Cloud Migration Hub: Metadata for Confluence

Cloud Migration – Metadata for Confluence

Atlassian is ending support for Confluence Data Center by March 2029.
This page explains how Metadata for Confluence will be migrated from Data Center to Confluence Cloud, what you need to prepare, and what you can expect.

🔎 Quick overview

Question	Answer for Metadata for Confluence
Migration effort and automation level	Medium effort Partially automated – Global Metadata Values is largely automated; the rest would need manual work. More automation is comming, see below.
Main risks/limitations	At the moment, migration is only supported for global Metadata sets and fields. We offer a solution to automatically convert Space metadata into global metadata. Then you can migrate them as global metadata. To get the solution, please contact us via support. Metadata definitions: the admin has to recreate content categories (metadata sets in DC) and metadata fields identically as they have in DC. This will be automated in the near future. Display Metadata macro will be automatically migrated soon. Overview macro( report macro in the cloud app) will still require some manual work but we will show the Data Center configuration of the macro. Metadata History is not supported in the cloud app. When migrating Metadata values, restrictions may apply to certain field types.
Key prerequisites	Clean up duplicate titles Create Content Category configurations in cloud Verify Metadata fields configuration Only one Metadata set is assigned to a page
Best practice	Complete the Pre-migration Checklist: Thoroughly check and establish all preconditions listed in the "Pre-migration Checklist" before initiating the migration. This is crucial for preventing incomplete migrations or failures. Proactive Configuration in Cloud: Create matching Content Category configurations and verify Metadata field settings in the cloud before starting the migration. Clean up duplicate titles Follow Atlassian's Official Migration Documentation: Integrate the Metadata migration with the official Atlassian documentation on migrating app data
Available Cloud types	Available on Commercial Cloud.

What Metadata for Confluence does

Metadata for Confluence adds structured, customizable metadata fields to Confluence pages so teams can standardize documentation, enforce key information, and report across content with visibility and control.

It allows admins to:

Create custom metadata fields (e.g., Owner, Review Date, Status, Compliance Level)
Group them into Content Categories
Link them to templates
Mark certain fields as required
Control the structure centrally

It allows users to:

Fill in structured information when creating or editing pages
See metadata clearly on the page
Use report macros to get live overviews across spaces
Integrate metadata with workflow tools for approvals and lifecycle management

This section explains how your app data and configuration move from Data Center to Cloud.

🔄 How to migrate

Please unfold the sections below to view the complete, detailed instructions for the upcoming migration.

By expanding these folders, you will gain access to all the necessary steps and guidelines for a smooth, successful migration.

Before you start

Clean up duplicate titles: Check if there are global Metadata sets or fields in your server instance whose titles are used more than once. If you have global Metadata sets or fields with the same titles, this causes the migration to fail.
Create Content Category configurations in cloud: A prerequisite for the migration of Metadata values of a global Metadata set is that a matching Content Category exists in cloud. The Content Category needs to have same title (case sensitive) and must contain a matching Metadata field for each field of the set in the server app. Additional fields in the Content Category are fine and do not affect the migration process.
Verify Metadata fields configuration: Make sure the configuration settings for each Metadata field match between your server and cloud instances. For Single and Multi select fields any option that exists on the server must also exist in the cloud. Additional options for Metadata fields of a Content Category on the cloud side may be present and do not affect the migration process.
Only one Metadata set is assigned to a page: If more than one global Metadata set is assigned to a piece of content, the migration cannot start. The migration will fail and a new one has to be started after fixing the problem is resolved.

How the migration works

Use the Atlassian Cloud Migration Assistant for Confluence.
Connect your Data Center instance to Confluence Cloud.
Select Metadata for Confluence during app migration.
Run the migration process.

After Migration

After the migration is complete, check the Metadata Cloud Migrations Documentation in Confluence Administration. There you will find information about your migrations, including their status and a brief summary.

🤝 Support & resources

Documentation for Metadata for Confluence
- Link to official docs
Marketplace listing
- Link to app on Atlassian Marketplace
Cloud Security Standards
- Link to Communardo Cloud Security Standards page
Feature parity & known limitations
- Link to parity/limitations page
Need help with planning or running your migration?
- Link to Communardo support

❓ FAQ for Metadata for Confluence migration

Can users work while the migration is running?
Read-only mode for affected spaces is recommended to avoid inconsistencies.

What is not migrated automatically?

Metadata definitions: the admin has to manually recreate content categories (metadata sets in DC) and metadata fields identically as they have in DC. This will be automated in the near future.
Space Metadata Values: Space Metadata are not supported in cloud. We offer a solution to automatically transfer Space metadata into global metadata. You can then automatically migrate them as global metadata in cloud. To get the solution, please contact us.
Display Metadata Macro (automatic migration is coming soon)
Overview macro( report macro in the cloud app)will require some manual work.
Metadata History is not supported in Cloud

What are the biggest changes compared to Data Center?

In Data Center/server, space-level metadata is a standard feature. In the cloud, direct migration is not supported automatically.
Absence of Metadata History: The ability to track changes to Metadata values, which is available in the Data Center/server version, is not present in the cloud app.

Are you a solution partner and have questions about licensing during migration?