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Asana Importer

Import your data quickly and easily from Asana to awork!

Isabel Helbig avatar
Written by Isabel Helbig
Updated over 2 weeks ago

Asana Importer

Overview

With the Asana Importer, you can migrate projects from Asana into awork, including tasks and (optionally) subtasks, assignees, comments, and attached files. The import typically takes 2–15 minutes, depending on how many projects and tasks you select.

Important: The importer uses an Asana personal access token. Treat it like a password and only use it for the import.

How do I start an Asana import?

To start the import, open the awork Importer Hub and then connect your Asana workspace using an access token.

  1. In awork, go to Settings → Importer Hub.

  2. Select Asana and click Start import.

How do I create an Asana access token?

The importer requires an Asana personal access token to read your Asana data.

  1. In Asana, click your avatar and open Settings.

  2. In the settings pop-up, go to Apps.

  3. Scroll to Build new apps and click View developer console (this opens a new tab).

  4. Click Create new token.

  5. Enter a name (for example, awork Token), accept the Asana API terms, then click Create token.

  6. Copy the generated token and store it somewhere safe (you’ll paste it into awork in the next step).

Security note: Anyone with this token can access your Asana data via the API (within your Asana permissions). Do not share it in public channels, and revoke it in Asana after a successful migration if you no longer need it.

How do I import projects from Asana?

Once you have your token, the importer guides you through selecting projects, mapping fields, and starting the import.

  1. Connect Asana: Paste your Asana access token into the token field and click Continue.

  2. Select projects: Choose one or multiple Asana projects you want to import.

  3. Choose project type and template (optional): You can assign a Project type and Project template for imported projects.

    Important: Project types and templates must already exist in awork before you start the import.

  4. Map Custom Fields: Map Asana fields to awork fields.

    Important: Any awork Custom Fields you want to map to must be created in awork first (before running the import).

    Important: Task statuses need to be created in an awork project template, otherwise status values may not import correctly.

    Important: For assignees to import correctly, the user must exist in both Asana and awork with the same email address.

    If you don’t want to map a specific field, select Do not map.

  5. Select what to import: Choose whether to import Subtasks, Comments, and Assignees.

    Note: awork supports only one subtask level. Deeper nested subtasks in Asana cannot be recreated as multiple levels in awork.

  6. Review summary: You’ll see a summary of what will be imported (projects, tasks, files, subtasks, comments). This may take a few seconds to calculate.

  7. Click Start Import.

  8. Track progress: The progress bar shows imported items and the estimated remaining time.

  9. Finish: When the import completes, you’ll see a confirmation summary. If it fails, you’ll see details about what went wrong. Click Return to Home to restart the import from step 1 if needed.

  10. Open your awork workspace to find your newly imported project(s).

Columns to Custom Fields

During field mapping, you can map the following Asana columns/types to awork fields and Custom Fields:

  1. Task (Asana) → Task (awork)

  2. Approval (Asana) → Task (awork)

  3. Mark task complete (Asana) → Status (awork)

  4. Subtask (Asana) → Subtask (awork) and Timeline (Start / Due Date) (awork), Date (awork) (Custom Field)

  5. Assignee (Asana) → Assigned User (awork) and User (awork) (Custom Field)

  6. Description (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Description (awork)

  7. Comments (Asana) → Comments (awork)

  8. Attached File (Asana) → Task Files (awork)

  9. Single Select (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field), Selection (awork) (Custom Field), Status (awork)

  10. Multi-select (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field)

  11. Date (Asana) → Timeline (Start / Due Date) (awork) and Date (awork) (Custom Field)

  12. People (Asana) → Assigned User (awork) and User (awork) (Custom Field)

  13. Text (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Description (awork)

  14. Number (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Number (awork) (Custom Field)

  15. Formula (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field)

  16. ID (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field)

  17. Time tracking (Asana) → Time tracked on Task (awork)

  18. Roll up (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field)

  19. Project (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field)

  20. Tags (Asana) → Tags (awork) and Text (awork) (Custom Field), Selection (awork) (Custom Field)

  21. Completed on (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Date (awork) (Custom Field)

  22. Last modified on (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Date (awork) (Custom Field)

  23. Created on (Asana) → Text (awork) (Custom Field) and Date (awork) (Custom Field)

  24. Created by (Asana) → Assigned User (awork) and User (awork) (Custom Field)

  25. Collaborators (Asana) → Assigned User (awork) and User (awork) (Custom Field)

Tips & Limitations

Before you import

  • Create the required awork Project templates first (especially if you want to import task statuses).

  • Create any required awork Custom Fields before starting, so you can map them during the import.

  • Ensure users exist in both tools with the same email address if you want assignees to import.

Known limitations

  • awork supports only one level of subtasks. Nested subtasks beyond one level cannot be recreated as multiple levels.

  • Task status imports depend on statuses being available via an awork project template.

  • If an assignee email does not match an existing awork user, the task may import without an assignee.

  • If you map to a Custom Field that doesn’t exist in awork, the mapping cannot be applied.

Troubleshooting

  • If the import fails, review the error summary, adjust templates/field mappings, then click Return to Home to retry.

  • If no projects appear after connecting, verify your Asana token is valid and has access to the workspace/projects you want to import.

  • If statuses or Custom Fields are missing, create them in awork first and restart the import.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How long does an Asana import take?

Most imports take between 2 and 15 minutes. The duration depends on the number of projects, tasks, comments, and files you import.

Do I need to create anything in awork before importing?

Yes. If you want to map fields, you should create the relevant awork Custom Fields first. If you want task statuses to import correctly, make sure the needed statuses exist in an awork project template before starting the import.

Why are some tasks missing an assignee after the import?

Assignees can only be imported when the user exists in both Asana and awork with the same email address. If there is no matching awork user, the task will import without an assignee.

Can I import nested subtasks from Asana?

awork supports only one subtask level. Subtasks beyond one nesting level in Asana cannot be recreated as deeper subtask structures in awork.

What should I do with my Asana access token after the import?

If you no longer need it, revoke the token in Asana’s developer console. This is recommended because a personal access token grants API access based on your Asana permissions.

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