Notes and project management

How to move from Trello to Jira: using Atlassian's built-in importer

SwitchTo HQ · Updated 18 October 2026 · Notes and project management · How we write

Trello and Jira are both made by Atlassian, and Jira Cloud has a built-in importer for Trello boards. It creates a new Jira space for each board and can invite the people on those boards to your Jira site. What comes across depends on which Jira app you have, so read the limits below before you start.

Before you begin

Atlassian's Trello import guide sets out a few requirements:

You must be an organisation admin to import data from Trello boards.
The importer works for Jira. If you want a board in a Jira Product Discovery space instead, Atlassian says you need to export the board as CSV and import that file into the discovery space.
Atlassian is rolling out a newer, faster import experience alongside the older Jira Import Wizard. The steps below apply to both, and you can switch to the old experience if you prefer.

What comes across depends on your Jira space type

This is the most important part of the documentation. The Trello importer behaves differently depending on whether you have access to a software space.

Trello item	If you have a software space	If you don't have a software space
Space created	A team-managed software space for each board	A team-managed business space for each board
Archived cards	Not imported	Imported, marked as Done
Archived lists	Not imported	Imported with their cards
Checklists	Not imported	Imported as sub-tasks
Custom fields	Not imported	Not listed as supported

In other words, if your team relies on Trello checklists and you import into a software space, those checklists will be left behind. You have three options:

Import into a business space instead, where checklists become sub-tasks.
Convert important checklists into separate cards in Trello before importing, so they arrive as issues.
Keep a Trello export or a copy of the board for reference.

Trello custom fields are not imported in either case, according to the documentation. If you use custom fields for things like priority, estimates or client names, record them first. One approach is to add the value to the card title or description in Trello before you import, then re-create a proper Jira field afterwards and fill it in.

Step 1: Start the import

In Jira Cloud:

Choose Settings, then System.
In the Import and Export section, select External system import.
Select Trello.
Authorise your Trello account so Jira can read your boards.

Step 2: Map boards to new Jira spaces

For each board you choose, the importer creates a new Jira space. You:

Select the Trello boards you want to import.
Give each new space a name.
Enter a space key. This becomes the prefix for issue numbers, so pick something short and meaningful, such as MKT for a marketing board.

Step 3: Import users

Each person on the boards you are importing is listed. Enter an email address for each one:

For people who already use Jira, enter the email address they log in to Jira with, so their Trello cards are matched to their existing Jira account.
If you enter an email address that doesn't yet have access to your Jira site, Atlassian says Jira will send that person an invitation.

Check the email addresses carefully. A mismatch means cards are assigned to a new, duplicate user rather than the person who already has a Jira account. New users may also affect your Jira subscription if you pay per user.

Step 4: Check the new space

When the import finishes, your Trello board exists in Jira as a team-managed space. Compare a few things against the original board:

The number of cards against the number of issues.
How your Trello lists have been represented (as board columns and statuses).
Labels, due dates, attachments, comments and assignees on a sample of cards.
Anything from the table above that you expected to lose, such as checklists in a software space.

Moving to a company-managed space

Team-managed spaces are simpler to set up but less configurable. If your organisation uses company-managed spaces with shared workflows and fields, Atlassian says you can import into a team-managed space first and then use Jira's bulk move to move the issues into a company-managed space or change the space template. Do this before your team starts adding new work, so you don't have to move as many issues.

Rebuilding automations

Trello Power-Ups, Butler automation rules and Trello email-to-board addresses don't move with the board. List the ones you use before switching, then rebuild them with Jira's own automation and integrations. Common examples are:

Moving a card when a checklist is complete, which becomes a Jira automation rule on sub-task completion.
Due-date reminders.
Slack or email notifications.
Calendar views, which Jira offers through its own timeline and calendar features.

After the switch

Once your team is working in Jira, archive the Trello boards rather than deleting them straight away, so you can look things up if something was missed. Tell people where the new spaces are and what the new issue keys look like, and update any documentation that links to Trello cards.

Checklist

Make sure you are an organisation admin.
Decide whether to import into a software space or a business space, based on the table above.
Record custom field values, and convert checklists if you need them in a software space.
Run the import from Settings, then System, then External system import, then Trello.
Map each board to a space name and key, and match users by their Jira login email.
Check issues, statuses and attachments, then rebuild automations.
Archive the Trello boards once you are sure nothing is missing.