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How do I import from a CSV file in Excel to create subtasks in Jira?

Bridget Caci

Hello! I am new to Jira and am trying to figure out how to import from an Excel CSV file into Jira to create a new issue with subtasks. I can successfully import the file but it creates stand alone issues. It does not link the issues to a parent issue as subtasks. I have tried starting with a new issue and entering the Issue Key in my spreadsheet. I have tried creating subtasks and entering this Issue Key in the spreadsheet, but no luck.

I have read multiple posts in the Atlassian Community on this but do not understand any of it.

How do I format my Excel spreadsheet? What values should go in the cells so Jira understands to link it to a parent issue and create each line as a subtask?

Thank you in advance!

Accepted answers

Mathew Lederman

This document explains what is needed: https://confluence.atlassian.com/jirakb/csv-import-parent-child-mapping-1096095688.html but essentially, you just need to add a column titled 'Parent' and put the parent ticket number in that column.

All comments

Mathew Lederman

Bridget Caci

Thank you! This really helped. I successfully imported from the CSV file into Jira and created my subtasks. To do this, I did end up creating the subtask issues before hand.

Do you know (or can direct me to where I can find the information) if this importing process requires the parent and subtask issue IDs to be mapped? Is it ever possible to not need to create the subtask first but the import process will still link sub-tasks to a parent issue?

Appreciate your help!

Mathew Lederman

Bridget,

You should not need to create the sub-tasks manually. By identifying the project and issue type in your import file the import automation should be able to create the issues without any additional intervention. The only piece you need to add to your base import is to identify the Parent key which will create the parent/child relationship.

Did this not work in your experience?

Bridget Caci

No, it didn't work. It did create a subtask but it is a stand alone issue (with the Subtask Issue Type) and is not linked to the parent issue.

My spreadsheet columns are pretty basic: Parent ID. Parent Key, Issue Type, Department, Summary, Start Date, Target Date, Description. My success was after adding Issue ID and Issue Key columns with the info for the manually created subtasks.

Timoti Sburv

As an alternative, you can use Skyvia (https://skyvia.com/data-integration/jira-csv-file-import-and-export) for a more streamlined and automated import process. It provides a no-code way to import CSV files into Jira while preserving the parent-subtask hierarchy.

Piotr -Mederak Apps-

Hi,

if the import creates standalone issues, the tricky part is usually not the CSV upload itself, but preparing the parent-child mapping correctly. In Jira Cloud, hierarchy imports normally require the right Parent / Issue ID setup, correct row order, and in some cases the External System Import flow rather than the simpler CSV import.

So I would first check:
1. whether your target project has the right issue types configured,
2. whether the parent rows appear before the child rows,
3. whether the child rows point to the correct parent value,
4. whether you are mapping the Parent field during import.

Full disclosure: I built an app called Excel Backlog Importer for Jira. It was created exactly for cases where the original source is an Excel workbook and the painful part is turning that workbook into reviewed Jira issues with mapping, validation and optional parent-child structure before anything is created in Jira.

It will not bypass Jira’s project configuration rules, but it can remove a lot of the manual CSV cleanup and preview the result before import. Search for “Excel Backlog Importer for Jira” on Atlassian Marketplace if you want to try that route.

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