gitlab-foss/doc/user/project/settings/migrate_projects.md

---
stage: Tenant Scale
group: Organizations
info: To determine the technical writer assigned to the Stage/Group associated with this page, see https://handbook.gitlab.com/handbook/product/ux/technical-writing/#assignments
title: Transfer projects
---

{{< details >}}

- Tier: Free, Premium, Ultimate
- Offering: GitLab.com, GitLab Self-Managed, GitLab Dedicated

{{< /details >}}

## Transfer a project to another namespace

{{< history >}}

- Support for transferring projects with container images within the same top-level namespace [introduced](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/499163) on GitLab.com in GitLab 17.7 [with a flag](../../../administration/feature_flags.md) named `transfer_project_with_tags`. Disabled by default.
- Support for transferring projects with container images within the same top-level namespace [enabled on GitLab.com](https://gitlab.com/gitlab-org/gitlab/-/issues/499163) in GitLab 17.7. Feature flag removed.

{{< /history >}}

Transfer a project to move it to a different group.
A project transfer includes:

- Project components:
  - Issues
  - Merge requests
  - Pipelines
  - Dashboards
- Project members:
  - Direct members
  - Membership invitations

   {{< alert type="note" >}}

   Members with [inherited membership](../members/_index.md#membership-types)
   in the project lose access unless they are also members of the target group.
   The project inherits new member permissions from the group you transfer it to.

   {{< /alert >}}

The project's [path also changes](../repository/_index.md#repository-path-changes), so make sure to update the URLs to the project components where necessary.

New project-level labels are created for issues and merge requests if matching group labels don't already exist in the target namespace.

If a project contains issues assigned to an epic, and that epic is not available in the target
group, GitLab creates a copy of the epic in the target group. When you transfer multiple projects
with issues assigned to the same epic, GitLab creates a separate copy of that epic in the target
group for each project.

{{< alert type="warning" >}}

Errors during the transfer process may lead to data loss of the project's components or dependencies of end users.

{{< /alert >}}

Prerequisites:

- You must have at least the Maintainer role for the [group](../../group/_index.md#create-a-group) you are transferring to.
- You must be the Owner of the project you transfer.
- The group must allow creation of new projects.
- For projects where the container registry is enabled:
  - On GitLab.com: You can only transfer projects within the same top-level namespace.
  - On GitLab Self-Managed: The project must not contain [container images](../../packages/container_registry/_index.md#move-or-rename-container-registry-repositories).
- The project must not have a security policy.
  If a security policy is assigned to the project, it is automatically unassigned during the transfer.
- If the root namespace changes, you must remove npm packages that follow the [naming convention](../../packages/npm_registry/_index.md#naming-convention) from the project.
  After you transfer the project you can either:

  - Update the package scope with the new root namespace path, and publish it again to the project.
  - Republish the package to the project without updating the root namespace path, which causes the package to no longer follow the naming convention.
    If you republish the package without updating the root namespace path, it will not be available for the [instance endpoint](../../packages/npm_registry/_index.md#install-from-an-instance).

To transfer a project:

1. On the left sidebar, select **Search or go to** and find your project.
1. Select **Settings > General**.
1. Expand **Advanced**.
1. Under **Transfer project**, choose the namespace to transfer the project to.
1. Select **Transfer project**.
1. Enter the project's name and select **Confirm**.

You are redirected to the project's new page and GitLab applies a redirect. For more information about repository redirects, see [What happens when a repository path changes](../repository/_index.md#repository-path-changes).

{{< alert type="note" >}}

If you are an administrator, you can also use the [administration interface](../../../administration/admin_area.md#administering-projects)
to move any project to any namespace.

{{< /alert >}}

## Transferring a GitLab.com project to a different subscription tier

When you transfer a project from a namespace licensed for GitLab.com Premium or Ultimate to GitLab Free:

- [Project access tokens](project_access_tokens.md) are revoked.
- [Pipeline subscriptions](../../../ci/pipelines/_index.md#trigger-a-pipeline-when-an-upstream-project-is-rebuilt-deprecated)
  and [test cases](../../../ci/test_cases/_index.md) are deleted.

## Troubleshooting

When working with project settings, you might encounter the following issues, or require alternate methods to complete specific tasks.

### Transfer a project through console

If transferring a project through the UI or API is not working, you can attempt the transfer in a [Rails console session](../../../administration/operations/rails_console.md#starting-a-rails-console-session).

```ruby
p = Project.find_by_full_path('<project_path>')

# To set the owner of the project
current_user = p.creator

# Namespace where you want this to be moved
namespace = Namespace.find_by_full_path("<new_namespace>")

Projects::TransferService.new(p, current_user).execute(namespace)
```

## Related topics

- [Migrating projects using file exports](import_export.md)
- [Troubleshooting file export project migrations](import_export_troubleshooting.md)