Updated 2026-08-25 · Extension 1.13.0

Claude chat export formats

Download Claude conversations exports a claude.ai chat in one of five formats: Markdown, JSON, plain text, XML, or PNG. There's no single "best" format — the right one depends on whether you're writing notes, building something with the data, or just want a quick visual copy. All five are available on both a single-chat export and a bulk Export All run.

Markdown

The most common pick. Keeps headings, code blocks, and tables readable in Obsidian, GitHub, or any Markdown editor. Full guide → export Claude chat to Markdown.

JSON

Full message tree, structured for scripts and tools — not the same shape as Anthropic's official account-level export ZIP. Full guide → export Claude conversation as JSON.

Plain text

No markup at all — just the conversation text, in order. The right choice when you want to paste it somewhere else without any formatting to strip out first, or when the destination doesn't understand Markdown or JSON.

XML

A niche pick, useful when whatever you're feeding the export into expects XML specifically rather than JSON. Full guide → export Claude chat to XML.

PNG

A visual snapshot of the thread, not a text file — and not a PDF either; different format, different use case. Full guide → download Claude chat as PNG.

Picking one

Writers and note-takers: Markdown. Developers: JSON. Need the simplest archive: plain text. Structured interchange: XML. A visual snapshot: PNG. Whichever you land on, Download Claude conversations applies it the same way whether you're exporting one chat with the orange button or running a bulk selection on the bulk page — the format list doesn't change based on how many conversations you're touching. See the product page for the full export flow, or the feature list for what's preserved inside each file, including artifacts and thinking blocks.