Can our Jira history be licensed to AI companies, and how do we get it out?

Updated October 25, 2026 · How we research

What lives in Jira, and why is it valuable?

Jira holds work items (issues): bug reports, feature requests, tasks, and service requests, each with descriptions, comments, status changes, and links to related work. Boards and sprints show how teams planned and delivered.

Buyers building coding, project management, and IT support tools value the full arc of a work item: how a problem was reported, discussed, assigned, and closed. Well-written bug reports with clear resolutions are especially useful.

How does a Jira Cloud export work?

As of October 2026, Atlassian's support site describes creating a backup from Settings, System, Backup manager, then choosing Create backup for cloud, with an option to include attachments, avatars and logos.

• Included: work items and fields, comments, board and sprint data, users and groups, media files if selected, space configuration, and Advanced Roadmaps.
• Not included: automation rules, third-party apps and their data, Assets for Jira Service Management, and some Jira Product Discovery data.
• Atlassian recommends keeping total data under 25 GB for reliable exports, and allowing 48 hours between backups that include attachments.

Who has to run it?

The Backup manager sits in Jira's system settings, so in practice a Jira administrator runs it. Atlassian also notes that an organization admin may block exports for some apps or data classification levels. For smaller scopes, issue search results can be exported as files, but that is better suited to a sample than a full license.

Is an export needed?

Some buyer programs read Jira directly instead of asking for a backup file, using an API (application programming interface) token or an app an admin installs. Ask whether that access can be limited to the projects in the license, since a site-wide token sees every project the account can see. Confirm where copies are kept and how they are deleted, then revoke the token or app when the work ends.

What should stay out?

• Security issues and vulnerability reports.
• HR, legal, and finance projects.
• Service desk tickets with customer personal data.
• Projects built for a client under a contract that limits reuse.
• Passwords, keys, and credentials pasted into comments or attachments.

What rights questions apply?

Atlassian's terms generally let customers export their own data. But Jira projects often contain client work, contractor contributions, and customer reports. Check client contracts and contractor agreements to confirm the company owns the content. See our guide on who owns the data and talk to your lawyer.

Where should you start with Jira data?

List your Jira projects and mark which are internal engineering work, which are service desk queues with customer details, and which were built for clients. Run a search for pasted credentials before anything is shared. A sample of closed bugs from one internal project usually shows a buyer what your history contains; see What is a data sample, and should you share one?.

General information, not legal, tax or financial advice.