How long does a Reddit data request take?
Reddit's help page says preparing your data "may take up to 30 days". When it is ready, the link arrives in your Reddit inbox, or sometimes by email. Here is the whole path, and what you can already see in your account while you wait.
The steps, from Reddit's help page
- On a computer, open reddit.com/settings/data-request in a web browser.
- Log in to the account you want the data of.
- Follow the instructions and press Submit.
- Wait. Reddit says "it may take up to 30 days to prepare your data".
- When it is ready, Reddit sends "a notification to your Reddit inbox with a link to download your Reddit account's data", or in some cases an email to the address you verified.
How long it takes
| Step | What Reddit says |
|---|---|
| Preparing the data | Up to 30 days |
| Where the link arrives | Your Reddit inbox; in some cases the verified email address |
| What you get | A ZIP of CSV files, one per kind of data |
| No access to the account | Email redditdatarequests@reddit.com from the address you verified |
Reddit gives no shorter promise than 30 days. Ask for it now rather than the week you need it, above all with the API changes coming (the dates).
What you can see while you wait
Reddit's help page lists what your account already shows on reddit.com: your posts and comments, what you upvoted, downvoted, saved and hid, the communities you joined, archived private messages, chats, and the apps you authorized. The difference is that those pages are lists, and the saved one stops at about 1,000 items. The export has the saves in a file. More on saved posts past 1,000
When the ZIP arrives
- Download it from the link in the notification. You do not need to unzip it.
- Open Threadkeep and choose the ZIP. It reads the CSV files in your browser.
- Look through your saves, posts, comments, messages and chats, and save what you want to keep.
If nothing arrives
- Check the Reddit inbox, not only your email. Reddit's page names the inbox notification first.
- Check that the email address is verified in your account settings, if you expect the email.
- Locked out of the account: the email address
redditdatarequests@reddit.comis the way Reddit's page gives.
Got the ZIP? Open it here and read your Reddit data again, in your browser.
Open your export in ThreadkeepThreadkeep Pro, $8 paid once: every saved post and comment as a bookmarks file for your browser or Raindrop.io, and the whole export as offline pages, Markdown notes and spreadsheets. Get Pro on Gumroad or see what is free.
Questions
Can I speed up a Reddit data request?
Reddit gives no way to. Its help page says it may take up to 30 days. Your posts, comments, votes and saves are visible in your account in the meantime.
Does the request work from the Reddit app?
Reddit's help page describes it on a computer, in a web browser, at reddit.com/settings/data-request.
Do I have to unzip the file?
No. Threadkeep opens the ZIP as it is. It also opens the unzipped folder or single CSV files.
Sources
- Reddit Help: How do I request a copy of my Reddit data and information?. The steps, "it may take up to 30 days", the inbox notification or email, and redditdatarequests@reddit.com (article edited March 19, 2026)
- Reddit Help: Where and how can I access my Reddit data and information?. What your account shows while you wait
- Reddit Help: Changelog, October 8, 2026. RSS feed support ends November 13, 2026; public API: October 31, 2026, January 12, 2027 and March 2027
Last checked: October 29, 2026.