What does a Reddit data request show?

A Reddit data request is a ZIP of about thirty CSV files. A few hold what most people want back: saves, posts, comments, messages and chats. Here is every file, checked against an export made in June 2026, and what it does not include.

Open your export in Threadkeep

The files people open it for

The main files and their columns
File	Columns	What it holds
`saved_posts.csv`	id, permalink	Posts you saved, as links
`saved_comments.csv`	id, permalink	Comments you saved, as links
`posts.csv`	id, permalink, date, ip, subreddit, gildings, title, url, body	Your posts with their text
`comments.csv`	id, permalink, date, ip, subreddit, gildings, gildings_silver, gildings_supergold, link, parent, body, media	Your comments with their text and the post they were on
`messages_archive.csv`	id, permalink, thread_id, date, ip, from, to, subject, body	Archived private messages, sent and received
`chat_history.csv`	message_id, created_at, updated_at, username, message, thread_parent_message_id, channel_url, subreddit, channel_name, conversation_type	Chat messages and the channel each was in
`post_votes.csv`, `comment_votes.csv`	id, permalink, direction	Your upvotes and downvotes (direction up, down or none)
`subscribed_subreddits.csv`	subreddit	The communities you joined
`statistics.csv`	statistic, value	Account name, sign-up date, export time, email status

The rest of the ZIP

Other files in the export
File	What it holds
`post_headers.csv`, `comment_headers.csv`, `messages_archive_headers.csv`	The same rows without the text, for a quick count
`hidden_posts.csv`	Posts you hid
`drafts.csv`, `scheduled_posts.csv`	Posts you started and did not send, or set for later
`multireddits.csv`	Your custom feeds and the communities in them
`moderated_subreddits.csv`, `approved_submitter_subreddits.csv`	Communities you moderate or were approved to post in
`friends.csv`	People you added
`poll_votes.csv`	Your answers to polls
`announcements.csv`	Messages Reddit sent to you
`gilded_content.csv`, `gold_received.csv`, `purchases.csv`, `subscriptions.csv`, `payouts.csv`	Awards, purchases, Premium and contributor payouts
`user_preferences.csv`	Your settings, one per row
`ip_logs.csv`	IP addresses of recent log-ins
`account_gender.csv`, `birthdate.csv`, `linked_identities.csv`, `linked_phone_number.csv`, `persona.csv`, `stripe.csv`, `sensitive_ads_preferences.csv`	Profile details, linked accounts, identity checks, payment references and ad settings
`checkfile.csv`	The name and SHA-256 checksum of every file, to see the export is complete

Big files can be split into numbered parts such as post_votes_1.csv and post_votes_2.csv; read them together. Dates look like 2026-05-24 03:19:35 UTC.

What is not in it

The content of what you saved. Saves are links; the posts belong to the people who wrote them.
Pictures and videos you posted. A post's url column has the link to the image, not the file.
When you saved something. No column says it.

Opening it

Excel or Google Sheets open one file at a time, but a post or message with line breaks can look split over several rows, and the saves stay a column of links. Threadkeep opens the whole ZIP at once in your browser and shows each part in its own tab, with search across all of them. Files with IP addresses, payment references and identity details are counted and never shown.

Choose the ZIP from Reddit and see every part of it in one place. Nothing is uploaded.

Open your export in Threadkeep

Threadkeep 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 open a Reddit data export in Excel?

Yes, one CSV at a time. Use the import from text or CSV option and choose UTF-8, so accents and emoji read right. Long posts with line breaks are easier to read in Threadkeep.

Is my password in the export?

No file in the export holds a password.

Why is a file empty except for its first line?

There is nothing of that kind in your account, for example no drafts. The first line is only the column names.

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
EpicenterHQ/epicenter on GitHub: its Reddit export importer. An open source reader of the export that lists its files and columns

Last checked: October 29, 2026.