How to save your Character.AI chats
Last checked 27 October 2026
To save your Character.AI chats, ask for the data export in your settings, download the ZIP from the email and keep it. It holds the chats on your account, message by message. Chatbound opens that ZIP in your browser so you can read, search and save the chats as ordinary files.
Have the ZIP? Open it in Chatbound: it opens the locked file with your email address, lists every chat and lets you search and save them. Nothing is uploaded.
Open your exportThree ways, compared
| Way | What you get | What it takes | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| The data export | The chats on your account in one password-protected ZIP, and the characters you created with their definitions | A request in your settings, then up to 3 to 4 weeks | No sender or character names on the messages; the link works for 7 days |
| A browser extension such as CAI Tools | Chats and characters downloaded from the website, as readable or transferable files | The extension in Firefox or Chrome, with access to character.ai while you are logged in; some of its features are paid | Works only while the website and your account work |
| Copying by hand | Exactly the chats you choose, with the names you see | Time | Slow for long chats |
The export is the one that doesn’t depend on the website once you have it. The other two are useful for the things it leaves out, listed further down.
Save them with the data export
- In the app: open your profile, tap the Settings icon, then Legal & Privacy, then Export Data. On the website: Profile Settings, Account, Manage Account & Data, Export Data.
- Wait for an email from
accounts@character.aiwith the subject “Character AI User Data Export”. The help centre says it can take 3 to 4 weeks; the date calculator shows the window for your request. - Download the ZIP within 7 days, before the link expires, and keep a copy in a second place.
- Open the ZIP in Chatbound and type the email address of your account in lowercase. That is the ZIP’s password.
- Read and search your chats. Save the ones you want as HTML, plain text or Markdown for free. With Pro, save all of them at once as one offline book, a PDF or an EPUB.
The ZIP itself is the backup. Chatbound never changes it, and you can open it again at any time, even with the internet turned off once the page has loaded.
What the export doesn’t keep
- Who wrote each message, and which character a chat was with. Messages have their text, time and chat, but no sender. Write down the names of the characters you talk to while you can still see them.
- Pinned memories. A hands-on account of the export says they don’t reliably appear. Copy the important ones by hand.
- Chats you deleted before asking, and anything you write after the export is made. Ask again later for newer chats; Chatbound Pro merges several exports and removes the repeats.
- Parts of very long chats, which the same account says can come out incomplete. Search for a line you remember to check.
- Characters made by other people. Only the characters your account created come with their definitions.
On a phone
You can ask for the export in the app. When the email arrives, download the ZIP, then open Chatbound in your phone’s browser and choose the file from Files or Downloads. Chatbound reads the locked ZIP without unzipping it, so you don’t need an unzip app. Very large exports work on a phone but take longer.
Why now
Character.AI filed for Chapter 11 on 12 October 2026 and says the platform will be wound down if no buyer keeps it running. It expects the sale to be complete by the end of November or early December. The export can take weeks to arrive, so ask for it before you need it. More in Is Character.AI shutting down?
Sources: Character.AI Help Center, “How do I download my data?” (checked 21 October 2026); AIInsightsNews, “How to Export Character AI Chat in 2026”, a hands-on account with screenshots of the email and the ZIP (25 May 2026, checked 21 October 2026); Character.AI, “An Update on Character.ai” (12 October 2026, checked 27 October 2026); CAI Tools on Firefox Add-ons (version 3.8.3, updated 15 October 2026, checked 27 October 2026).
Questions
Can you download Character.AI chats?
Yes. Ask for the data export in your settings (Legal & Privacy, then Export Data in the app). Character.AI emails a link to a password-protected ZIP with your chats as JSON files, and Chatbound opens it as readable chats.
Does Character.AI save your chats?
Your chats are kept with your account on Character.AI, which is why you can scroll back through them. That copy depends on the service and your account. The data export gives you a copy of your own.
How long does the Character.AI export take?
Character.AI’s help centre says it can take 3 to 4 weeks. The download link in the email then works for 7 days.
Can I save just one chat?
The export always holds all your chats. Open it in Chatbound, find the chat and save it as HTML, plain text or Markdown.
Does the export include chats with characters made by other people?
Your chats with them are in it, but their definitions aren’t, and no field says which character a chat was with. Note the names while you can still see them on the site.