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

PostSnag exports a profile's captured posts through the Export menu. 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). Open the profile in your dashboard, then use the Export menu to pull the whole profile or multi-select to hand-pick individual posts, and choose one of the three from either place.

Exporting is a separate step from capturing. You capture posts by scrolling Facebook with the extension and clicking Export To Dashboard to sync them, then you export a file whenever you're ready to work with that data, minutes or months later.

Before you export: get the posts into your dashboard first

The dashboard's export only works on posts that already made it into your account. If you haven't captured a profile yet:

1. Install and pin the PostSnag extension.

2. Open the profile, Page, or group on Facebook and scroll through it: the panel's Collected count climbs as posts load, and for reels and videos, PostSnag saves the real playable video file plus a cover image, not just a thumbnail.

3. Click Export To Dashboard in the panel: this syncs what you captured.

Once that profile shows up under Profiles in your dashboard, its posts are ready to export as a file. See How do I send my captured posts to the dashboard? (Export To Dashboard) if you haven't done this step yet.

The three export options

• Download data for AI: downloads a Markdown file and a CSV file with your captured posts, both at once, ready for any AI tool.

• Download media for AI: downloads the images and videos from your captured posts as a .zip file.

• Download Data & Media for AI: downloads a .zip with both the post data and all the media, together.

For the full breakdown of what each option actually contains, see What is included in a PostSnag export? and Which export option should I choose? (data, media, or both).

Important Note: on the Free plan, Download data for AI opens an upgrade prompt instead of downloading. The two media options still work on Free, covering whatever's unlocked in your dashboard. See How does exporting work on Free vs paid? for the full picture.

Two ways to export a profile

The Export menu: everything on this profile

1. Open the profile in your dashboard: from Profiles, Recent scans, or a search result.

2. Click Export in the header: it sits next to the bookmark toggle and View on Facebook.

3. Choose one of the three options.

The Export menu pulls everything at that scope: every post captured for the profile, with no filtering first. It's the fastest way to grab a complete profile in one pass.

Multi-select: just the posts you pick

If you only want part of a profile, filter the post grid the way you normally would (by type, date range, or a search term), then switch to multi-select. Tick the posts or reels you want, and a bottom action bar slides up with Bookmark, Add to folder, and all three export options. Only the posts you ticked go into the file.

For example, to export just a profile's top videos from the last month: click the Video chip, set Date to Last 30 days, sort by Most reactions, then multi-select the posts you want and export from the bottom bar. See How do I filter, search, and sort a profile's posts? for the full rundown of every filter.

Which options run instantly, and which run in the background

Download data for AI downloads right away, however many posts are in the profile, since PostSnag builds the Markdown and CSV files in your browser. Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI always run as a background job instead, even for a single post, because PostSnag has to gather the real video and image files from storage before it can build the zip. Either way, PostSnag notifies you in-app and by email when the zip is ready to download. See How do big exports and export notifications work? for the details.

Export To Dashboard is a different button

PostSnag uses "export" for two different actions, and they're easy to mix up:

• Export To Dashboard, a button in the extension panel, sends the posts you've captured while scrolling Facebook up to your PostSnag account. It's a sync, not a file, and nothing downloads to your computer when you click it.

• Exporting a file, the action covered in this article, happens inside the dashboard and downloads an actual Markdown, CSV, or zip file to your computer.

You always send posts to your dashboard first, with Export To Dashboard. Exporting a file is a step you take afterward, and you can repeat it as many times as you like.

Exporting a Facebook Group or your whole Posts library instead of one profile

The same three options are also on a Facebook Group's own page, behind its own button. Your whole Posts library works differently: it has its own four export buttons instead of these three options.

• A Facebook Group: open Groups in the sidebar, click into a group, and use the Download Group Data button or multi-select on its Posts tab to pull every author's posts captured from that group, with the same three options as a profile. See How do I export a Facebook Group's posts?

• Your whole Posts library: open Posts in the sidebar to see every post you've ever captured, across every creator and every group, and export from there with its own four buttons, not these three options. See What is the Posts page, and how do I use it? for the exact steps.

Common questions

Where do I find the Export menu?

On any profile page in your dashboard, in the header next to the profile's name and stats, labeled Download Profile Data. A group's Posts tab has the same three options behind its own Download Group Data button.

Does the Export menu grab every post I've ever captured for a profile?

Yes, it always pulls the whole profile. If you want a smaller slice, filter down to the posts you want first, then use multi-select and export from the bottom action bar instead.

Can I export to JSON or Excel?

No. Download data for AI gives you a Markdown file and a CSV file. The CSV opens cleanly in Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers even though it isn't a native Excel file.

Does exporting cost anything or count against my plan?

Download media for AI and Download Data & Media for AI are free and unlimited on every plan. Download data for AI needs Pro or Lifetime. What's limited on Free is also how many posts get captured per profile in the first place; see How does exporting work on Free vs paid?

Why is the Export menu greyed out?

The profile has no captured posts yet. Capture at least one post with the extension, sync it with Export To Dashboard, then try again.

Related articles

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

• What is included in a PostSnag export?

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

• How do I filter, search, and sort a profile's posts?

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

• How do big exports and export notifications work?

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