Tabs3 to Clio: how to switch when there is no export button
Tabs3 famously has no export function — your data leaves through the PracticeMaster interface, and your documents live as files on your own server. Here is what Clio's migration actually covers from Tabs3, what it cannot move, and a practical playbook for the document side.
A Tabs3-to-Clio switch is really two migrations
Structured data goes through PracticeMaster and Clio's migration team. Documents are files on your server — a separate problem with separate trade-offs.
Tabs3 has been running law-firm billing for decades, and firms that leave it usually aren't fleeing a broken product — they're moving from server-based software to the cloud: access from anywhere, no server to maintain, and the broader Clio app ecosystem. Treat the move as a planned upgrade, not an evacuation.
The first migration is the structured one: contacts, matters, notes, calendar events, tasks, communications, unbilled time and expenses, and summative balances. Clio's migration team handles that import once you've exported the data — but with Tabs3 there's a catch about how the data gets out, which gets its own section below.
The second migration is documents. Tabs3 and PracticeMaster firms keep documents as ordinary files in the firm's document store on the server — which means there's no vendor export to fight, but also means document migration isn't part of the standard path. Clio's team scopes document migration separately, with fees based on volume; or you handle the files yourself.
One option worth naming up front: you don't have to leave Tabs3 to start using Clio. Some firms keep Tabs3 (or Tabs3 plus PracticeMaster) running as their trust-accounting and billing system and adopt Clio Manage for practice management and documents — sending documents into Clio matters on an ongoing basis while the back office stays in Tabs3. If that's your plan, the export-and-cutover steps below apply only to the data you actually move; your accounting simply stays where it is. The rest of this page assumes a full switch, which is the more common goal.
For the broader migration playbook beyond just Tabs3, see our general guide to migrating to Clio. The rest of this page focuses on the Tabs3-specific moving parts.
There is no export button. Your data leaves through PracticeMaster
The single most important Tabs3-specific fact, straight from Clio's migration guide.
Clio's migration documentation states it plainly: Tabs3 does not have an export function. Your data can only be exported through the PracticeMaster interface. If your firm runs Tabs3 billing without PracticeMaster — common in billing-only setups — getting PracticeMaster installed and syncing is step zero of your migration, not an optional extra.
There's a version caveat attached: the PracticeMaster version should be compatible with your Tabs3 version to synchronize properly. A mismatched pair can leave PracticeMaster blind to current Tabs3 data, which means an incomplete export that looks fine until Clio's team starts mapping it. If you run into setup or sync issues, Clio's guidance is to contact Tabs3 support to set up PracticeMaster — this is a supported, well-trodden request, not a workaround.
Budget time for this. Firms that already use PracticeMaster daily can skip straight to the export; firms that don't should treat PracticeMaster setup and sync verification as its own task on the migration timeline, owned by whoever manages your server.
What migrates from Tabs3 — and what doesn't
Sourced from Clio's Tabs3/PracticeMaster migration guide and Data Migration Overview.
- ✓ Contacts
- ✓ Matters
- ✓ Unbilled time entries
- ✓ Unbilled expense entries
- ✓ Matter notes
- ✓ Calendar events
- ✓ Tasks
- ✓ Email and phone communications
- ✓ Outstanding balance — a single summative line item per matter at time of export
- ✓ Trust balances — a single summative line item per matter or contact at time of export
Clio notes that communications, notes, calendar events, tasks, and unbilled entries depend on the quality of your data — clean data exports map better.
Documents — scoped separately. Documents can be migrated, but they're excluded from the standard path: Clio's team scopes document migration separately, with additional fees based on volume. Not impossible — just a separate conversation with your onboarding rep.
Cannot be migrated (per Clio's Data Migration Overview):
- • Accounting and financial history — trust transactions, invoices, billed time, A/R ledgers, bill payments, historical bills
- • Billable rates (user, client, and matter rates)
- • Reports
- • User permissions and settings
We'll cover three realistic ways to handle the document side in the next section.
What the export actually involves
The PracticeMaster mechanics, summarized from Clio's migration guide.
