How can data or contracts be exported?

The screenshots in this article show the German interface. Where a button or field matters, the German label is given in brackets so you can match text to screenshot.

ContractHero offers two ways to get your contract data out as an xlsx file: a complete bulk export from the settings, and an export of whatever you currently have on screen in the contract list.

What's in it for you

Instead of clicking through contracts one by one or copying data points out by hand, you pull the contract data out of ContractHero as an xlsx file in seconds. Reporting, handovers to your tax adviser, BI tools, or simply a snapshot for the next board meeting — the data comes out exactly as it stands in ContractHero, including your own fields from the field builder [Feldbaukasten].

How it works

Route	What you get	When it fits
Bulk export from the settings	All contract information for one or more categories, with all field information	Complete data extraction, data migration, audit preparation
Export view from the contract list	Only the contracts currently visible, with the columns currently visible	Ad-hoc reporting, filtered analysis, sharing a list with a third party

Bulk export

1. Open the export area

Go to Settings [Einstellungen].

Then go to Import & Export → Export.

You will see the card "Export — Generate export" [Export — Export generieren] with three notes shown directly in the interface:

This export contains all contracts with all fields, including the fields you have defined yourself.
You receive an xlsx file that you can open with common spreadsheet applications such as Excel.
Generating your export can take up to a minute. Please do not close this window.

2. Choose the categories

Under "Choose which contract categories should be included in the export" [Wählen Sie, welche Vertragskategorien im Export enthalten sein sollen:], open the "Contract categories" [Vertragskategorien] dropdown and tick the categories you want (employment contract, NDA, lease, your own categories, and so on). "Select all" [Alle auswählen] ticks every category in one step, and "Clear selection" [Auswahl entfernen] resets it.

3. Generate the export

Click "Generate export" [Export generieren] — the button becomes active as soon as at least one category is selected. ContractHero builds the xlsx file and offers it for download. With large portfolios this can take up to a minute, so please leave the window open while it runs.

Export view

1. Prepare the contract list

Open Contracts [Verträge] and set the list up the way you want to export it: show the columns you need via "Select columns" [Spalten auswählen], apply filters, sort. You can also save the set-up as your own view beforehand.

2. Export via the view dropdown

Click the "View: …" [Ansicht: …] dropdown at the top and choose "Export view" [Ansicht exportieren]. The xlsx file contains exactly the contracts currently visible with exactly the columns currently visible — filters and sorting are carried over.

The same route works in the Contacts [Kontakte] list, via the view dropdown there.

Common questions

What format is the export file?
xlsx. Excel opens the file directly; LibreOffice, Numbers and all common spreadsheet applications support the format as well.

Which fields are included in the bulk export?
All fields of the selected categories — standard fields (contract partner, term, amounts) plus your own fields from the field builder [Feldbaukasten]. Columns you have not shown in the contract list are still included in the bulk export.

What is the difference between the two export routes?
The bulk export always delivers the complete picture per category, with all fields. The export view [Ansicht exportieren] variant delivers only what you can see at that moment — ideal for targeted reporting ("only leases with status active, sorted by end date").

Can I export only certain columns?
Not with the bulk export — that always delivers all fields. With export view [Ansicht exportieren], yes: only the columns shown in your current contract list view end up in the export.

How long does an export take?
A few seconds for normal portfolios, up to a minute for very large data volumes. ContractHero shows a status while it generates — please do not close the window.

Are the uploaded PDFs exported too?
No. Both export variants deliver only the contract data as a table, not the original PDFs. For PDF downloads there is the bulk action "Download" [Herunterladen] in the contract list (see Related articles).

Good to know

Your own fields come along. Everything you have created in the field builder [Feldbaukasten] automatically ends up in the bulk export. In the view export, only if the field is also visible as a column.
Permissions are respected. The export only shows you the contracts your role and your team can also see in the contract list — an export is not a way around permissions.
Document the snapshot date: the xlsx file does not carry a generation timestamp in its file name. If you export regularly, add the date to the file name by hand so you can keep versions apart cleanly.
Mind Excel's limits: with extremely large portfolios (over a million rows, many fields) Excel can reach its performance limits. In that case it is worth processing the data in a BI tool such as PowerBI straight from ContractHero.
Recurring exports: if you need the same analysis regularly, save the contract list view with the right filter and column set, and export it with a single click next time.

Updated on: 08/26/2026

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