Migration
Move from Todoist to Done Bear
Export a Todoist project CSV or backup, upload it to Done Bear, and check the preview. Projects, sub-tasks, due dates and repeating rules arrive in one pass.
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The short answer
Done Bear imports Todoist from a project CSV, the CSVs inside a backup ZIP, or Todoist JSON. Projects, sub-tasks, due dates and repeating rules come across in one pass, and the preview shows every record before anything is written. A JSON file also brings labels, comments and nested projects, whose parent becomes the team.
Key takeaways
- Done Bear accepts a Todoist project CSV or a Todoist JSON file.
- In a JSON file, a nested project’s parent becomes its team.
- Todoist sections and priorities do not come across.
- Comments in a JSON file are added to the task description.
- Re-uploading the same file adds only what is new.
What to export from Todoist
The file to bring from Todoist: A project CSV or Todoist JSON. These are the steps the import wizard shows, so the file you make is one it accepts.
- 1.In Todoist on the web or desktop, open a project, choose the three dots, then Manage data, then Export as CSV.
- 2.On Pro or Business, Settings → Backups downloads a ZIP with one CSV per project. Extract it first.
- 3.Upload one project's .csv at a time. Todoist JSON from the API works too.
The long version: how to export Todoist
What Todoist concepts become in Done Bear
This table is the whole mapping from Todoist to Done Bear. Read the notes column before you import, because the exceptions are there.
| Todoist | Done Bear | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Project | Project | From a JSON file, an archived Todoist project arrives archived. A project CSV becomes one project named after the file. |
| Parent project | Team | From a JSON file, a nested project’s parent becomes the team it belongs to, because a parent project is the closest thing Todoist has to an area. |
| Section | Not imported | The importer reads section names but does not write them, so tasks arrive in their project without the grouping. Add headings by hand if you want it back. |
| Label | Label | From a JSON file. In a project CSV, Todoist writes labels into the task name as @labelname, and they stay there as text. |
| Sub-task | Checklist item | A sub-task becomes a checklist item when the checklist can hold everything it carries and its parent is in the same file. Any other sub-task stays a task of its own. |
| Comment | Appended to the description | From a JSON file, comment text is added to the task’s description, so the discussion stays with the task. A project CSV’s comments are not read. |
| Priority | Not imported | Read for the preview only. Done Bear tasks have no priority field. |
| Due date | Deadline | A deadline of today or earlier shows the task in Today. A due time becomes a reminder, read in the task’s own time zone or the one you pick in the wizard. A date with no time stays all-day. |
| Recurring due date | Repeat rule | A rule Done Bear can run exactly is kept as one. A rule it can only approximate arrives narrowed, with a warning. A rule it cannot run is kept as text on the task, and no repeat is stored that would fire on the wrong days. |
What comes across and what does not
Done Bear imports the fields below from Todoist. The second list is what stays behind, so you can decide what to save by hand before you delete anything.
Comes across
- Areas and folders (become teams)
- Completed tasks
- Tags and labels
- Projects and lists
- Repeating tasks
- Sub-tasks
Stays behind
- Attachments
- Comments are appended to the task description.
- Todoist sections are not recreated as headings.
Running the import
The import wizard lives in Settings, Integrations & Import, Import from another app. Choose Todoist, upload your file, and Done Bear previews every record it found. Nothing is written until you confirm.
Re-running it and undoing it
Re-importing the same file is safe. Done Bear recognises the tasks it already brought across from that export and adds only what is new. The completion screen offers an undo, which removes what the import created and keeps anything you have edited since.
Frequently asked questions
What file do I bring from Todoist?
A per-project CSV. In the Todoist web or desktop app, open a project, choose the three dots, Manage data, then Export as CSV. Pro and Business can download a backup ZIP from Settings, Backups instead: extract it and upload its CSV files one at a time. The importer also reads Todoist JSON.
What happens to my Todoist sections?
They stay behind. The importer reads each section name but does not write it, so tasks arrive in their project with no grouping. Done Bear projects have headings, so note your section names before you leave Todoist and add the ones you still want as headings after the import.
Do completed Todoist tasks come across?
Usually not. A project CSV and a ZIP backup exclude completed tasks, so what reaches Done Bear is your active list. The Export to Google Sheets extension can include completed tasks, so bring that file if your history matters to you.
Why do my recurring tasks look wrong?
Check them before you leave. Todoist says a CSV does not save the start date of a recurring date, so a task that repeats every year from a set date can become every year. The export does not flag which rules changed, and Done Bear can only read what the file says.
Does importing change my Todoist account?
No. Done Bear reads the file you upload and never signs in to Todoist, so your Todoist account is unchanged. Re-uploading the same file is safe too: Done Bear recognises the tasks it already brought across and adds only what is new.
Where this information comes from
- Done Bear, Importing from another app (Done Bear imports a Todoist project CSV or JSON file and previews every record before writing)
- Done Bear, How to export your Todoist data (a project CSV and a ZIP backup exclude completed tasks, and a CSV does not save the start date of a recurring date)
- Done Bear, Done Bear vs Todoist (Done Bear ships Inbox, Today, Upcoming, Anytime and Someday as views rather than saved filters)
Related
Free up to 250 tasks, completed tasks included. No credit card.