Your issues and projects will probably move. The things around them are what break: app-owned data and custom fields, user-profile details, parts of Advanced Roadmaps, Jira Services data, and the integrations and behaviors nobody wrote down. Atlassian says Marketplace app data migrates through the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant only when the app’s vendor has built a migration path. That makes every app a separate migration project.
One scope note first. The official, itemized evidence available is for Jira Server and Data Center moving to Jira Cloud. This article uses it as a concrete audit reference. It does not claim another destination (Linear, Azure DevOps, ServiceNow or anything else) behaves the same way. For those targets, the method below still applies, but the facts must come from the destination vendor’s documentation.
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What Atlassian documents as not carried over
Atlassian’s What gets migrated with the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant page is the authoritative list. It changes with tool versions, so check it and your own pre-migration report rather than relying on a summary. As documented for a Server/Data Center to Cloud move, these items are missing or need follow-up:
| Item | What happens | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| User avatars | Not migrated | Users update them after migration |
| Passwords | Not migrated unless SSO is configured | Users reset passwords; plan the communication |
| Per-user timezone | Not migrated | Users re-set it; check date-sensitive reports and notifications |
| Activity Stream and Jira user properties | Not migrated | Find any workflow, script or app that reads user properties |
| Jira Services from Server/Data Center | Not migrated | Treat service data as its own workstream |
| Advanced Roadmaps: classic plans, scenarios, unsaved scenario data, saved views, programs | Not migrated | Export or screenshot what you need; rebuild in the target |
| App-supplied custom fields | May be missing | Atlassian documents creating the Cloud fields and topping up missing values through CSV export/import |
| Marketplace app data | Moves only if the vendor provides a migration path | Confirm with each vendor (see below) |
The same page lists what does migrate: issue history for specified fields, sprints, versions, selected Advanced Roadmaps plans and custom fields, and Automation for Jira. Each listed item carries conditions, so don’t stretch a “migrates” entry beyond what the table states for your instance.
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Apps are the biggest source of surprises
Issues migrating cleanly says nothing about whether the app data attached to them did. The assistant’s app-data route depends on an automated migration path supplied by each Marketplace vendor. For every installed app, record:
- the destination app, or the native feature that replaces it;
- whether data moves, and by what path;
- which configuration must be recreated by hand;
- any licensing or availability questions in the target;
- an acceptance test that proves the result (for example, a known issue whose app field shows the right value).
Atlassian’s Cloud migration app assessment guidance suggests considering a Solution Partner if you are migrating 6 to 10 apps or the plan seems complex. That is planning advice, not a measured failure rate. The year of that guidance isn’t stated on the page. No named failure-rate statistic for Jira migrations turned up in the official pages reviewed, so be wary of any article that quotes one without a method.
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Choose the method before you promise anything
The method decides what can move at all. Atlassian’s Cloud migration methods for Jira calls the Jira Cloud Migration Assistant the easiest and most reliable route from Server/Data Center to Cloud. Of Jira Cloud CSV import it says: “This isn’t a recommended migration method due to its limitations.”
| Method | Fit | Main limit |
|---|---|---|
| Jira Cloud Migration Assistant | Server/Data Center to Cloud. Selective or phased plans, with pre- and post-migration reports | App data depends on vendor migration paths. Some items are not migrated (see the table above) |
| CSV import | An alternative for issues, and the documented way to top up values such as app-field data | Atlassian does not recommend it as a migration method where the assistant is an option |
| JSON import | Data from external tools that cannot export CSV, per Atlassian’s import and export documentation | Designed for importing external data, not for moving a whole Jira estate |
The assistant’s plan options show what you can select: projects, attachments and archived issues, plans, cross-project boards and filters, users and groups, Jira Service Management customers, Marketplace apps, and Assets. Treat that list as a checklist for your own inventory.
The audit, step by step
- Inventory the estate. List projects and issues, attachments and archived issues, workflows and schemes, boards, filters, dashboards, users and groups, service-management customers and Assets, Advanced Roadmaps plans, apps, automations, webhooks, integrations, scripts, and any externally managed directories.
- Map each object to a documented path. For each item, write down the migration method and the source of proof (vendor documentation or the assistant’s report). If you can’t point to a path, mark it as manual rebuild or accept the loss explicitly.
- Clear every app with its vendor, using the checklist above.
- Audit identity. Confirm trusted email domains, directory status, account matching, SSO and the password-reset communication. Find workflows that depend on timezone, avatar or Jira user properties, since those don’t carry over. Atlassian’s assistant overview covers the product’s scope and pre-migration checks.
- Run a test migration and review the reports. Compare source and destination reports and keep evidence of every exception.
- Test behavior, not just data. Run representative issue transitions, automations, permissions, notifications, service workflows, board and filter access, integrations, scripts and reporting. This step is our recommendation. Atlassian doesn’t prescribe a universal test count or pass threshold, so set your own and write it down before the rehearsal.
Plan for duplicates if the destination isn’t empty
According to Atlassian, the assistant does not overwrite or delete source data or existing cloud data. It adds migrated data to the Cloud site and may link data to avoid duplication. If your target site already holds users, projects or records, rehearse how duplicates and links resolve, and make that part of acceptance. The same behavior means your source stays intact after a run, which helps with cutover and rollback planning. Plan how long you keep the source and how you freeze writes to it.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.If you’re leaving Jira for a different product
The Atlassian documentation above doesn’t describe a non-Atlassian target. Ask the destination vendor for these, in writing, before committing:
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- supported import formats, and whether Jira’s CSV or JSON export is accepted directly;
- how field values, history, comments, links and relationships are mapped, and which are dropped;
- attachment size and count limits;
- replacements for each Marketplace app you rely on, and whether any data comes across;
- identity mapping, SSO and user matching;
- API and webhook options for rebuilding integrations and scripts;
- how you export your data again, in case you need to roll back or leave later.
Also export a full copy of Jira data you need for compliance or reference before you decommission anything. Atlassian’s export options for Jira Cloud are the starting point if you are on Cloud.
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