How to migrate from Airtable to Baserow

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Migrating an Airtable base to Baserow may seem daunting, but it’s actually a simple process. Baserow’s powerful import tool makes the transition from Airtable easy.

In this article, we will guide you through the general workflow and specific preparation steps to ensure a smooth migration.

Requirements

To migrate your Airtable base to a Baserow workspace, you will need:

• A Baserow Cloud or Baserow Self-Hosted account
• The share link of your Airtable base

You’ll need to share the entire Airtable base, rather than an individual view or table.

How to import an Airtable base into Baserow

Baserow can import your Airtable base directly into a new Baserow database. The process only takes a few steps.

1. Open your Baserow workspace

Log in to your Baserow account and navigate to the workspace where you want to import your Airtable base.

From the workspace home page, click + Add new at the top.

2. Select Database

From the dropdown menu, select Database.

In the database creation dialog, switch to the Import from Airtable tab.

3. Add your Airtable share link

Copy the public share link for your entire Airtable base and paste it into the input field in Baserow.

Then click Import from Airtable.

Baserow will begin importing your Airtable base and show a progress indicator while the process runs.

If your Airtable base contains a large number of files, the import can take longer because the files need to be downloaded and uploaded to Baserow. If you don’t need the attachments, you can enable Skip importing files to speed up the process.

4. Check your imported database

Once the import is complete, your new Baserow database will open automatically with the imported data.

Baserow also creates a table called Airtable import report. This report lists items that could not be imported or were only partially imported, so you can quickly identify anything that needs to be recreated or adjusted manually.

What gets imported from Airtable?

Baserow automatically transfers most of the structure and data from your Airtable base.

Automatically transferred

The importer preserves:

What gets imported	What happens
Tables	Complete table structure and records
Field types	Converted to their closest Baserow equivalents
Table relationships	Airtable links become Baserow Link to table fields
Attachments and files	Uploaded files are preserved
Views	Grid views, including filters, sorts, and grouping
Field properties	Formatting, options, and configurations
Row data	Records and their information

This means you don’t need to rebuild your tables and views from scratch after importing.

What needs to be recreated?

Some Airtable features don’t have a direct equivalent in the import process and need to be configured separately in Baserow.

These include:

• Automations – Rebuild them using Baserow automations
• Custom interfaces – Recreate them using Baserow Application Builder
• Integrations – Reconnect integrations using the Baserow API or your preferred automation tool
• Row comments – Comments aren’t imported
• Revision history – Historical changes aren’t preserved
• Field descriptions – Need to be added manually
• Access controls – Reconfigure permissions in Baserow

You can use the Airtable import report created during the migration to identify items that require manual work.

Airtable to Baserow field type conversions

Baserow automatically converts Airtable field types to their closest Baserow equivalents.

Direct conversions

Most common Airtable fields have a direct Baserow equivalent:

Airtable field	Baserow field	Notes
Single line text	Single line text	Direct match
Long text	Long text	Direct match
Single select	Single select	Colors may differ slightly
Multiple select	Multiple select	Colors may differ slightly
Checkbox	Boolean	Same functionality
URL	URL	Direct match
Date	Date	Converted to Baserow format
Phone number	Phone number	Direct match
Email	Email	Direct match
Rating	Rating	Direct match
Attachment	File	Files are preserved
Link to another record	Link to table	Relationships are maintained
Created time	Created on	Timestamps preserved
Last modified time	Last modified	Timestamps preserved

Numeric Airtable fields are converted to Baserow Number fields. Formatting such as decimal places and thousand separators is preserved, although large-number abbreviations such as 1K or 1M aren’t preserved.

