How to Export All Jira Issues in a Project

To export all Jira issues in a project, run a project-wide search and export the results as CSV. Excel can open that file, but Jira is still giving you a CSV, not a formatted .xlsx workbook.

Use this JQL as the clean starting point:

project = ABC ORDER BY key ASC

Replace ABC with your project key. Jira will return the work items you are allowed to see in that project. Issue security and project permissions still apply, so two people can run the same query and get different totals.

Export all work items from a Jira project

In Jira Cloud:

1. Open the work item search. Depending on your Jira navigation, this may be Filters > All work items or the List inside a project.
2. Switch to advanced search if you need JQL.
3. Run project = ABC ORDER BY key ASC.
4. Check the result count and scan the first few rows. A suspiciously small total usually means the project key, permissions, or an old filter is narrowing the search.
5. Select the More actions menu, then Export.
6. Choose Export Excel CSV (current fields), Export Excel CSV (all fields), or Export Excel CSV (filter fields) when a saved filter provides that option.
7. Save the CSV and open it in Excel or another spreadsheet tool.

Atlassian’s current Jira Cloud instructions use those three CSV choices. Jira’s labels have changed over time, so older guides may show a different menu or say “issues” where the current interface says “work items.”

Current fields, all fields, or filter fields?

The shortest useful export is usually better than the largest possible export.

Jira option	What it uses	Best for
Current fields	The columns in your current search-results view	A clean one-off spreadsheet with known columns
All fields	Every field Jira includes for the matching work items	Discovery, migration preparation, or finding a field you have not configured as a column
Filter fields	The column configuration saved with the filter	A repeatable team-owned column layout

“All fields” often produces a wide file. Jira sites collect custom fields the way kitchen drawers collect mystery cables. Exporting everything can be useful once, but it is a poor default for a file someone must read every week.

If a saved filter exports the wrong columns, check the filter’s column configuration. Atlassian explains that filter-specific columns override a user’s default columns when that filter is exported.

What “all Jira issues” includes

The export includes every work item matched by the search that your account may view. It can include system fields, custom fields, comments when the relevant export/field choice includes them, and attachment metadata or links.

It does not mean:

• Every project on the Jira site.
• Work items hidden from you by project or issue security.
• A reliable record of every historical value a field has held.
• Physical attachment files downloaded in bulk.
• Project configuration such as workflows, schemes, permissions, or automation rules.
• App-owned data stored outside normal Jira fields.

This distinction prevents a common bad day: somebody asks for a backup, receives a spreadsheet, and discovers during a restore that a spreadsheet is not a backup.

For recovery or migration, use Jira’s administrative backup process. Atlassian’s Jira Cloud backup documentation describes what the backup contains and what it leaves out. Attachments can be included in that backup, but Jira limits how frequently attachment-inclusive backups can be created.

Check the export before sending it anywhere

Open the CSV and make five checks:

1. Compare its work-item count with the Jira search total.
2. Check that the first and last keys fall inside the expected project.
3. Confirm important fields such as status, assignee, created date, and any reporting fields are present.
4. Look at a few blank cells in Jira. A blank can be correct, or it can mean the field was not available for that work-item type.
5. Treat the file as untrusted input before opening or sharing it.

Atlassian warns that CSV content can be interpreted as spreadsheet formulas or macros when it is opened in Excel or uploaded to Google Sheets. If users can enter text into Jira fields, review your spreadsheet security controls before distributing the file.

What if the project has more than 10,000 work items?

Jira Cloud’s search-result CSV export supports up to 10,000 work items per asynchronous export. If the project search is larger, split it into non-overlapping JQL ranges and merge the files.

The batching steps belong in one place, so use our maintained guide to export more than 10,000 Jira issues to Excel. It covers safe date ranges, duplicate checks, and Power Query merging without turning this project-export guide into the same article wearing a different hat.

Use the REST API when a script owns the workflow

Jira’s REST API can search with JQL, request a selected field list, and page through the results. That is a reasonable fit when an engineering team already owns authentication, schema handling, retries, and file generation.

The current enhanced search endpoint accepts JQL and an explicit fields array. It returns only work items the authenticated user can browse. See Atlassian’s Jira Cloud issue search API before copying an old pagination example; the API has changed and older endpoints have been retired.

Native Jira export or an export app?

Use native Jira for a one-off project export when CSV is acceptable and current field values are enough.

An export app becomes useful when the file is part of a recurring process. Advanced Export saves a configuration built from JQL, a Jira filter, a board, or a sprint. You can preview selected standard and custom fields, add change history when required, generate CSV, XLSX, or JSON, and schedule a delivery route.

Requirement	Better starting point
One project, one-time CSV	Native Jira export
Current columns already configured	Native current-fields export
Full Jira site recovery or migration	Jira Cloud backup
Repeatable selected fields and formatting	Advanced Export
Field change history in separate rows	Advanced Export
Scheduled email, SFTP, webhook, or API retrieval	Advanced Export

Its interactive exports handle up to 100,000 work items rather than Jira’s 10,000, though a very large file with full history and many fields can still exhaust browser memory. Reducing the work items, selecting fewer fields, or scheduling the export server-side are the ways round that.

Advanced Export does not turn a data extract into a Jira site backup. It solves a different job: repeatable, structured files for reporting and downstream use.

Make the project export repeatable

If this is the spreadsheet you rebuild every week, see how Advanced Export works. You can keep the JQL and field selection, preview the output, and choose an immediate browser export or a scheduled delivery.

View Advanced Export on the Atlassian Marketplace.