The core export runs through PracticeMaster's File Maintenance: in current versions, select the Maintenance tab, click File Maintenance, and select the export files you need. Clio's guide maps them out — the Client file for matters (CMCLIENT), the Contact lookup file for contacts (CMRELATE), the Journal for notes and communications (CMJRNL), the Calendar for tasks and calendar events (CMCAL), and the Cost and Fee files for expenses and fees (CMCOST, CMFEES) — though exact menu labels and file codes can shift between Tabs3/PracticeMaster versions, so follow Clio's current guide as the source of truth. After clicking OK, you run Utility > Export Data, then rename each output file with a .csv extension to convert it into spreadsheet format.
A handful of supporting exports come from outside File Maintenance:
- Timekeeper list — in the TABS module, Reports > Miscellaneous > Timekeepers List, exported to XLSX.
- Category list — TABS module, Reports > Miscellaneous > Category List, exported to XLSX (this carries your practice areas).
- Task code list — search for the Transaction Code List and export to XLSX. The Tcode column in the fee and cost files maps to activity categories for time and expenses in Clio.
- Accounts receivable — Reports > Accounts Receivable > AR Summary Report, subtotaled by client, exported in Excel format. This becomes the summative outstanding-balance line items.
- Trust balances — from the TAS (Trust Accounting Software) module, the Trust Account List Report saved as XLSX. This becomes the summative trust-balance line items.
Documents are not in any of these exports — and for once, that's usually good news. In most Tabs3/PracticeMaster installations, documents live as ordinary files in the firm's document store on the server rather than inside the practice-management database — confirm how yours is set up with your IT person or Tabs3 consultant. If that's your setup, there's nothing to extract; the files are already yours. The work is locating the document directories — your IT person knows where — and copying them off the server before anything gets decommissioned.
Clio's migration guide for Tabs3/PracticeMaster has the current step-by-step export instructions.
Three realistic paths for your historical documents
Pick the one that matches your firm's size, document volume, and appetite for doing the work in-house.
Clio's scoped document migration
Ask your Clio onboarding rep to scope document migration alongside the standard import. Documents can be migrated — subject to scoping and additional fees based on volume — and Clio's team handles the mapping.
BEST FOR
- • Firms that want one vendor accountable end to end
- • Large libraries where in-house time is the scarce resource
- • Already in the assisted-migration track
Fees based on volume; per-firm scoping, not published pricing.
Third-party paid migrator
Specialists like Universal Migrator handle Tabs3-to-Clio as a dedicated engagement, moving documents with matter mapping preserved.
BEST FOR
- • Large document libraries
- • Complex folder structures worth preserving exactly
- • Firms that want it done by someone else
Typically four-figure engagements priced by volume.
Locate files on the server + bulk-upload tool
Your documents already live as files in the firm's document store on the server. Copy them off (your IT person knows where), then upload each matter's folder to the right Clio matter. For a small library, Clio's own Documents area handles multi-file and folder uploads at no cost; Clio Drive's desktop app (Windows and Mac) adds a native bulk file upload that queues large volumes in the background — its "Pending Upload Queue" — though Clio cautions that moving files in bulk can freeze the system, so move them in smaller chunks. For higher volume or browser-sourced files, a tool like Send to Case speeds it up.
BEST FOR
- • Small to mid-size firms
- • Firms with an IT admin who knows the server
- • Migrating matter-by-matter on your own timeline
No per-GB fees, no scoping calls — but you do the work.
Pre-cutover checklist + seven-step playbook
A scannable plan, in order, with the PracticeMaster path and the document path baked in.
Pre-cutover checklist
- ☐ Contact Clio about migration. The first conversation sets the timeline, confirms scope, and is where you raise document migration if you want Clio to handle it.
- ☐ Verify PracticeMaster is installed and syncing with Tabs3. Version-compatible pair, current data visible. Contact Tabs3 support for setup or sync issues — before export day, not on it.
- ☐ Decide your document path (Clio scoped migration, third-party migrator, or server files + bulk-upload tool) before kickoff.
- ☐ Reconcile your trust ledger. Trust balances migrate as summative line items per matter or contact — whatever the total says at export is what lands in Clio.
