Migrating From Smartsheet to Wrike: A Complete Guide

You may have reached a point where Smartsheet still works, but keeping it organized takes more effort than it used to.

Projects may be spread across different sheets, while linked data and formulas require regular attention. Some of the most important logic may only make sense to the people who originally built it.

That can make moving to Wrike feel both necessary and risky.

You want a structure that is easier for the team to follow, but you also need to protect active work and its history. The real concern is not simply how to export the data. It is how to move everything without replacing familiar problems with new ones.

This guide will help you make that transition deliberately.

You will learn what can be imported and what must be rebuilt. It will also show you how to confirm that Wrike is ready before Smartsheet becomes an archive.

Using Wrike for Work Management After Smartsheet

Moving to Wrike involves two kinds of work: transferring supported data and rebuilding the processes around it.

Task data and custom fields can move through Wrike's Excel import, and schedule-heavy sheets can take a second route through Wrike's MS Project import. Forms, automations, dashboards, and premium-app configurations must be recreated in Wrike.

The goal is therefore not to reproduce Smartsheet sheet for sheet. It is to preserve the work your team needs while rebuilding its structure around how Wrike operates.

With that scope clear, the next question is why the change can be worth making.

Why Move From Smartsheet to Wrike?

If you are still hesitant about leaving a system your team already knows, that is understandable.

The following benefits can help confirm whether moving forward is the right call for the problems you are trying to solve.

Want to learn more about Wrike?

Our review covers everything you need to know.

Read Review

Keep One Work Item Visible Across Teams

Cross-tagging allows the same work item to appear in different folders or projects while remaining the same underlying item rather than a copy. Teams can organize work around their own needs without maintaining separate copies or reconciling updates later.

Make Process Logic Easier to Manage

Some spreadsheet logic can be rebuilt through custom fields, workflows, and automation rules. This gives administrators a more visible configuration to review and maintain, while complex calculations can remain in a connected system where necessary.

See Which Schedule Changes Matter

On Business and higher plans, Wrike's Gantt chart shows the critical path with total and free float. The total float and free float columns are available in the New Gantt Chart rather than the Classic view, so confirm which version your account is using. Together they help teams see how much flexibility a task has and identify delays that could affect the wider delivery schedule.

If these improvements reflect what your team is looking for, the next section walks through how to move from Smartsheet to Wrike without losing control of the work along the way.

How to Migrate From Smartsheet to Wrike

The migration sequence depends on how much active data you have, how much logic lives in formulas or premium Smartsheet applications, and how many teams will move at once.

The steps below are ordered by dependency rather than by a fixed timeline.

1. Confirm Your Contract and Migration Window

Before beginning the technical work, confirm your Smartsheet subscription term, renewal date, and cancellation notice requirement.

Smartsheet's standard subscription terms provide for automatic renewal, while its cancellation guidance says to submit a cancellation request at least 30 days before renewal.

Your order form or negotiated agreement may contain different conditions, so use your own contract as the final authority.

Once you know the available window, work backward from the intended cutover date. Account for the parallel period, configuration work, data transfer, testing, and inventory.

2. Inventory Your Smartsheet Deployment

List every sheet, report, dashboard, form, automation, workspace, and premium application involved in active work.

Mark each asset as active, occasional, or no longer required so you do not rebuild content your team no longer uses.

For each active sheet, record:

• Its row count
• The formulas and cross-sheet references it uses
• Its column types
• Its attachments and comments
• Any reports, dashboards, forms, or automations that depend on it
• The people and external collaborators who can access it

This inventory turns the migration into a defined collection of data, configuration, and access requirements. It will also help you identify which work can move through an import and which parts must be rebuilt.

3. Design the Target Structure in Wrike

Decide how Smartsheet content will be represented in Wrike before importing anything.

