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Exporting Your Data

The account export gives you a plain text copy of the project records that belong to your account. Use it when you want an offline reference, need to search your written history, or plan to keep a separate record outside Friday.

The download is named client-updates.txt. It is a text export, not a full backup, and it cannot be imported into the app to restore an account.

Download an account export

Follow these steps while signed in:

  1. Open the Projects page.
  2. Select "Export account" near the top of the page.
  3. Wait for your browser to download client-updates.txt.
  4. Save the file in a location that only the intended people can access.
  5. Open it with a plain text editor to confirm that the download completed.

The export is created for the signed in account at the time you select the control. If you add another update or receive another reply later, download a new copy to include that record. The file is not updated after it has been saved to your device.

If you do not see the download, check your browser's download list and its permission settings. Some browsers ask before allowing a site to save a file. If your session has ended, log in again and repeat the steps.

What the export includes

The export includes the text records for projects owned by your account:

  • Project names, creation dates, and client email addresses.
  • Update dates and update bodies.
  • Reply dates, reply bodies, and author names.
  • Attachment filenames associated with updates and replies.

Records are grouped by project, then by update and reply. Divider lines separate entries so that the file remains readable in a basic text editor. Project entries label the client email as "Client." Update and reply entries retain their stored dates and text.

The export includes client email addresses and reply author names, so treat it as private business data. Do not attach it to a client update or place it in a shared folder unless every person with access is allowed to see records from every exported project.

The export can help you locate a decision or copy written content into another approved record. It does not recreate the layout of the owner workspace or the client page. Read Writing an Update for help preparing new update text, and read Client Replies and Comments for how replies appear in a project.

What the export leaves out

The text export deliberately leaves out several kinds of data:

  • Attachment file bytes are not included.
  • Private project tokens and private project links are not included.
  • Passwords and password hashes are not included.
  • Session values, credentials, and storage keys are not included.
  • A restorable database or account configuration is not included.

An attachment filename tells you that a file was associated with an update or reply. It does not preserve the file. Download important attachments separately while you still have authorized access, and store them with the export if your own retention rules require them. The Attachments guide explains the supported file flow.

The export does not add the project's access token or generate a client page link. It does preserve your written text, so a private link or password that someone pasted into an update or reply will still be present. Review the whole file before sharing it. Project names, client emails, update bodies, replies, and author names may identify people and confidential work.

Use the export as a readable record

A plain text file works with common text editors and search tools. You can search for a project name, client email, update wording, reply author, or attachment filename without special software.

Keep the original file unchanged if you need a clear record of what you downloaded. Make a copy before adding notes or changing formatting. An edited export no longer shows only the records returned by Friday.

Dates appear as stored in the export. Do not assume that a text editor will convert them to your local time or preferred date format. Keep the date beside the related entry when copying content elsewhere, because separating the two can remove useful context.

The export is not an import format. Uploading or pasting it into Friday will not recreate projects, updates, replies, or attachments. If you start a new project, create it through the normal project form and post updates through the normal composer. See Creating a Project and Managing Projects for those steps.

Store and share the file safely

Choose storage based on the most sensitive project in the export, because one file can contain records from all of your projects. A personal downloads folder may be copied to cloud storage or included in device backups. Check who can use the device and who can open any synchronized folder before leaving the file there.

If you send the export to an adviser, colleague, or client, review the whole file first. A person who needs one project should not receive unrelated client records. Create a separate, carefully reviewed excerpt when your obligations allow it, rather than sending the complete account export.

Deleting a local copy does not delete records from Friday. Editing the local copy also does not edit the account. The current Privacy Policy explains what the service stores and how to make a privacy request. Privacy and Security explains account sessions and private project links in guide form.

Keep a complete record when needed

The export is useful for text, but a complete working record may require more:

  1. Download a fresh account export.
  2. Save important update attachments separately.
  3. Save important reply attachments separately.
  4. Record the download date in your own filing system.
  5. Verify that you can open both the text and any separately saved files.

Email delivery records are not listed in the text format, so use the project's visible delivery information when you need to check whether an update was sent. Email Delivery explains delivery limits and status. For regular project housekeeping, read Weekly Nudges.

If an export fails repeatedly, use the Support link in the site footer. Do not email the complete export unless support asks for specific information and you are comfortable sharing it. No guaranteed response time or round-the-clock support is promised.

An account export is a useful text record, but you must download attachment files separately and cannot use the export to restore an account. The legal terms ask you to keep your own copies of important content because uninterrupted service and email delivery are not promised. Read the current Terms before deciding how the export fits your own record keeping process.