# Import issues into Planio via CSV files

This is a guide on how you can import tasks, issues, tickets or stories from Comma Separated Value (CSV) files using the importer in Planio.

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There are two steps to this process. First, you need to prepare a CSV file for import. Secondly, you have to carry out the import. We’ll cover both in this guide.

## Preparing the CSV file

You need to export your tasks, issues or tickets in the CSV format. You can save most Excel sheets as CSV files by clicking on **File -\> Save As…** and then selecting **Comma Separated Values** as the format from the dropdown menu.

Your CSV file can have the following headers. You’ll find a sample CSV file here.

| Values           | Notes                                                                                                                                |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Project          | Enter the name of the project to which you want to assign the issue. This is required.                                               |
| Subject          | The subject of the issue. This is required                                                                                           |
| Description      | Enter the text that will form the issue's description.                                                                               |
| Priority         | Enter the name of one of the priorities listed in your Planio account. You’ll find their names in Administration -\> Issue statuses. |
| Assignee         | Enter the First and Last Name of the person to whom you want to assign the issue. You’ll their name in Administration -\> Users      |
| Sprint/Milestone | Enter the name of the milestone or sprint to which the issue should be assigned.                                                     |
| Private          | This selects whether the issue will be private for the assignee or not. Enter TRUE or FALSE as possible values.                      |
| Parent task      | You can enter the issue id number of the parent tasks. For example: 271936.                                                          |
| Start date       | Enter the date in your local date format (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY).                                                            |
| Due date         | Enter the date in your local date format (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY).                                                            |
| Estimated time   | Enter a number for the estimated time                                                                                                |
| % Done           | Enter a number for the percentage done.                                                                                              |

## Importing the CSV File

Now, you have a CSV file ready for import. The next step is to import it into Planio. You’ll find the button for the Import on the issues page in the sidebar.

![](issues-page.png)  
*Click on Import in the sidebar on the right*

Then, select your CSV file using the file picker.

![](file-selector.png)  
*Upload the CSV file using the file picker*

On the next page, you can select options for importing the CSV File

![](import-options.png)  
*Select the options for importing the CSV file based on how your CSV file is formatted*

|                 |                                                                             |
| --------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Field separator | You can select between comma separated values or semicolon separated values |
| Field wrapper   | You can select between double quotes or single quotes.                      |
| Encoding        | You can select the encoding for the CSV file                                |
| Date format     | You can select one of five data formats                                     |

Then, you have to map the values from the CSV files to issue field in Planio. You can select each value from the dropdown menu beside each attribute. You’ll also see a file content preview, so you can make sure you’re importing the right data.

![](field-mapping.png)  
*Assign each column in the CSV file to an issue field*

Once you’re done assigning the values to each field, you can click on import to start the import.

If you encounter any issues, you'll see a page with the errors. You can restart the import once you've fixed the problems in the CSV file.

![](import-error.png)  
*A list of the errors encountered during the import*

If all goes well, you’ll see a list of the imported issues.

![](successful-import.png)  
*You'll see a list of the created issues.*

That's how you can import tasks, issues, bugs or stories into Planio using the CSV importer.