Which export option should I choose? (data, media, or both)

PostSnag exports a profile or a group through the same three options, and the right one comes down to where the file is headed next. The Export menu has three options: Download data for AI (a Markdown file and a CSV file together), Download media for AI (a .zip of the images and videos), and Download Data & Media for AI (a .zip with both).

What Download data for AI gives you

One click downloads two files at once: a CSV and a Markdown file, both covering the same posts. Neither one carries an actual image or video, just links back to the post and its cover image.

The CSV is a flat table, one row per post, that opens cleanly in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers. Reach for it when you want to sort posts by reactions, comments, or shares; build a pivot table or chart; filter and re-filter without going back to the dashboard; or combine several exports into one working sheet.

The Markdown file reads like a document instead of a table: a heading with the profile's name, a totals block, then one section per post with its type, date, reactions, comments, shares, caption, and a link back to Facebook. Reach for it when you want to read through a set of posts start to finish, paste the whole file into an AI tool and ask it questions, or share a clean, human-readable file with a teammate or client.

What Download media for AI gives you

This one is a .zip of the actual video, reel, and image files behind your captured posts: the real playable files, not thumbnails and not links. There's no caption, no engagement numbers, no dates, just the media itself.

Reach for it when you want to repost, re-edit, archive, or watch the content directly, or when you're building a folder of raw clips and don't need the data attached.

What Download Data & Media for AI gives you

This bundles both of the above into a single zip: the Markdown and CSV data files plus the real video and image files, together in one folder, so you don't have to run two separate exports and match them up by hand afterward.

Reach for it when you want to hand a complete package to an AI tool that can read the captions and watch the videos in the same pass, or when you're archiving a profile or group in full, data and visuals together.

All three side by side

Pick based on where the data is going

If you're about to paste text into an AI chat or open a spreadsheet, choose Download data for AI. If you want the actual files to repost or archive, choose Download media for AI. If you want an AI tool to read captions and watch videos in one shot, choose Download Data & Media for AI.

Every option is available through the Export menu on a whole profile or group, and through multi-select for just the posts you pick. See How do I export a profile, and what are the formats? The Posts page has its own four export buttons instead; see What is the Posts page, and how do I use it? Download data for AI is instant; the two media options always run in the background, so see How do big exports and export notifications work?

What stays identical no matter which you choose

• The same posts. Whatever you exported, the whole profile through the Export menu or your own multi-select pick, is what ends up in the file or zip, in every option you choose for it.

• Reactions as a total only. None of the three options break reactions down into like, love, haha, wow, sad, and angry, not even the data files bundled inside Download Data & Media for AI. That breakdown only appears in the dashboard itself. See What is included in a PostSnag export? for the full list of what each option includes and leaves out.

• Markdown and CSV stay text. Neither one embeds an image or video file. They link out to the post and its cover image instead. The real files only travel in the two options that include media.

Common questions

Do all three options contain different posts?

No. Whatever you selected, a whole profile through the Export menu or a multi-select pick, is what goes into every option. The difference is structure and content type, not which posts are covered.

Can I open a media zip in a spreadsheet?

No. Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI are zip files of real video and image files (plus data files, for the latter). Choose Download data for AI if you want a spreadsheet.

Which option should I use for an AI tool like ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini?

Download data for AI gives you a Markdown file that pastes in as text, already broken into labeled sections; that tends to read more naturally than a raw CSV. If you want the AI tool to actually watch the videos, choose Download Data & Media for AI instead. See How do I analyze Facebook posts with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini?

Does Download Data & Media for AI include the reaction breakdown?

No. The data files inside still report a total only, the same rule as Download data for AI on its own.

Does a Group or the Posts page offer all three options too?

A group's Download Group Data button opens the same three options as a profile's Download Profile Data button. The Posts page is different: its own selection bar has four buttons instead, Export Markdown, Export CSV, Export data + media (.zip), and Export media only (.zip), and no Free-plan gate. See What is the Posts page, and how do I use it?

Related articles

• How do I export a profile, and what are the formats?

• What is included in a PostSnag export?

• How do I analyze Facebook posts with ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini?

• How do big exports and export notifications work?

• How do I export a Facebook Group's posts?

• What is the Posts page, and how do I use it?

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