Smartsheet element	Possible Wrike destination	Mapping method
Workspace	Space	Create and configure manually
Sheet	Project or Folder	Decide based on how the sheet is used
Row	Task	Supported through Excel import
Typed column	Custom field	Supported through Excel with field preparation
Gantt schedule	Task dates and dependencies	Supported through MS Project import
Form	Request form	Rebuild on Business or higher
Automation	Automation rule	Rebuild using Wrike triggers, conditions, and actions
Report	Wrike report	Rebuild using Wrike data sources and filters
Dashboard	Wrike dashboard	Rebuild using Wrike widgets
Control Center blueprint	Wrike blueprint	Conceptual replacement that must be rebuilt
Cell formula	Formula custom field, automation rule, or external calculation	No direct equivalent
Cell link or cross-sheet reference	Cross-tagging, roll-up, or reporting configuration	No direct equivalent

A sheet representing bounded work with a defined start and end may fit a Wrike project.

A running tracker or reference collection may fit a folder. Treat this as a modelling decision rather than an automatic conversion rule.

Wrike lets you store structured information in custom fields, perform supported calculations through Formula custom fields, collect structured intake through request forms, and standardize repeatable work through blueprints.

These features can replace the purpose of some Smartsheet configurations, but they do not reproduce those configurations automatically.

4. Prepare Your Custom Fields

Create the Wrike custom fields that will hold your imported column values. Match the field names and types to the cleaned Smartsheet data wherever possible.

Wrike can import custom fields and their values through Excel. However, newly created fields are imported as account-wide text fields by default. Some field types may need to be created beforehand or converted manually after import.

Custom-field names are case-sensitive.

If an imported column does not match an existing field name exactly, Wrike may create another field instead of populating the intended one. Linked Database and Mirror fields are not currently supported through Excel import.

Preparing the fields first reduces the risk of duplicate fields, incorrect field types, and unnecessary re-imports. This is especially important because Wrike's Excel import creates new items and cannot update existing items.

5. Export Your Smartsheet Data

Smartsheet allows you to export sheets and reports to Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and PDF. Two further formats are format-specific: PNG, which is available for the Gantt chart view only, and MS Project XML, which is available for sheets but not reports. The MS Project XML export matters here, because it is the file type behind Wrike's second import route.

The exported files do not preserve every Smartsheet feature:

• Formulas, including cross-sheet references, are not preserved as working formulas because Smartsheet and Excel use different formula syntax.
• Gantt exports to Excel and Google Sheets contain the underlying task list rather than the Gantt visual.
• Attachments are excluded from standard exports and require a separate backup or download.
• Comments and sheet summaries appear on separate workbook tabs rather than alongside their original rows.
• Dropdown, contact, checkbox, and symbol columns become text values.
• Checkbox values export as True or False.
• Excel report exports are capped at 20,000 rows, and fewer rows export when a sort is applied to the report.
• Smartsheet suggests splitting a report that exceeds the limit into smaller reports, which is one option for getting the full data set out.
• Groupings and summary rows are excluded from standard exports.
• Form, automation, dashboard, and premium-app configurations must be documented separately.

These limitations are documented in Smartsheet's export guidance for sheets, reports, workspaces, and folders. Smartsheet's backup documentation is more explicit about what sits outside a data extract, stating that backups do not include reports, dashboards, formulas, workflows, or cross-sheet references.

Cell links, cross-sheet references, forms, automations, dashboards, and premium-application configurations therefore do not become portable Wrike configurations through these file exports.

Document them separately before Smartsheet access is restricted or the subscription ends.

Export the active content intended for migration and retain excluded content in a controlled archive.

6. Clean and Format the Export

Prepare each exported file for the Wrike Excel import.

Before importing:

• Confirm that the file contains no formulas.
• Convert unsupported Smartsheet column types into values that match the target Wrike fields.
• Check that custom-field names match the existing Wrike fields exactly.
• Review assignee names so they can be matched to Wrike users, and include each person's primary email address, which is Wrike's recommended way to map assignees.
• Separate attachments and comments for manual handling.
• Format folders and projects in the Title column using slash-separated paths.

For example: /Operations/Client Onboarding

Wrike specifically requires that Excel import files contain no formulas. It also uses slash-separated paths in the Title column to create folder and project hierarchies.

When preparing custom-field columns, follow Wrike's field-name, field-type, and formatting requirements to prevent duplicate or incorrectly typed fields.

7. Select the Appropriate Wrike Import Path

Wrike does not provide a native Smartsheet importer, so Smartsheet data reaches Wrike through prepared files. Two routes are available, and larger migrations often use both: an Excel import for structured task data and fields, and an MS Project import for schedules.

