Manual method
- As project Maintainer or Owner open Settings > General > Advanced.
- Choose Export project and wait for the ready email or refreshed download button.
- Download the tar.gz and repeat for other approved projects.
- Record GitLab version, review the documented included/excluded items, and test importing a copy in a compatible disposable project if restoration matters.
Coverage and limitations: GitLab warns project exports are not complete backups. Registries, jobs/artifacts, integrations and other resources can require separate treatment. Export permissions may be disabled by an administrator.
Size and time to allow
Illustrative planning size: 5 GB; scenario range 0.01–100 GB. This is a storage-planning example, not a measured average. Your archive may be smaller or larger. A few project repositories with issues/uploads; binary histories can dominate.
Preparation and hands-on time: Download promptly: GitLab documents a cleanup worker running every 24 hours. Allow minutes to hours for generation as a planning estimate.
For the 5 GB example, network transfer alone is approximately:
| Connection download speed | Transfer estimate |
|---|---|
| 10 Mbit/s | 1.6 hr |
| 50 Mbit/s | 20 min |
| 100 Mbit/s | 10 min |
These calculations use decimal GB and 70% of the advertised speed. Tiny transfers can take longer because of startup overhead. Local exports do not need an internet download; use these numbers only for a network transfer. Preparation, retries, extraction, checking and a cloud upload are additional; use upload speed for the latter.
Where and how to keep it
An encrypted external SSD/HDD is the practical primary archive. A sufficiently large USB key is useful for an extra transport copy. For off-site protection, add private cloud storage with encryption and enough quota.
Create a dated gitlab/YYYY-MM-DD/ folder. Keep received originals unchanged, use a separate working copy, and note the account/profile, selected dates, formats and known gaps in a private README. Compare file sizes, check any supplied checksums, and open sample files from the backup before considering the task finished. Repeat after meaningful additions. Follow the storage, archive-checking and large-file guide.
Sources and review
Public documentation was reviewed on 27 October 2026. No signed-in export or restoration was performed. Account options and availability can change; follow the current provider instructions.