link nothing.
Can we import into an existing Jalonio project?
Yes. Choose “Existing project” in the first step. Tickets already imported are recognised by their original Jira key and updated, not duplicated.
Do we need a paid subscription to import?
No. Importing from Jira is included in every plan, including the Discovery plan, free for up to 10 users.
Read also: Jalonio vs Jira, the comparison, Jalonio for engineering teams, help.
Try an import, with no commitment.
The dry run writes nothing: you see the result before deciding. Free for up to 10 users, no credit card required.