Import from Asana

Ready to switch from Asana to ClickUp? This article walks you through the import process.

Feature availability and limits vary by plan and user role. Learn more

Prepare your Workspace in ClickUp

We recommend setting up your Hierarchy structure in ClickUp first. Create a Space or Spaces to house all of your Asana projects. You can also create Spaces during the import process.

What data imports?

The table below displays what data does not import automatically from Asana and manual methods for managing this data:

Does not import automatically Manually import method
Freestanding tasks In Asana, move freestanding tasks into Projects.
Nested subtasks In ClickUp, manually move the nested subtasks into their parent tasks.
Tasks shared between projects In Asana, add a note to tasks shared between projects. In ClickUp, add these tasks to multiple Lists
Recurring tasks In Asana, add a note to recurring tasks. In ClickUp, set up the recurrence. 
Private tasks In Asana, add a note to private tasks. In ClickUp, make these tasks private
Custom fields To import Custom Fields from Asana, you'll need to use the Spreadsheet importer in ClickUp. 
@mentions None. @mentions do not import.

Start your import

To start an import from Asana:
  1. In the upper-left corner, click your Workspace avatar and select Settings.
  2. In the All settings sidebar, select Imports / Exports.
    • If your Workspace doesn't have an import or export history, the Select source of import page opens. In the Import from apps section, select Asana.
    • If your Workspace has an import or export history, the Imports / Exports page opens. Select Import Items. On the Select source of import page, select Asana.
  3. In the pop-up, sign in to your Asana account.

Select your Asana workspace

To select your Asana workspace:

  1. From the ClickUp Workspace dropdown, select your Asana workspace.
    Screenshot of the Workspace dropdown in ClickUp.jpg
  2. Click Next.

Mapping data

Mapping means matching the data from Asana to existing ClickUp data. For example, matching email addresses and Channel names. During the import, you'll review these matches to ensure accuracy.

Select your Asana Projects and ClickUp Spaces

On the Import Tasks page, all imported Asana Projects are grouped by default. You can select a ClickUp Space for all Projects, or you can individually select a new or existing ClickUp Space for each Project. You can also choose not to import individual Projects. 

New Space

This option creates a new Space to import your Asana Projects into. Each Space will be named after the Asana Project.

Existing Space

Import your Projects into any existing ClickUp Space.

Make your Projects private

Your Asana Projects are imported into public ClickUp Folders. We recommend keeping related Projects in the same Space so that related projects are organized together!

Spaces and Folders are public by default. This means all members and admins in your Workspace can see the tasks in the Folder.

To make items imported from Asana private, do the following:

  1. In the upper-left corner, click your Workspace avatar and select Settings.
  2. In the All settings sidebar, click Security & Permissions.
  3. Scroll down to Advanced Permissions.
  4. To the left of Make new Spaces private, click the toggle to on. 
  5. When importing from Asana, select New Space

Import all Asana Projects to the same ClickUp Space

To import all Asana Projects to the same ClickUp Space:

  1. On the Import Tasks page, click the Select Space to Import Projects dropdown. 
  2. You can select a new or existing Space to import all of your Asana Projects to.
  3. Click Next.

Individually import Asana Projects to different ClickUp Spaces

To individually import Asana Projects: 
  1. On the Import Tasks page, below the Asana Projects dropdown, click Customize Projects individually.
  2. Below the Select Space to Import Projects dropdown, click Customize Spaces individually.
    Screenshot of the Asana Projects dropdown with the Customize Projects individually link below.jpg
  3. Select a new or existing Space to import each Asana Project to.
  4. Click Next.

Map Project Sections as statuses or Lists

Do you organize your Project Sections as statuses in your project workflow, or are they better off in separate Lists?

Organize Asana Sections as ClickUp statuses

If you use sections in Asana for statuses in your workflow, such as to do, in progress, and done, then you'll want to map your sections to ClickUp as statuses.

In this case, your project will be imported as a new Folder with a list named Imported from Asana.

To import Sections as statuses:

  • On the Import Tasks page, select Sections as Status.

Organize Asana Sections as ClickUp Lists

Do you use Sections for anything that isn't a task status? For example, you use Sections for organizational purposes rather than moving tasks through a particular workflow.

In this case, your Board will be imported as a new Folder, and your columns will become ClickUp Lists.

To import Sections as Lists:

  • On the Import Tasks page, select Sections as List.

Customize Projects individually

You also have the option to organize each Asana Project individually. If you have Projects with different uses of Sections, you can set them accordingly before importing.

To customize Projects individually:

  • On the Import Tasks page, select Customize Projects individually.

Import users

After you've mapped Asana channels, you can import and map users!

To import Asana users to ClickUp:

By default, Asana users are mapped by email to existing ClickUp users. No email invitation is sent. 

  1. To the right of the Asana user, click the drop-down menu.
  2. Choose from the following options:
  • Select a user: Select this option to choose the ClickUp user that matches the imported user email address.
  • Invite by email: Send an email inviting a new Asana user to your ClickUp Workspace.
  • Inactive user: Map users who will not be active in ClickUp. For example, you can still import messages from a teammate who has left your org.

Inviting people to your Workspace may incur charges.

Step 5 of the import process where you map Asana users to ClickUp users.

Choose your import options

Select from the options to import:

Closed tasks

Choose to import all tasks, including closed. Or only import open tasks.

Generally, we recommend importing all of your tasks so you can reference history and attachments in ClickUp.

Attachments

Choose to import all attachments or not. 

Most people do want to import attachments from Asana. If you're on the Free Forever Plan and worried about exceeding your storage limit, you may want to select No.

Unfortunately, Asana does not provide a way to calculate the amount of data in your attachments, so you'll only know after the import has been completed.

If you import attachments and exceed the storage limit, you can delete attachments to bring your Workspace back under the storage limit.

Milestones

Choose to import Asana milestones as ClickUp Milestones. Import milestones as regular ClickUp tasks. Or do not import milestones. 

Step 6 of the import process where you select customizable options to import closed tasks, attachments, and milestones.

How long does an import take?

Starting the import process generally takes 2 to 10 minutes. After you've confirmed the import, the actual importing time can vary between 1 minute to a few hours. This is entirely based on how much data you have in Asana as well as Asana's rate limits.

Since Asana does rate-limit the import, we have to throttle the speed to ensure we don't hit the rate limit, which is why it can take up to a few hours (or more) if you have lots of attachments.

We'll send you an email as soon as your import is done.

Next steps

If you're done with your import and are ready to move stuff around, make sure to take advantage of our Bulk Action Toolbar!