Note that Wrike's import does not accept CSV files. Convert any CSV export to XLS or XLSX before importing.

Excel import

The Excel import carries structured task data, folders, projects, and custom-field values.

Wrike's Excel import:

• Supports XLS and XLSX files
• Creates tasks, folders, projects, and blueprints
• Creates new items rather than updating existing ones
• Supports up to 5,000 tasks per import
• Counts toward Wrike's rolling mass-creation limit

The mass-creation limit is 3,000 items over seven days on Team and 12,000 items over seven days on Business and higher. Split larger migrations into controlled batches.

Excel can also import custom fields and their values. Project workflows and statuses can be assigned when the file contains the required workflow and status columns.

The Excel import does not carry task dependencies, durations, or lead and lag times.

MS Project import

Wrike also imports Microsoft Project files, and Smartsheet exports a sheet's Gantt chart as MS Project XML. That pairing gives schedule-heavy sheets a second route, one that is built to carry dates and dependency structure rather than flat rows.

Consider this route where the schedule itself is the asset: a sheet whose value sits in its sequencing, predecessors, and durations rather than in its custom columns. The Excel route remains the better fit for sheets whose value sits in typed columns and custom-field data.

Check the result rather than assuming a clean handover. Confirm how dependencies, durations, and constraints landed in Wrike, and reconcile them against the inventory captured in Step 2.

Where you use the Excel route for a schedule-bearing sheet, plan to recreate the schedule in Wrike after the items exist. Rebuild dependencies once the full set of tasks for a project has been imported. Setting them against a partial import means reworking them when the remaining batches arrive.

Wrike's documented Excel import does not list Smartsheet attachments or comments among the supported data. Smartsheet also excludes attachments from standard exports and places comments on separate workbook tabs, so plan to handle that content separately where the history remains important.

8. Rebuild Forms, Automations, and Blueprints

Recreate active Smartsheet forms as Wrike request forms. Wrike lets you map form responses into task or project fields, use conditional follow-up questions, and start approvals based on selected answers.

Rebuild Smartsheet automations using Wrike's trigger, condition, and action structure. Each Wrike automation rule can contain one trigger and up to ten actions.

Do not assume that one automation rule can trigger another. Wrike states that changes made by an automation rule generally do not activate other rules, apart from limited documented exceptions.

A workflow exceeding ten actions may therefore need several rules with independent triggers or a redesigned series of workflow stages.

Rebuild repeatedly provisioned work using Wrike blueprints.

If you previously used Smartsheet Control Center, treat the corresponding Wrike blueprint as a new configuration rather than a transferred asset.

9. Rebuild Formula and Cross-Sheet Logic

Review each Smartsheet formula according to the outcome it produces rather than attempting to reproduce its syntax directly.

Some calculated values can become Wrike Formula custom fields.

Conditional date changes or other supported field updates may be rebuilt through formulas in Wrike automation. Totals and averages may be handled through custom-field roll-ups or reports, with roll-ups available on Number, Percent, Currency, and Duration field types.

Wrike Formula custom fields work with specified system and custom-field types, and they work differently from spreadsheet cells in ways that shape what you can rebuild. A Formula field holds one formula that applies to every item using it, rather than a different expression per row. Its operators are addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and TODAY(), with no text or lookup functions, and each formula is subject to a 1,000-operation limit.

Compare each Smartsheet formula against those constraints before planning to rebuild it in a Formula field. Calculations that rely on per-row logic, text handling, or lookups across sheets may need to remain in a connected spreadsheet, reporting platform, or another system designed for that calculation.

Similarly, cross-tagging does not directly reproduce a Smartsheet cell link.

Wrike's tagging system allows the same project to appear in multiple locations while remaining the same underlying item. Determine whether cross-tagging, roll-ups, reports, or an external data connection best reproduces the original business requirement.

10. Rebuild Reports and Dashboards

Recreate each active Smartsheet report and dashboard using the imported Wrike items and fields.

Wrike lets you create reports from selected data sources and filters, while Wrike dashboards use configurable widgets to display and monitor work.

