Open the thread, click the Export icon above the answer (or the three-dot menu on a Space), and choose Markdown, PDF, or Word for that single thread. Perplexity has no account-wide export, so exporting your full history means repeating this per thread or using the share link plus a converter.
Short answer
Open the thread, click the Export icon above the answer (or the three-dot menu on a Space), and choose Markdown, PDF, or Word for that single thread. Perplexity has no account-wide export, so exporting your full history means repeating this per thread or using the share link plus a converter.
Step by step
Open the thread you want to keep: Perplexity's export controls are per-thread, not per-account, so start from the specific conversation rather than a settings page.
Use the Export button on the answer: Above most answers there is a small export or share icon. Clicking it offers to export that single answer or thread as PDF, Markdown, or Word, depending on your plan and platform version.
Or generate a public share link: The Share button creates a public URL for the thread. Useful for sending to someone, but it lives on Perplexity's servers and is not a local copy.
Save each format you need: Pick Markdown if you want to keep the file editable and reusable, PDF if you want a fixed record, or copy the text manually as a fallback when export is unavailable on your plan.
Repeat for every thread, or batch it: Because there is no bulk export, repeat the process per thread, or collect the Markdown/PDF files you have exported and convert them together into a consistent archive format.
Perplexity is built around single-answer research sessions, and its export tooling reflects that: there is no "download my account" button anywhere in Settings, only per-thread export controls sitting above individual answers.
Why there is no bulk export
Perplexity does not offer a Google Takeout or ChatGPT-style Data Controls export. Answers are treated as disposable research artifacts rather than a persistent chat log you're expected to archive wholesale. If you need your full history, you are working thread by thread, which is a real limitation compared to ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini.
The per-thread export options
Above most answers, Perplexity shows an export or share icon. Depending on your plan and whether the thread lives in a Space, you may see options for:
Markdown — plain text with structure preserved, the most portable choice
PDF — a fixed, shareable document
Word (.docx) — editable, useful for reports built on Perplexity research
Copy — plain text to your clipboard, with formatting stripped
Pro and Enterprise accounts generally see more export formats than free accounts, and export from a Space (Perplexity's project/folder feature) can sometimes bundle multiple threads, though this is inconsistent and has changed across app versions.
The share link is not an export
The Share button produces a public URL anyone with the link can open. It is genuinely convenient for sending a research thread to a colleague, and it is not a backup: the content stays on Perplexity's infrastructure, and if the thread is deleted or the link is revoked, you lose access. Treat it the same way you'd treat a ChatGPT share link — good for distribution, useless for ownership.
Getting your whole history out
Since there's no account-level archive, the practical approach is:
Go through your thread list and use per-thread Export → Markdown (or PDF) on anything worth keeping
Save each file with a sensible name, since Perplexity's own filenames are often just the query text truncated
Once you have a folder of exported files, run them through ChatExports to normalize them into a consistent format — for example turning a mixed folder of PDFs and Markdown into a uniform set of Word documents, or the reverse
This matters more than it sounds: manually exported threads from different sessions often end up in inconsistent formats, and normalizing them afterward is what actually makes the collection usable as an archive.
If export options are missing
Some free-tier sessions and some older mobile app versions show only Copy, with no PDF or Markdown option. If that happens, copy the answer text, paste it into a plain text file, and convert afterward — it's more manual but preserves the content.
Frequently asked questions
Does Perplexity have an account-wide export like ChatGPT's Data Controls?
No. Perplexity only offers per-thread export from the icon above an answer. There is no equivalent of ChatGPT's or Claude's full-account data export.
What formats can I export a Perplexity thread as?
Typically Markdown, PDF, and Word, depending on your plan and whether the thread is in a Space. Free accounts sometimes only offer Copy.
Is the Perplexity share link a real backup?
No. It's a public URL hosted on Perplexity's servers. If the thread is deleted or the link revoked, the copy is gone. Export the thread as a file if you need a durable copy.
Can I convert exported Perplexity threads to another format?
Yes. Once you have Markdown, PDF, or Word files exported from Perplexity, ChatExports can normalize a batch of them into a consistent format for your archive.