Airtable field	Baserow field	How it converts
Number	Number	Decimal places and separators preserved
Currency	Number	Currency symbol becomes a prefix
Percent	Number	% becomes a suffix
Duration	Number	Converted to numeric seconds/minutes

Some Airtable field types don’t have a direct equivalent in the import process and need to be recreated manually:

Airtable field	How to handle it
Formula	Recreate using Baserow formula fields
Lookup	Recreate using Baserow lookup fields
Rollup	Recreate using Baserow rollup fields
Collaborator/Assignee	Recreate using Baserow collaborator fields
Created by	Recreate using Baserow created by fields
Last modified by	Recreate using Baserow last modified by fields
Button	Functionality depends on the button action
Barcode	Store the value in a text or number field

If you need to preserve the underlying data from unsupported fields, you can change the field type in Airtable to text or number before importing. You can then recreate the functionality in Baserow after the migration.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to migrate from Airtable to Baserow?

Import time depends on the size of your Airtable base. Small bases can be imported in seconds, while larger bases can take several minutes. Bases with many file attachments can take longer because the files need to be downloaded and uploaded to Baserow.

Will importing my Airtable base change anything in Airtable?

No. The import process reads your Airtable data through the share link and creates a new database in Baserow. Your original Airtable base remains unchanged.

You can continue using Airtable during and after the import.

Can I import multiple Airtable bases?

Yes, but you need to import them one at a time. Each Airtable base is imported as a separate Baserow database.

If you have multiple related Airtable bases, you can import them separately and connect the relevant data in Baserow using Link to table fields.

Can I import the same Airtable base more than once?

Yes. Each import creates a new, independent Baserow database. This can be useful if you want to test the migration before moving your production workflow or create separate copies for different purposes.

What happens if my Airtable import fails?

Baserow will show an error if the import can’t be completed.

Common causes include:

• An invalid Airtable share link
• Airtable permission restrictions
• Network problems
• Issues accessing the shared base

Try generating a new share link and importing again. If the issue persists, contact Baserow support and include the error message and relevant details about your Airtable base.

What if Baserow says my Airtable base requires authentication?

In some cases, Airtable organizational settings can prevent Baserow from accessing a shared base without authentication.

If you see “The Airtable base requires authentication,” you may need to provide your Airtable session and signature manually.

To do this:

1. Open the publicly shared Airtable base URL in your browser and sign in if required.
2. Open your browser’s Developer Tools. In Chrome, go to More tools → Developer tools.
3. Open the Application tab. In Firefox, this is called Storage.
4. Select https://airtable.com.
5. Find the __Host-airtable-session and __Host-airtable-session.sig cookie values.
6. Copy and paste the values into the corresponding fields in Baserow.

What if some fields aren’t imported?

Some Airtable field types don’t have a direct equivalent in Baserow and aren’t imported automatically.

Check the Airtable import report to see which fields require attention. You can also convert unsupported Airtable fields to text or number fields before importing if you need to preserve their underlying values.

What happens to Airtable attachments?

Attachments can be imported into Baserow along with the rest of your data. Because files need to be downloaded and re-uploaded, bases with many attachments can take longer to import.

If you don’t need to migrate the files, enable Skip importing files during the import process.

What happens to my Airtable views?

Grid views are imported, including their filters, sorts, and grouping.

Other Airtable functionality that isn’t directly supported by the importer may need to be recreated in Baserow after the migration.

What if I don’t want to import my entire Airtable base?

The Airtable importer is the easiest way to migrate an existing base, but it’s not your only option.

If you want to start with a clean structure, you can create a new Baserow database from scratch and import only the data you need using CSV files.

You can also start with a Baserow template that matches your use case and customize it with your existing data.

A hybrid approach can also work well: import your Airtable base to preserve your existing data and structure, then use Baserow templates and features to redesign parts of your workflow.

Start your Airtable to Baserow migration

Moving from Airtable to Baserow doesn’t require rebuilding your database from scratch. With Baserow’s Airtable importer, you can bring over your tables, records, views, attachments, relationships, and most of your field configuration in just a few steps.

After the import, review the Airtable import report, recreate any unsupported functionality, and customize your new Baserow database to fit your workflow.

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