How to export your Todoist data

Todoist has four useful export routes. The easiest one depends on what you need to keep. Most people moving one project should use CSV. People who need finished tasks should use Google Sheets. The API route below saves active account data for people comfortable with a terminal.

Pick the right export

A project CSV is available on every Todoist plan. The ZIP backup is available on Pro and Business. Google Sheets is available through an extension. The API works on every plan but requires a personal token and a command.

If you only want a backup for peace of mind, use the simplest route that keeps the fields you care about. If you are leaving Todoist, check dates, finished work, archived projects, and attachments before choosing. The main API sync request does not solve those gaps by itself.

Export one project as CSV

Use Todoist in a web browser or the Mac or Windows desktop app:

1. Open the project.
2. Select the three dots at the top right.
3. Choose Manage data.
4. Choose Export as CSV.

The CSV downloads to your computer. Repeat these steps for each project you want to move.

The file includes active tasks, sections, descriptions, dates, times, comments, and links to attachments. It does not include completed tasks. Labels appear inside the task name as @labelname, and subtasks are shown by their indent number.

Open the file before moving it. The first row names the columns, and each later row can be a task, section, or note. A note row belongs to the task above it. Avoid rearranging rows unless you understand that structure, because moving a note can attach a comment to the wrong task.

Recurring tasks need extra care. Todoist says a task such as “every year starting January 31” becomes “every year” because the start date is not saved. Write down those start dates before you move.

Download every active project as a ZIP

Todoist creates backups for Pro and Business accounts. To download one:

1. Select your avatar.
2. Open Settings.
3. Open Backups.
4. Choose Download beside a backup.
5. Extract the ZIP file on your computer.

The ZIP contains one CSV for every active project. It leaves out completed tasks and archived projects. If an archived project matters, unarchive it before the next backup. The main API sync request is not a complete archive either.

Todoist stores up to 21 backups and removes the oldest as new ones appear. Download a copy if you want to keep that particular day.

A backup is a folder of project files, rather than one file that recreates the whole account in another app. Open the ZIP and check that every expected active project has a CSV. Shared project settings, filters, and the place each project had in your sidebar are separate concerns, so write down anything you will need to rebuild.

Export completed tasks to Google Sheets

First add Todoist’s Export to Google Sheets extension under Settings → Integrations. Then open a project, select the three dots, choose Export to Google Sheets, choose the fields, include completed tasks, and select Export.

Todoist lists due date, priority, creation date, description, section, and assignee among the available fields. Check the field list before you export because this route is designed for reports rather than a full account backup.

A large project can take a while or time out. Check Google Sheets before trying again. Todoist also says an active repeating task is treated as unfinished until you complete it forever.

Save active data with the API

This route is optional. Use it when you want active projects, tasks, labels, and other current account data in JSON and are comfortable with a terminal.

Get your personal token from Todoist’s integration settings, then run:

curl -o todoist-active-export.json \
  -X POST https://api.todoist.com/api/v1/sync \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d sync_token='*' \
  -d resource_types='["all"]'

The command saves the response as todoist-active-export.json. Keep the token private. This sync response covers active resources. Its completed_info data contains completion statistics rather than completed task records, and archived projects are not a complete history here. Todoist provides separate completed-task endpoints, but they are beyond this beginner-friendly path. Use Google Sheets when completed tasks are the main reason for exporting.

Do not paste the token into a shared document or a command you plan to publish. The response can contain task names, descriptions, comments, and other private work. Store it like a backup, then remove the token from your terminal history if other people use the same computer.

Check the export before you leave

Open the exported file and find five things you already know:

1. An active task with a date.
2. A completed task, if you meant to keep history.
3. A recurring task with a known start date.
4. A subtask.
5. A task with an attachment.

If something is missing in this small check, it will be missing after the move. Choose another route or make a separate copy of that information. Keep Todoist installed until the new list has survived normal use.

For a ZIP backup, compare the number of extracted CSV files with the number of active projects in Todoist. For Google Sheets, search for one old completed task and one active repeating task. For the API snapshot, open todoist-active-export.json with a text editor and search for an active project name you recognise. Do not expect a completed task record to appear in that sync response.

Exporting does not delete or change your Todoist tasks. Do the export before you cancel or downgrade, because backup access and visible activity history depend on the plan.

Import a Todoist CSV into Done Bear

Start free and open the Todoist importer to preview a project export before adding it to your list.

Open Settings → Integrations & Import → Import from another app, choose Todoist, and upload one project CSV. If you downloaded a ZIP backup, extract it first and import the CSV files one at a time.

Done Bear shows a preview before importing. Check the task and project counts, dates, labels, completed items, and fields it could not read. Sections are kept with the tasks rather than recreated as headings, and comments are added to task descriptions.

If a date has a time zone, check one morning or late-night task because those are the easiest to shift to another day. If the preview lists a field Done Bear does not use, confirm that it is kept with the task before continuing. Download the error report if any rows could not be read.

Start with one small project. Choose where it should go, confirm the import, and check the result. The original Todoist project is not changed. The Done Bear import guide explains the preview, repeat imports, and undo.

If Todoist already works well for you, keep it. The Todoist comparison explains the platform and workflow trade-offs. Done Bear can also export a workspace to JSON later; the export guide lists what that file contains.