---
key: data-portability-import-export-guide
title: Move your data into or out of Nova
audience: staff
section: administration
routes: ["/settings/org/exports", "/settings/org/imports", "/settings/org/exports/jobs", "/settings/org/imports/jobs"]
since: 0.0.1
updated: 0.0.1
status: published
summary: See what Nova can export and import, where the Exports and Imports pages are, and the order to follow when you move a customer list into or out of Nova.
keywords: [migration, migrate, switch software, backup, download my data, customer list, spreadsheet, csv, excel, move data, data portability, transfer]
related: [data-export-guide, data-import-guide, data-import-migration-examples, create-an-account]
---

In the sidebar, open **Administration**, then look under **Data**. **Exports** opens **Create export** at `/settings/org/exports/create`, and **Imports** opens **Start import** at `/settings/org/imports`. The past runs are on **Export jobs** (`/settings/org/exports/jobs`) and **Import jobs** (`/settings/org/imports/jobs`).

## Before you start

- Exports and imports are admin tools. If **Exports** or **Imports** is missing under **Data**, your role does not have the export or import permission. Ask your admin.
- Decide which way you are moving. Bringing a customer list over from another tool is an import. Taking a copy of your Nova records for a backup, an accountant or another Nova workspace is an export.
- Nothing is imported until you confirm it. Every import starts as a preview, and every export is built in the background and downloaded by you.

## Steps

This is the whole path for a company moving its customer list from another tool into Nova.

1. In the old tool, export the customer list as a CSV or Excel file. [[data-import-migration-examples]] shows what to export and how the columns line up.
2. Open **Imports**. On **Start import**, choose **Customers**, upload the file, tell Nova where the file came from, and match its columns to Nova fields.
3. Check the customer matches and the issues Nova found, then press **Preview import**. Nova runs a dry run and writes nothing yet.
4. On **Review preview and import**, press **Continue to live import**, or approve the run when your organization asks for an approval first. Follow the run on **Import jobs**.
5. Import any related files next, such as work orders, using the same customer numbers, so each row links to a customer that now exists. The full walkthrough is [[data-import-guide]].
6. Moving out is the reverse: open **Exports**, pick the record groups on **Create export**, press **Create export run**, then download the zip from **Export jobs** before it expires. See [[data-export-guide]].

## What you see

- **Exports** has two tabs, **Create export** and **Export jobs**. The record groups are arranged by area: customer records (accounts, contacts, locations, phones and emails), organization and access, work, files and notes, communications and more. Files come out as **CSV**, **XLSX**, **JSON** or **NDJSON** inside one zip, with an **Expires** tag on every run.
- **Imports** has four tabs: **Start import** for files from another system, **Import jobs** for every import run with its dry run and approvals, **Saved mappings** for column choices you reuse, and **Restore Nova export** for a zip that Nova itself exported.
- **Start import** offers two choices: **Customers**, for a customer file that can also carry contacts, addresses, phones and emails, and **Work orders**, for rows that each belong to a customer.
- For admins who can see organization settings, **Export jobs** and **Import jobs** open with an approval policy panel, **Export approval policy** and **Import approval policy**. It is an organization setting. With **Automatic (recommended)** a run starts as soon as your permissions allow it; the other modes hold matching runs until an admin approves them.

## If something looks different

- `/settings/org/exports` sends you to **Import jobs** rather than **Export jobs**: your role can import but not export.
- The old tool gave you several files, or one Excel file with several tabs: import customers first, then contacts, addresses and work orders that carry the same customer number or account number. Nova checks those matches before related records are allowed in.
- An export run has expired: do not keep working on the old run. Create a fresh export and download the new zip.
- You need documents and photos in the export, not just records: switch on **Include file contents** when you create it. It needs permission to download files.

[[route:/settings/org/imports|Start an import]]