- ☐ Loop in your IT admin. PracticeMaster sync, document-directory location, and copying files off the server are all server-side jobs.
- ☐ Communicate with your team. Cutover dates, where to log time during the gap, when Tabs3 becomes read-only.
The seven-step playbook
Contact Clio about migration
Clio offers a complimentary data migration service for many common systems; assisted migration through the migrations team is available on request. Confirm your Tabs3 scope and raise document scoping early if you want path A.
Set up PracticeMaster and confirm the sync
No export button in Tabs3 — everything exits through PracticeMaster. Verify the versions are compatible and current Tabs3 data is visible. Tabs3 support is the right call for setup or sync problems.
Export structured data via File Maintenance
Maintenance tab → File Maintenance → select the export files (clients, contacts, journal, calendar, costs, fees) → OK → Utility → Export Data. Rename outputs to .csv.
Export the supporting reports
Timekeepers List, Category List, and Transaction Code List from the TABS module; the AR Summary Report subtotaled by client; the Trust Account List Report from the TAS module.
Hand everything to Clio's migrations team
They convert and import. Once data is in your old system after the export, it won't be captured — Clio's guidance is to stop using the old system immediately after exporting. Review the import before modifying anything; edits can prevent a revert if corrections are needed.
Pull your documents off the server
Locate the firm's document directories — your IT person knows where — and copy each matter's files somewhere safe. Do this before any server decommissioning, not after.
Upload documents to corresponding Clio matters
Move each matter's folder into the matching Clio matter using your chosen path. If uploads fail, the guide to troubleshooting Clio uploads covers the common causes.
Gotchas and common pitfalls
The things that bite Tabs3 firms a week after cutover.
The no-export-function surprise. Firms regularly discover on export day that Tabs3 itself has nothing to click — the data only leaves through PracticeMaster. If your firm never licensed or set up PracticeMaster, that's a real task with real lead time. Find out which camp you're in during week one, not on cutover morning.
Version compatibility. The PracticeMaster version should be compatible with your Tabs3 version to synchronize properly. A stale or mismatched PracticeMaster can quietly export incomplete data. When in doubt, contact Tabs3 support before exporting.
Billing history does not migrate. Per Clio's Data Migration Overview, accounting and financial history — invoices, billed time, trust transactions, A/R ledgers, historical bills — cannot be migrated. Plan for how you'll reference old billing after cutover: keep read-only access to Tabs3 for a period, or export the reports you'll actually need.
Trust migrates as summative balances, not transaction history. Clio imports a single line item per matter or contact representing the balance at time of export. Reconcile the trust ledger against the bank before exporting — an imbalance in Tabs3 becomes an imbalance in Clio.
Stop using the old system after export. Clio's process guidance is blunt: data entered after the export will not be captured and must be transferred manually. Schedule the export as close to cutover as the timeline allows, and freeze new entries once it runs.
Common pitfalls
- Discovering on export day that PracticeMaster was never set up — it's the only way out of Tabs3.
- Decommissioning the server before copying the document directories off it.
- Assuming billed history comes over — it doesn't; only unbilled entries and summative balances migrate.
- Modifying imported data before confirming it's accurate — edits can prevent the import from being reverted.
An honest cost note
Clio offers a complimentary data migration service for many common systems, but its own page notes the cost can vary for more complex migrations or systems not directly supported — and document migration is scoped separately, with fees based on volume. Commercial migrators like Universal Migrator handle Tabs3-to-Clio as four-figure engagements priced by volume. The do-it-yourself document path costs your time instead: your files are already on your server, and once they're on your computer Clio's own Documents area takes multiple files and whole folders at once. A free tool like Send to Case helps where that gets tedious — routing many matters to the right place, or pulling files straight from a web page without downloading them first. See Send to Case pricing.
How Send to Case fits
Send to Case is a free Chrome extension that uploads files from your browser into a Clio matter. It is not a migration service — it doesn't move matters, contacts, calendars, or billing data, and it doesn't touch Tabs3 or PracticeMaster at all. Once your documents are off the server and on your computer, Send to Case lets you drag a matter's folder in and bulk-upload it to the right Clio matter. (Clio's web Documents area also takes multiple files and whole folders directly; the extension earns its place when you're capturing files from the browser or moving a lot of matters quickly.)
