Guide
How to export your conversations with Claude
Claude's export has changed: the email no longer downloads a single archive but opens a list of files, each with its own single-use link. Here's the whole process, checked against Anthropic's help center.
Before you start
Three things to know, from Anthropic's help center:
- the export is open to personal Free, Pro and Max accounts. In a Team or Enterprise organization, only the primary owner can export the organization's data;
- it starts from claude.ai or the Claude desktop app. The iPhone and Android apps don't offer it;
- it contains your conversations and your account information. It doesn't delete anything: it's a copy.
The steps, one by one
- On claude.ai (or in the desktop app), click your initials at the bottom left.
- Choose Settings.
- Open the Privacy section.
- Click Export data.
Anthropic warns there may be “a short delay” while the export is prepared. In practice the email often arrives within minutes, sometimes longer for a big history. It goes to your Claude account's address.
The new email: a list of files
This is where many people get lost, because the format changed. The email link no longer downloads a single archive. It gives you a manifest: a list of the files that make up your export, each with its own download link.
To download, you must be signed in to your Claude account in the same browser. If the link sends you to a sign-in page, sign in, then open the link from the email again.
In that list, the file holding your conversations is called conversations-000.zip. For a large history it's split into parts: conversations-001.zip, conversations-002.zip, and so on. The other files are about your account.
Each link works only once. Download every “conversations” file before closing the page, and check they actually landed in your downloads folder.
And as with ChatGPT, the email link expires 24 hours after it's sent. After that, just request a new export.
If you downloaded the manifest itself (a small file whose name starts with manifest and ends in .json), don't worry: it doesn't contain your conversations, only the list and the links. The Aveu studio recognizes it and tells you which files to fetch.
What's inside the zip
Each conversations-00X.zip holds a JSON file: a list of conversations. For each one, its title, its creation date and the sequence of messages, with who's speaking (you or Claude) and when.
- messages are split into blocks. The actual text lives in “text” blocks; Claude's reasoning, tool calls and attachments have blocks of their own;
- in the plain-text version of a message, those non-text blocks sometimes show up as a placeholder sentence like This block is not supported on your current device yet. It isn't a problem with your export: it's the trace of a tool Claude used that day.
Unlike ChatGPT's export, there's no ready-made HTML page to reread your conversations in the browser. The JSON is hard to read by eye, hence the value of a tool that lays it out.
If something gets stuck
I can't find the button
Make sure you're on the website or the desktop app, not your phone. The button is under Settings → Privacy, not in the account settings.
The link shows an error
Either it's past 24 hours, or a file was already downloaded with its single-use link. Either way, request a new export.
I want to move my conversations to another Claude account
Anthropic says that isn't possible: an export can't be imported into another personal account.
Only one or two conversations matter to me
No need for a full export. Open the conversation, copy it, and paste it into the Aveu studio: it can tell who's speaking, and you can set the date by hand.
How often should you export?
Each export contains your whole history at the time of the request, not just what's new. So there's no point piling up archives: keep the latest, and export again when you want an up-to-date copy. Once a season is a simple rhythm. It's also a good habit if you regularly delete old conversations to keep your sidebar tidy: once they're gone from your account, they won't be in later exports, and the archive you kept will be the only trace.
A word on privacy
The Privacy section that holds the export button is also where you choose whether your conversations can be used to improve Anthropic's models. Since its 2025 terms update, Anthropic asks for that choice explicitly. If you allow it, the new conversations concerned can be kept for up to five years; if you don't, the usual 30-day retention continues to apply. You can change your mind at any time in the same settings.
What now?
Keep your conversations-00X.zip files safe: they're the memory of everything you've written to Claude. If you'd like to reread them in another form, drop them as they are into the Aveu studio, several parts at once if needed. Everything is read in your browser; you could even turn off Wi-Fi while it works. See the Claude book.
Frequently asked questions
Can I export from the Claude mobile app?
No. Anthropic offers the export on claude.ai and in the desktop app only.
What is the manifest file?
A small JSON file that lists your export's files and their download links. It doesn't contain your conversations: download the conversations-00X.zip files it points to.
Can I import my export into another Claude account?
No. Anthropic says an export can't be imported into another personal account.