# Import time entries into Planio via CSV files

You probably know, that you may book time on issues or projects via [Planio Time Tracking](https://plan.io/time-tracking/). However, if you've decided to track your time outside of Planio, it's also possible to import your time entries from Comma Separated Values (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. Second, you have to carry out the import. We’ll cover both in this guide.

## Preparing the CSV file

You need to export your time entries or time bookings 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 drop-down menu.

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

| Values           | Notes                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     |
| ---------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Tracker          | The tracker of the issue. This is needs to map a name of an existing tracker in your project. You’ll find their names in **Administration -\> Trackers**. If you don't provide this column within the CSV, you may select a tracker for all new issues during the import. |
| Status           | The status of the issue. This is needs to map a name of an existing status available for the selected tracker. You’ll find their names in **Administration -\> Issue statuses**. If you don't provide this column within the CSV, the default status will be used.        |
| Subject          | The subject of the issue. This is required                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
| Description      | Enter the text describing the issue.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| Priority         | Enter the name of one of the priorities listed in your Planio account. You’ll find their names in **Administration -\> Enumerations**                                                                                                                                     |
| Category         | The category of the issue. New categories may created automatically during the import, if need be.                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Assignee         | Enter the First and Last Name, login or email of the person to whom you want to assign the issue. You’ll find those details in **Administration -\> Users**. Make sure the person is a member of the project before assigning them issues via the importer.               |
| Sprint/Milestone | Enter the name of the milestone or sprint to which the issue should be assigned. New sprints/milestones may be created automatically during the import, if need be.                                                                                                       |
| Private          | This selects whether the issue will be private for the assignee or not. Enter `1` to make the issue private or `0` otherwise.                                                                                                                                             |
| Start date       | Enter the start date in your preferred date format (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY).                                                                                                                                                                                       |
| Due date         | Enter the due date in your preferred date format (e.g. MM/DD/YYYY or DD.MM.YYYY).                                                                                                                                                                                         |
| Estimated time   | Enter a number for the estimated number of hours (e.g. 15).                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
| % Done           | Enter a number for the percentage done (e.g. 27).                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |

## 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 spent time page in the sidebar.

{{figure(Click on Import in the sidebar on the right)
!time-entries-page@2x.png!
}}

Then, select your CSV file using the file picker.

{{figure(Upload the CSV file using the file picker)
!file-selector@2x.png!
}}

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

{{figure(Select the options for importing the CSV file based on how your CSV file is formatted)
!import-options@2x.png!
}}

| Option          | Notes                                                                                                |
| --------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| 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 date formats (YYYY-MM-DD, DD/MM/YYYY, MM/DD/YYY, DD.MM.YYY or DD-MM-YYYY) |

First you have to select a target project for the import. Then, you have to map the values from the CSV files to time entry fields in Planio. You can select each value from the drop-down menu beside each attribute. You’ll also see a file content preview further down, so you can make sure you’re importing the right data.

{{figure(Assign each column in the CSV file to a time entry field)
!field-mapping@2x.png!
}}

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

If you encounter any problems, you'll see a page with the errors and the import will not be carried out. You can restart the import once you've fixed the problems in the CSV file.

{{figure(A list of the errors encountered during the import)
!import-error@2x.png!
}}

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

{{figure(You'll see a list of the created time entries.)
!successful-import@2x.png!
}}

That's how you can import time entries or time bookings into Planio using the CSV importer.