How do I send my captured posts to the dashboard? (Export To Dashboard)

PostSnag sends the posts you've captured on a profile to your dashboard as soon as you click Export To Dashboard in the panel. Capturing while you scroll only ever saves posts locally in your browser; nothing reaches your dashboard until you click this button.

How to send your captures to the dashboard

1. Capture posts by scrolling the profile as usual. Watch the Collected number grow as PostSnag reads posts off the page.
2. Once you've captured what you want, click Export To Dashboard in the panel.
3. PostSnag sends the profile record first, then every post you captured for it, up to your account. A large profile is sent up in batches rather than all at once, so a big capture doesn't stall or time out; if one batch hiccups, PostSnag automatically retries it.
4. A new browser tab opens automatically on that profile's dashboard page, already signed in. You won't be asked to log in again.

[SCREENSHOT: The panel's "Export To Dashboard" button, with the Collected count visible above it]

If you're signed out, this same button reads Sign Up To Export instead. You'll need a PostSnag account before anything can be sent up; see "How do I sign in to the PostSnag extension?"

"Export To Dashboard" vs. exporting a file

PostSnag uses "export" for two different things, and it's worth keeping them straight:

• Export To Dashboard (in the extension panel) sends the posts you captured while scrolling up to your PostSnag account, so they show up in your dashboard. This is a sync, not a download, and it's what makes your captured posts available to view, filter, and analyze on the dashboard in the first place.
• Exporting a file (done inside the dashboard itself, as Data as Markdown, Data as CSV, Media only, or Data plus media) is a separate, later action for downloading your already-synced posts in whichever format fits what you need, from a plain data file to the actual captured videos and images.

You always sync with Export To Dashboard before you can export a file, since a file export pulls from posts already sitting in your dashboard. See "How do I export a profile, and what are the formats?" for that second step.

Why nothing syncs automatically

Capturing and syncing are two separate, deliberate steps in PostSnag. Scrolling a profile only ever writes to your browser's own local storage; sending anything to PostSnag's servers happens only when you click Export To Dashboard yourself. This keeps you in control of what leaves your browser and when, rather than syncing in the background without you choosing to. See "Can I automate captures or use a PostSnag API?" for more on why PostSnag stays manual throughout.

If something goes wrong during export

If your browser shows a connection error right when you click Export To Dashboard, for example something like "this site can't be reached," your captured posts are safe either way. They stay saved locally until the sync goes through. Restrictive networks, like hotel, school, or office Wi-Fi, along with some VPNs and firewalls, can occasionally block or delay the connection to postsnag.com even though the capture itself worked fine. Try a different network if you can (a phone hotspot is a good way to test), check whether a VPN or firewall is blocking postsnag.com, and try exporting again. Nothing is lost while you sort it out.

A note on free plan limits

On the free plan, exporting a profile saves the first 30 posts captured for it; the panel shows a notice when this applies ("Your free plan saved the first 30 posts of this profile," with a link to go Pro). Everything you scrolled past stays saved locally regardless of your plan. If you upgrade later, re-open the profile and click Export To Dashboard again to send up whatever you'd already captured past the 30-post cap; no rescanning needed for that part. If you want more post history than you originally scrolled, though, you'll need to scroll further and rescan, since PostSnag can only sync what it actually captured locally in the first place.

Common questions

Does capturing automatically send posts to my dashboard?

No. Capturing only saves posts locally in your browser. Sending them to your dashboard is a separate, manual step: clicking Export To Dashboard.

What happens after I click Export To Dashboard?

PostSnag sends the profile and its captured posts to your account, then opens a new tab already signed in on that profile's dashboard page.

Is Export To Dashboard the same as exporting a file from the dashboard?

No. That's a separate, later action done inside the dashboard, for downloading a file in the format you choose, whether that's data, the real captured media, or both.

Can I export the same profile again later?

Yes. If you've since upgraded, exporting again sends up whatever you already captured past the free plan's 30-post cap, without rescanning. To capture more posts than you originally scrolled, scroll further and export again.

What if I get a connection error while exporting?

Your captured posts stay saved locally either way. Check your network or any VPN or firewall that might be blocking postsnag.com, then try exporting again.

Related articles

• How do I capture posts from a Facebook profile?
• How do I export a profile, and what are the formats?
• What's included in the Free plan?
• Can I automate captures or use a PostSnag API?

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