Use the reporting rebuild to confirm that:

• Required fields are populated consistently
• Cross-tagged work appears in the intended locations
• Filters return the expected items
• Project and folder roll-ups calculate correctly
• Users can access the fields and locations behind each report

Reports and dashboards should be validated against their Smartsheet counterparts rather than assumed to be equivalent because they have similar names.

11. Validate the Migration Before Cutover

Do not treat a completed import as proof that the migration is ready.

Test a representative sample and verify:

• Imported item counts against source row counts
• Folder, project, task, and subtask hierarchy
• Custom-field names, values, and field types
• Assignee matching
• Start dates, due dates, durations, and dependencies
• Workflow and status assignments
• Request-form routing
• Automation-rule behavior
• Report and dashboard results
• Access for internal and external users

The need to check custom fields is supported by Wrike's warning that new fields may be imported as text and duplicate field names can cause mapping problems. Assignee validation is also necessary because Wrike asks the person running the import to match names in the file to users in the Wrike contact list. Any user type except Collaborators, Contributors, and Viewers can run an import, so this is not only an administrator's task.

Record anything that did not transfer and decide whether it should be rebuilt, retained in the archive, or formally excluded.

12. Train, Run in Parallel, and Cut Over

Run a controlled parallel period using a representative set of active work.

During this period, confirm that users can create, update, report on, and complete work in Wrike without relying on the old Smartsheet process.

Set a firm date after which new work must enter Wrike.

Restrict editing in Smartsheet where your access model allows it, but retain the old content as an archive instead of deleting it immediately.

Third-party platforms may be able to synchronize selected Smartsheet rows and Wrike tasks during the transition.

For example, Unito advertises live two-way synchronization, while Zapier offers trigger-based Smartsheet and Wrike automations.

These connections can help manage selected work in flight, but they do not replace the need to rebuild formulas, reports, dashboards, forms, automations, and premium-application logic.

After cutover, monitor for missing data, duplicate items, incorrect permissions, and processes that do not fit the new Wrike structure.

Running a parallel period, retaining an archive, and setting a hard cutover date are migration-risk recommendations rather than documented Wrike requirements.

They are justified by the parts of the migration that require manual rebuilding and by the fact that Wrike's Excel import cannot update existing items.

Wrike Migration Checklist

Now that you have worked through the migration roadmap, use this checklist to make sure nothing important was missed before completing the switch.

Planning

Make sure the scope, timing, and ownership of the migration are clear.

• Smartsheet subscription terms and cancellation requirements confirmed
• Cutover date and parallel period defined
• Migration owner assigned for each area
• Smartsheet assets inventoried
• Active and unneeded assets separated
• Formulas, references, attachments, and comments documented
• Required Wrike plan confirmed

Structure and Access

Check that Wrike is ready to receive the data and the right people will have access.

• Wrike Spaces created
• Sheets mapped to projects or folders
• Task and subtask hierarchy decided
• Workflows and statuses configured
• Custom fields created with matching names and types
• Internal users provisioned
• External access requirements reviewed

Export and Preparation

Confirm that the Smartsheet data has been exported, cleaned, and formatted for the selected import path.

• Active sheets exported
• Gantt schedules exported where needed, as MS Project XML where the schedule will be imported
• Attachments downloaded or backed up
• Relevant comments and summaries retained
• Exported files checked for flattened data
• Remaining formulas removed
• Unsupported column types converted
• Hierarchy formatted as slash-separated paths
• Original Smartsheet content archived

Import and Rebuilding

Make sure the data has been moved through the right route and unsupported configurations have been rebuilt.

• Excel import used for structured fields where appropriate
• MS Project import used for schedule-heavy sheets where appropriate
• Any CSV exports converted to XLS or XLSX before import
• Task dependencies and durations recreated or verified in Wrike after import
• Excel imports kept within the 5,000-task limit
• Rolling mass-creation limit accounted for
• Request forms rebuilt and tested
• Automation rules rebuilt and verified
• Blueprints created
• Formula logic rebuilt or moved to another system
• Reports and dashboards recreated

Testing and Cutover

Before going live, check that the migrated work behaves as expected for the people using it.

