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Migrating Groups and Projects to git.nrw

Last updated: 19.02.2026 3 min Edit on GitLab
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Summary

You can migrate your groups, including members and projects, from your GitLab instance to git.nrw. In short:

  1. Be aware there are quota limits active in git.nrw.
  2. Make sure every group member has at least once logged in to git.nrw before migrating.
  3. Make sure every group member has set their mail-address to public (can be temporarily) in the source GitLab before migrating and uses the same primary mail-address in both systems*.
  4. Create a private access token in the source GitLab
  5. Create a group in git.nrw and use the “Import group” function to connect your source GitLab instance.
  6. Migrate the desired groups.

*Otherwise “placeholder” users will be created during migration which you need to match manually afterwards.

For a more detailed manual see below.

Step 1: Prerequisites

This guide describes a way to migrate your GitLab groups and projects to git.nrw via the direct transfer feature. Direct transfer can migrate your group members and repository data directly to git.nrw. Have a look to learn what is getting migrated and about the estimated migration duration . Be aware that your GitLab administrator may need to adjust some GitLab settings to make migration possible: Pre-Transfer requirements for GitLab administrators .

Pre-Transfer Requirements (group owners)

  1. User Account Setup (User)
    • All group members must at least once sign in to git.nrw before transfer.
    • E-mails must match and be confirmed & public in the source GitLab.
    • Verify user profile at: GitLab Profile Settings .
      Public e-mail settings
Warning

Group members will not be migrated if they have not logged in to git.nrw before migration and have set a public e-mail on the source GitLab instance. The commit history can also only link entries to the git.nrw user account if all mail-addresses of the source GitLab user account are added to the git.nrw user. But; if you add missing mail-addresses later, git.nrw is still able to match commits to the user account after migration is already done.

Step 2: Transfer Process

1. Setup Access Token

  • Create an access token for your user in your GitLab instance (not git.nrw).
  • The token needs at least api and read_repository scopes

2. Initiate Transfer

  • Create a new group on gitlab.git.nrw: https://gitlab.git.nrw/groups/new
  • Select Import group:
    Import group
  • Enter your GitLab URL (1) and your access token (2) and hit connect instance (3):
    Direct transfer
  • Choose Source group to import (1), a parent group on git.nrw (2) and a groupname (3) and hit Import with projects (4) (alternatively you can “import without projects”):
    Choose groups
  • Next you can follow the progress of migration. This can take some amount of time, depending on how many projects are getting migrated. You will be informed by e-mail when the migration is done. Members also get an e-mail informing them about access to the new group on gitlab.git.nrw.
  • For more information follow the official GitLab transfer guide: