How to Import a Toggl Time Entry Log Into Notion Database

You have a Toggl time entry log with hours tracked by project and task, and you want to bring that data into a Notion database for reporting, billing, or team visibility. Toggl does not offer a direct Notion integration, so you must export the log and then import it using Notion’s CSV import feature. This article walks you through exporting the correct report from Toggl, formatting the data for Notion, and importing it into a new or existing database.

Why You Cannot Sync Toggl Directly to Notion

Toggl and Notion do not share a native connector. Third-party automation tools like Zapier or Make can bridge the two apps, but they require paid plans and still send entries one at a time. For a one-time bulk import of historical time entries, the CSV export-and-import method is faster and free.

The Toggl Detailed Report export produces a CSV file with columns such as Start Date, End Date, Description, Project, Client, Task, and Duration in seconds. Notion’s CSV importer expects columns that map to its property types: Title (text), Date (date), Select (single-select), Number (number), and so on. You must adjust the CSV before importing so that Notion interprets each column correctly.

Steps to Export and Clean the Toggl CSV

1. Open Toggl Reports
   Log into your Toggl account. In the left sidebar, click Reports. Select Detailed Report from the report types.
2. Set the date range
   Use the date picker at the top to select the period for which you want to import entries. Click Apply.
3. Export as CSV
   Click the Export button at the top right. Choose Download as CSV. The file saves to your computer.
4. Open the CSV in a spreadsheet app
   Open the downloaded file in Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, or any CSV editor. You will see columns like Start Date, End Date, Description, Project, Client, Task, Duration (seconds), and Tags.
5. Rename and reorder columns for Notion
   Notion uses the first row as property names. Rename columns as follows:
   – Start Date becomes Date
   – Description becomes Name (this becomes the database title)
   – Project becomes Project (will become a Select property)
   – Client becomes Client (Select property)
   – Duration (seconds) becomes Duration (h) (Number property)
   Delete columns you do not need: End Date, Task, Tags, and any other extra columns. Save the file as a CSV.
6. Convert duration to hours
   Notion expects duration in hours, not seconds. In your spreadsheet, add a new column Duration (h). Use a formula to divide the seconds value by 3600. For example, in Excel: =cell/3600. Format the result as a number with two decimal places. Copy the values and paste them as plain numbers. Delete the original Duration (seconds) column.

Steps to Import the CSV Into Notion

1. Open the Notion workspace
   Navigate to the page where you want the new database to appear.
2. Start the import
   Click the Import button in the left sidebar (or type /import on a blank line). Select CSV from the file type list.
3. Upload your cleaned CSV
   Click Choose File and select your edited CSV. Notion will preview the columns it detects.
4. Map columns to Notion property types
   In the import dialog, each CSV column appears with a dropdown. Set the type for each column:
   – Name → Title
   – Date → Date
   – Project → Select
   – Client → Select
   – Duration (h) → Number
   If a column is not recognized, choose the correct type from the dropdown.
5. Choose import destination
   Select Create new database to make a fresh database. If you want to add to an existing database, select Merge with existing database and pick the target database from the list. Notion will match rows by the Title property.
6. Click Import
   Notion processes the file. A new database page appears with all your time entries. Each row shows the date, description, project, client, and hours.

Common Import Problems and How to Fix Them

Duration column shows as text instead of a number

If the Duration (h) column appears as text in Notion, the CSV cells may contain trailing spaces or non-numeric characters. Open the CSV in a text editor and ensure every cell in that column contains only digits and a decimal point. Remove any currency symbols, commas, or units like “h”. Re-import the file.

Project and Client columns become text instead of Select

Notion only auto-detects Select properties if the column header matches an existing Select property name in the database. When creating a new database, set the type to Select manually in the import dialog. For an existing database, the column must have the exact same name as the Select property in the target database.

Duplicate entries appear after import

If you use Merge with existing database, Notion matches rows by the Title property. If two entries have the same description, Notion treats them as duplicates. Add a unique identifier to the Description column in Toggl before exporting, such as a timestamp or entry ID.

Date column shows incorrect timezone

Toggl exports dates in UTC. Notion displays dates in your workspace timezone. To avoid confusion, add a separate column for timezone in the CSV, or convert the Start Date column to your local timezone before importing.

Toggl CSV Export vs Notion API: Methods Compared

Item	Toggl CSV Export + Notion Import	Toggl API + Notion API (Custom Script)
Cost	Free	Free if you code yourself; paid if using automation tools
Setup time	15 minutes	Several hours to write and test a script
Recurring imports	Manual each time	Automated via cron job or webhook
Data volume	Unlimited (file size limit is 5 MB on Notion free plan)	Unlimited
Column mapping	Manual renaming in spreadsheet	Programmatic mapping in code

The CSV method is best for one-time imports of historical data. If you need weekly or daily syncs, consider using the Toggl API with a Notion API integration script or a no-code tool like Zapier.

You can now import Toggl time entries into a Notion database using the CSV export and import workflow. After importing, add rollup formulas to calculate total hours per project or create a linked database view for client billing. For recurring imports, explore Notion’s API documentation to build a custom sync script that runs on a schedule.