• Item counts reconciled
• Project, folder, task, and subtask hierarchy checked
• Custom-field names, values, and types verified
• Assignees matched correctly
• Dates, durations, and dependencies checked
• Workflows and statuses confirmed
• Request-form routing tested
• Automation scenarios tested
• Reports and dashboards compared
• Internal and external access tested
• Missing or excluded content documented
• Team trained on Wrike's work-item model
• Parallel period completed
• Final cutover communicated

Post-Launch

Once Wrike is live, close the remaining gaps and keep the old system available only where needed.

• Smartsheet editing restricted
• Smartsheet archive retained
• Migration sign-off recorded
• Missing data, duplicates, and access issues monitored
• Unnecessary spreadsheet-style workarounds reviewed
• Smartsheet cancellation completed when appropriate

What a Successful Smartsheet to Wrike Migration Looks Like

Once you have completed the roadmap and checklist, the migration is working if your team can manage its day-to-day work in Wrike without returning to Smartsheet.

Projects are easy to find, and requests create work in the right place. Imported fields support reliable reporting, while users can access the information they need. Schedules reflect the correct dates and dependencies, and the rebuilt automations and blueprints behave as intended.

Smartsheet may remain available as an archive, but new work now begins and gets completed in Wrike. If your team can complete its normal work and produce accurate updates without maintaining two systems, you are in good shape.

Best Practices and Key Challenges

Even when the data is ready, a few decisions can determine how smoothly the migration holds up after launch. Keep these practices and risks in mind as you work through the roadmap.

Migrate Active Work and Archive the Rest

Moving every Smartsheet asset creates more rebuilding and testing than necessary. Prioritize active work, then keep older or rarely used content in a controlled archive so it remains available without adding complexity to Wrike.

Finalize the Structure Before Importing

Decide how sheets map to projects or folders and prepare your custom fields before moving data. This matters because Wrike's Excel import creates new items rather than updating existing ones, making structural mistakes harder to correct through another import.

Prepare the Excel Import Carefully

Wrike's Excel import carries structured data and custom fields, but not dependencies or durations. Plan batches around the 5,000-task limit, and schedule time to rebuild the schedule in Wrike once the tasks are in place.

Plan for What Must Be Rebuilt

Smartsheet formulas do not remain functional after export, while attachments and comments require separate handling. Forms, automations, dashboards, and premium-application logic should also be scoped as rebuild work rather than expected to transfer with the data.

Give the Cutover a Clear Owner and End Date

Assign an owner to approve each migrated area and set a firm date for new work to begin in Wrike only. Train users on Wrike's work-item and cross-tagging model so the team adopts the new structure instead of recreating Smartsheet inside it.

Final Thoughts

Migrating from Smartsheet is only one part of understanding how Wrike could fit your team's wider work.

For a broader assessment of its features, usability, pricing, and performance across different use cases, read our in-depth Wrike review or get started on your import by selecting the best Wrike plan for your needs today.

Before committing to a full cutover, test the roadmap on one representative sheet and see how well the structure works for your team.

Good luck with the migration.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Happens to Work Already in Progress?

Wrike’s standard import options are one-time transfers rather than ongoing synchronization. Finish the work in Smartsheet or move it during cutover and reset its schedule in Wrike.

Will We Lose Our Smartsheet History?

Partly. Smartsheet exports comments and summaries separately while excluding attachments, so retain an archive and manually move any history you still need.

Will Our External Collaborators Keep Their Access?

No, Smartsheet permissions do not transfer automatically. Assign an appropriate Wrike user type, while using Guest Reviewers only for people who need to review files without accessing the workspace.

How Long Does a Smartsheet to Wrike Migration Take?

Neither vendor publishes a standard timeframe. Estimate it from your inventory, paying particular attention to the amount of active content and the logic that must be rebuilt.

Is There a Direct Smartsheet Importer in Wrike?

No. Smartsheet data must first be exported and prepared as a file Wrike accepts. That means an Excel file meeting Wrike’s import requirements, or, for schedules, a Gantt chart exported from Smartsheet as MS Project XML. Wrike’s import does not accept CSV.

What Happens to Our Smartsheet Formulas?

Smartsheet exports do not preserve working formulas, and Wrike’s Excel import does not accept formulas. Rebuild the underlying logic as a Wrike Formula field or keep the calculation outside the platform.