# Import & export

Bring tasks in from a CSV, export them for a spreadsheet, or share the board as a PDF.

Move tasks in and out of a project with CSV files, or export the board as a PDF to share. CSV import and export work on every plan; PDF export needs Indie or Studio.

**When to use it.** Import a CSV when you're moving from another tool, such as Linear, Notion or a spreadsheet. Export a CSV to work on tasks in a spreadsheet or another tool, and a PDF to show the plan to someone who doesn't use Frostbyte.

Each is in the project's **⋯** menu, and under **Import and export** in [Project settings](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/projects#change-project-settings). Anyone on the project can export; only the project owner can import.

## Import tasks from a CSV

1. Open the project's **⋯** menu and choose **Import from CSV**.
2. Drop a CSV file, up to 2 MB, or browse for one, then choose **Continue**.
3. Check what each column imports as. Only **Title** is required, and columns set to **Don't import** collapse under **won't be imported**.
4. Choose **Import 2 tasks** (the button counts your rows). The **Done** step says how many were imported and why any rows were skipped.

Nothing is created until the last step. **Map columns** stays open for 10 minutes; after that, choose the file again.

Here's the [example file](https://getfrostbyte.dev/examples/tasks-import.csv) from the figure above:

```csv
Title,Description,Status,Type,Area,Release
Streak flame grows each week,Make the flame bigger for every full week a group keeps its streak,To Do,Feature,Punishments & Streaks,1.2.0
Camera opens sideways on iPad,The shutter button is off screen in landscape,In Progress,Bug,Challenges & Feed,1.1.0
```

## How rows are imported

- **Columns from other tools are recognised,** such as *Name* or *Summary* for the title, and statuses like *Backlog*, *Open* or *Closed*.
- **Areas and releases are matched by name,** ignoring capitals. A name that doesn't exist yet becomes a new area, or a new **Upcoming** release.
- **Tasks without a release go to the Backlog.**
- **Assignees** are matched to people already on the project.
- **Some rows are skipped:** rows with no title, and rows whose status is *Cancelled*, *Canceled* or *Duplicate*.
- **Sub-issues import as separate tasks.** If the file has a *Parent* column, those rows become ordinary tasks, and the summary says how many.
- **Feedback CSVs become tasks.** Import doesn't recreate feedback requests, voters, votes or comments. Re-enter live requests in [Signals](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/signals) if you want to keep them as feedback.

The import checks the owner's [plan limits](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/plans-and-limits) for tasks and releases before it starts.

## Export tasks as a CSV

Open the project's **⋯** menu and choose **Export as CSV**. Narrow it by type, release, area or status if you only want some tasks, then choose **Download CSV**.

![The Export to CSV dialog: a preview of the spreadsheet's first columns, the type, release, area and status filters with Clear filters, and Download CSV.](https://getfrostbyte.dev/images/docs/export-csv.webp "With no filters, the file has every task in the project.")

Each row has the task's ID, title, description, status, priority, type, area, release, tags, labels, assignees, due date, whether it's on the roadmap, and when it was created and last updated. The file opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets, and imports into Linear, Jira or Asana.

## Export the board as a PDF

> **Available on the Indie and Studio plans:** See Plans and limits.

Open the project's **⋯** menu and choose **Export as PDF**. Pick a layout, filter the tasks if you like, choose landscape or portrait, then **Download PDF**. The preview beside the options changes with the layout and orientation.

![The Export to PDF dialog: Full report, Board and Diagram layouts, task filters with Set active version, orientation, and a preview of a landscape A4 page.](https://getfrostbyte.dev/images/docs/export-pdf.webp "Set active version filters the export to the release you're working on.")

| Layout | Includes |
|---|---|
| **Full report** | A summary, your releases, a diagram, the board and a table of tasks |
| **Board** | The board's status columns only |
| **Diagram** | A diagram of tasks by release, with a summary page |

## Things to note

- **Importing the same file twice makes duplicates.** Import always creates new tasks and ignores any ID column, so it can't update tasks you already have.
- **An export isn't a full backup.** CSV and PDF leave out subtasks, attachments, comments, activity and signals.
- **Images in descriptions** that came from private links in another tool can't be imported. The summary tells you which tasks had them.
- **PDF follows the owner's plan.** Any member of an Indie or Studio project can export one.

## Related

- [Tasks](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/tasks): edit what you imported.
- [Releases](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/releases): organise imported tasks into releases.
- [Plans & limits](https://getfrostbyte.dev/docs/plans-and-limits): task and release limits on Free.