Migrate Projects and Issues from Jira Server/Data Center to Jira Cloud

Owned by Rosen Marinkov
Last updated: Jan 29, 2024
4 min read

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Before you start:

Migrate projects and issues from Jira Server/Data Center to Jira Cloud

Moving projects and issues from Jira Server to Jira Cloud is one of Jira’s most demanded and complex administrative tasks. 

Configuration Manager Cloud Migration Tool successfully solves this challenge for you. The app transfers your projects and issues from Jira Server or Data Center instances to Jira Cloud sites, saving you time and effort. In addition, the app detects and reports configuration conflicts and errors that block your migration.

Using the approach described in this document, you can also perform configuration tasks such as merging multiple Jira Server or Data Center instances into a single Jira Cloud site.

 

 

The video below demonstrates an end-to-end migration with the Cloud Migration Tool.

CMT-successful-migration.mp4

We aim to allow you to migrate your projects from a Jira on-premise instance to a Jira Cloud site with no data or configuration loss.

What Jira configurations are we able to migrate?

Check the complete list of supported configuration elements to see what can be migrated. Also, visit our roadmap for information on what's coming soon.

Migration flow

Migrating projects from Jira Server/Data Center to Jira Cloud

Prerequisites

First, check the Prerequisites and Licensing requirements for migration to Jira Cloud.

  1. Install the Configuration Manager Cloud Migration Tool app on your Jira Server or Data Center instance.

  2. Install the Configuration Manager for Jira (CMJ) Cloud app on your destination Jira Cloud site to establish a seamless connection between the Jira Server/DC instance and the Jira Cloud site. Learn more about the installation instructions.
    Prerequisite You need to have site admin or org admin permissions to be able to establish a connection between the Cloud Migration Tool and Configuration Manager for Jira Cloud. Check the Prerequisites.

  3. Log in to your Jira Server or Data Center instance with the Jira System Administrators' global permission.

  4. Open the Cloud Migration Tool's Manage Migrations page and create a migration with the New Migration button.

  5. On the migration wizard's Connect phase, name your migration and connect to your Jira Cloud site. Choose an existing connection if you already have one, or create a new connection to your Cloud site. Learn more about creating a connection to your Jira Cloud site.

  6. Click Select to move to the Select projects phase of the migration.

  7. Select the projects you want to migrate using the Add projects to the migration link. Boards linked to the selected projects will be automatically added to the migration.

  8. Click the Add boards button to include boards that aren't associated with the selected projects to the migration scope.

  9. After adding projects and boards to the migration, click Analyze to move to the Analyze changes phase.

  10. Review the report of the changes introduced to the cloud in the Analyze changes phase. The Analyze changes UI shows you the projects, configuration elements, and users that will be migrated to the Cloud site. Learn more about managing and migrating users with Cloud Migration Tool.

  11. Go through any warnings, errors, or conflicts between the server and cloud configurations detected by the analysis. Remember that warnings don't block migrations, but conflicts and errors do. Therefore, you first need to resolve any detected conflicts.
    Learn more about the options offered in the Analyze changes phase of the migration.

  12. If you’ve resolved any errors, rerun the analysis with the Rerun analysis button at the bottom of the page.

  13. Click Migrate to start the migration.

  14. Once the migration is complete, you can review a full report of the migrated configuration. On the final page of the migration, click the Access Report button to see the report. Learn more about the migration report.

  15. Navigate to your Jira Cloud site to browse your projects, issues, and workflows.
    Your projects and issues on the source Jira remain unchanged.

After the migration is complete, you can invite your teams to Jira Cloud.

App compatibility

Make sure to have the same apps installed on Jira Server/Data Center and Jira Cloud. Note that 3rd party apps' server and cloud versions will work differently in most cases.

Please get in touch with the 3rd party app vendors regarding the migration procedure of the app data.

Tips & Tricks

Atlassian MOVE ticket

Atlassian recommends submitting a MOVE ticket once you've committed to planning your migration. They will assign a dedicated cloud migration manager (CMM) to your ticket to assist you throughout the entire migration. The CMM can help you choose the best tools and strategies for your organization.

Test your migration

For more information on testing the Jira Server to Cloud migrations, you might want to take a look at Atlassian's Test your server to cloud migration document.