I need to retrieve the original description format from the history logs after the migration.

[Veena Kunchala]

During the migration process, we missed selecting the retain option for several issue types, which resulted in the description field being lost in the destination project. Now, when I try to restore the description from the history logs of ticket from destination project, the value appears distorted and not in plain text or the original format. How can I recover the actual format from the history?

[Rahul_RVS]

Hi @Veena Kunchala 

You may want to have a look at a mktplace app for extracting issue changelogs along with the description field.

We have built an app to extract changelog data in a simple and easy to use interface. The data can be easily exported to a CSV file as well.

It provides complete details of who changed the data, what was changed and when.

Issue History Reports

Do give it a try.

Disclaimer : I am part of the app dev team

[Veena Kunchala]

Thanks everyone, we need to get approvals in order to install these apps. Thank you 

[Birkan Yildiz _OBSS_]

Hey @Veena Kunchala 

Welcome to the Community!
To recover the original format without manually parsing JSON and open using a 3rd party app, you can use Historian - History Explorer for Jira. Our app includes a Field-Based View that automatically renders this raw ADF history back into readable rich text. You can also export this rendered history to Excel or CSV, which makes it much easier to bulk-restore the descriptions to your issues.

Here are the key features of Historian that native Jira does not have:

Multi-Issue Reporting: While native Jira only shows the history of a single issue, Historian provides a combined report for multiple issues across entire projects, sprints, or custom JQL filters.
Advanced Filtering: Unlike native Jira's unfiltered list, Historian allows you to filter history by any standard or custom field, specific user, or precise date range.
Export Capabilities: Historian supports exporting rendered history reports to Excel and CSV for external analysis, audits, or bulk restoration.
Advanced Grouping and Sorting: You can organize your history reports by issue, user, or date to visualize data in the way that makes the most sense for your project.
To learn more about Historian, you can visit its Atlassian Marketplace page.

Best,
Birkan

[Natalia_Kovalchuk_SaaSJet_]

Hi @Veena Kunchala !

Unfortunately, Jira doesn't store the original description format (tables, headings, rich text) in work item history. There is no built-in way to recover the original formatting from history logs. 

You can try using Marketplace apps, such as Issue History for Jira (Work Item History) from the SaaSJet team. With this app, you can undo description changes in a few clicks. The description can be restored to its original formatting, so you can roll back any previous version safely.

To do this, it is necessary to follow these steps:

• After the app installation, open the needed work item → go to Activity → choose 🕒 Issue History.

• Find the description change and click the Revert arrow.

• Review the preview and confirm.

• The description will be reverted, and you will see it in its previous state and format.

You can also use the app to review changes across multiple work item descriptions and revert them if needed.

Hope it will be helpful!

[Petru Simion _Simitech Ltd__]

Hi @Veena Kunchala ,

If the description field wasn’t retained during migration, recovering it from Jira history alone is often difficult. Jira history logs usually store change diffs and formatted payloads (ADF/wiki/HTML), not clean rendered text — which is why the values you see now look distorted.

In this scenario, tools that store both history and full issue snapshots can help.

For example, Issue History Reporter for Jira , released by our team, captures not only field change history but also issue snapshot values. Snapshots store the full field content at a specific moment in time — not just the change delta — which makes it possible to recover the description in a readable format if a snapshot exists from before or around the migration.

Practical recovery approach:

• Jira history → technical change records (hard to reconstruct cleanly)

• Issue snapshot → full saved description value (easy to restore)

If snapshots were collected for those issues prior to migration, you should be able to retrieve the original description from there. If no snapshot exists, then recovery typically requires parsing the stored ADF/markup from the history data rather than simple copy-paste.

You can then export the recovered snapshot values to CSV and use that file to reinsert the descriptions back into the real issues (manually or via bulk update/API).

Regards, 

Petru

[Marc -Devoteam-]

Hi @Veena Kunchala 

What does the current content look like?

But I think you best option is to contact Atlassian support and raise an issue.

I'm kinda not sure that you can fix this issue yourself.