You have downloaded your Mastodon export archive from your account settings, but the files are in CSV or JSON format that is hard to search through quickly. The archive contains your posts, followers, following list, bookmarks, and other data. This article explains how to convert that export archive into a single, searchable JSON index that … Read more
When you export your Mastodon data, the media folder often contains files you no longer see in your timeline or profile. This mismatch between the exported media archive and your current storage usage can be confusing. The cause is that Mastodon exports all media ever attached to your posts, including deleted media and cached thumbnails. … Read more
Mastodon does not have a built-in button to export a single conversation thread as a text file or PDF. When you need to save a specific discussion for offline reading, records, or sharing outside the fediverse, the standard account data export includes all posts, not just one thread. This article explains the manual methods to … Read more
Mastodon lets you export your data from the Preferences menu. But the built-in export tool has no option to limit the export to a specific date range. You can only export all your toots, followers, and lists at once. This article explains how to use the Mastodon API to request data for a custom time … Read more
You want to export your Mastodon account data but keep sensitive media marked as such. The standard export archive does not preserve the “sensitive” flag on media files you have manually set or received. This article explains how to create an export that retains the sensitive media marking using Mastodon’s built-in tools and a manual … Read more
Mastodon administrators often need to know when user data exports, such as archive downloads or account backups, are actually processed. The export jobs are queued and executed by Sidekiq, Mastodon’s background job processor. Without checking the Sidekiq dashboard, you cannot determine whether an export is pending, running, or has failed. This article explains how to … Read more
Mastodon does not include a built-in one-click export for individual posts as plain text files. The default data export from your account settings delivers a JSON archive that is difficult to read without technical tools. Many users want a clean text copy of their posts that preserves timestamps, visibility settings, and reply context. This article … Read more
You want to create a permanent, self-hosted backup of your Mastodon posts that works even if your instance goes offline. Mastodon offers a built-in export tool that produces CSV and JSON files, but these formats require specialized software to read. A static HTML archive converts your public posts into a browsable website that you can … Read more
Mastodon stores your account data, including posts, media, and followers, on the server you joined. If you lose access to that server or it shuts down, your data can disappear. A manual export through the Mastodon web interface creates a backup archive, but you must download it each time and store it locally. This article … Read more
After exporting your Mastodon archive, you may worry that some posts were omitted during the process. The export tool generates a JSON file containing statuses, but network interruptions or server rate limits can truncate the data. This article explains how to verify the completeness of your Mastodon export by checking post counts, timestamps, and file … Read more