Issue Importing Original Estimate from CSV – Values Not Saved Correctly

[Daniel Dayan]

Hello,

I’m trying to import tickets into JIRA using a CSV file, but I’m facing an issue with the Original Estimate field.
I’ve tried entering the value in multiple formats (seconds, minutes, hours), but JIRA does not interpret the values correctly.

What I've Tried So Far:

1. Importing values in seconds – For example, I entered  3600 seconds, but JIRA displayed 2m instead.
2. Importing values without quotes – Ensured that values are entered as plain numbers without single or double quotes.
3. Using quotes – When I try to enclose the value in double quotes (e.g., "3600"), and when I try use in hours I get the following errors: 
   Unable to parse original estimate: [1h]/["3600"]
   
   
4. Checking time unit settings in JIRA – Went to Settings → Issues → Time Tracking and verified the Default unit for time tracking. Even after changing it to "Hours," the issue persists.
5. Using JIRA's built-in External System Import tool – But the values still do not import correctly.

Questions:

• What is the correct way to import values into the Original Estimate field so JIRA interprets them correctly?
• Is there a specific format that the system expects?
• Are there any known limitations when importing data into this field via CSV?

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!

[Vishal Biyani · Accepted solution]

@Daniel Dayan 

Try with 21600 (3600 * 60)

The import file can look like this. Then import it using "import issues from csv". This will create a new issue of type Story.

if you want to update an existing issue, then you can add existing key as Akash mentioned.

I have tested with 21,600 in my instance and it correctly updates the original estimate to 1 hour. 

Issue Type	Summary	Original Estimate
Story	My Test Issue	21600

[Daniel Dayan]

Thank you very much, it worked for me this way, you helped me a lot.

[Vishal Biyani]

Glad to know it worked for you

[Akash Singh]

@Daniel Dayan Welcome to Atlassian community!

As suggested in the Atlassian documentation, the value of Original Estimate field needs to be specified as number of seconds.

Import data from a CSV file

Your import file should look like this,

Key	Summary	Original Estimate
OS-2	My Test Issue	3600

Also, please ensure that the CSV file is saved in UTF-8 format with comma delimiters. Try importing/updating one issue at a time and see if it make a difference.

[Daniel Dayan]

tried it this way, and it didn't work for me.