That's the only role it plays in a Tabs3-to-Clio switch: closing the document side after Clio's team handles the structured data. Learn more about the extension or see how bulk upload works.
Coming from a different practice management system? See the guide to migrating to Clio, or the Time Matters and PCLaw guides.
Can I keep Tabs3 for billing and just send documents to Clio?
+Yes. Not every firm doing a Tabs3-to-Clio project is leaving Tabs3 entirely — some keep Tabs3 (or Tabs3 plus PracticeMaster) as their trust-accounting and billing back office and use Clio Manage for practice management and documents. In that hybrid there's no accounting export to run and nothing to freeze: your billing stays in Tabs3, and you use a browser-to-Clio tool like Send to Case to get documents into the right Clio matters on an ongoing basis. The export, freeze, and stop-using-the-old-system steps on this page apply to firms switching off Tabs3 entirely.
Why do I need PracticeMaster to leave Tabs3?
+Because Tabs3 does not have an export function. Per Clio's migration guide, your data can only be exported through the PracticeMaster interface — File Maintenance selects the export files, and the Export Data utility produces the output you rename to .csv. If your firm runs Tabs3 billing without PracticeMaster, getting PracticeMaster set up is the first real step of the migration. Contact Tabs3 support if you need help setting it up.
What if my PracticeMaster version does not match my Tabs3 version?
+Clio's guide notes the PracticeMaster version should be compatible with the Tabs3 version to synchronize properly. A version mismatch means PracticeMaster may not see current Tabs3 data, so your export would be incomplete or stale. If you hit setup or sync issues, contact Tabs3 support before exporting — do not work around a broken sync by exporting anyway.
Does Clio migrate my Tabs3 billing history?
+No. Per Clio's Data Migration Overview, accounting and financial history — trust account transactions, operating account transactions, invoices, billed time entries, accounts receivable ledgers, bill payments, and historical bills — cannot be migrated. What does come over is unbilled time and expense entries, plus outstanding balances and trust balances as single summative line items per matter. Keep read-only access to Tabs3 (or archived reports) for historical billing lookups.
How do trust balances come over from Tabs3?
+As a single line item representing the summative balance at the time of export, per matter or contact — not transaction-by-transaction. That is why reconciling your trust ledger against the bank before export matters: if the Tabs3 totals are wrong, the wrong number is what lands in Clio.
What happens to the documents on our server?
+Documents are not part of the standard migration path — Clio's team scopes document migration separately, with additional fees based on volume. The good news for Tabs3 firms: your documents are already ordinary files in your firm's document store on the server, so you are not fighting a vendor export to get them. Locate the directories (your IT person knows where), then choose a path: Clio's scoped migration, a third-party migrator, or uploading them yourself with a tool like Send to Case.
Do I need my IT person for this?
+Probably, and it is worth looping them in early. Tabs3 and PracticeMaster are server-based software: confirming the PracticeMaster sync, finding the document directories, and copying files off the server before anything is decommissioned are all jobs your IT admin can do in a fraction of the time it takes anyone else.
How long does a Tabs3 to Clio migration take?
+Plan in weeks, not days. Clio's processing time varies with the size and complexity of your data, and a team member contacts you with a timeline once they have your export. The longest phases are usually on your side: getting PracticeMaster syncing cleanly, pre-export cleanup and trust reconciliation, and uploading documents after cutover.
Keep going
Migrating to Clio: the pillar guide
The full migration playbook beyond Tabs3 — planning, scope, and cutover for any source system.
Read guide →What Clio's migration moves
The document side of Clio's migration service — what standard scope covers and what gets scoped separately.
Read guide →Time Matters to Clio
Another legacy server-based system with its own export quirks — the companion guide.
Read guide →PCLaw to Clio
Moving off PCLaw? The same two-migrations framing applied to PCLaw's export path.
Read guide →Migrating from Tabs3?
Don't upload decades of server documents one file at a time.