Export Character.AI chats: backup & migration

Choose the backup you need

A character card stores the definition that guides a conversation. A chat file stores the messages. Save both when they are available: importing only the character will not bring back your transcript, and a transcript may not contain another creator’s hidden definition.

For the extension path, follow the CAI Tools backup instructions. The supplied downloads tested by Koimo include character PNG/JSON and Tavern/SillyTavern JSONL. Keep the filenames and folders together until you have checked which chats belong to which character.

You do not need to choose your next chat app before making a backup. Download an untouched copy first, then experiment on a second copy.

Request the official account download separately

On the web, Character.AI’s official help instructions direct you through Profile, Profile Settings, Account, Manage Account & Data, then Export Data. In the mobile app, use Profile, Settings, Legal & Privacy, then Export Data.

The help page says processing can take three to four weeks and the email’s download link lasts seven days. Download it promptly and store a copy somewhere you control. These are Character.AI’s stated timings, checked on 22 October 2026; they are not a delivery guarantee from Koimo.

An official account download and an extension download are different inputs. Koimo does not yet parse the official format. An unsupported file can produce a structural outline, which is useful for identifying its layout but is not a converted chat.

Convert the supported files

1. Open the CAI Tools to SillyTavern converter and choose your character and chat files.
2. Review the detected characters, message counts and missing fields. Chats without an identifiable character stay separate.
3. Choose Download converted and unzip the backup. Cards have V2/V3 JSON and PNG copies; chats have JSONL, Markdown and readable HTML copies.
4. Open the HTML or Markdown transcript and check the opening, ending, speakers and a few messages in the middle.

Conversion happens on your device without an account. Saving supported content to a Koimo library is a separate, explicit step. The local tool does not sign in to Character.AI, fetch a hidden definition or scrape its service.

Check your new home before continuing

Import the character and its matching transcript into your chosen destination. Look for empty greetings, mismatched speaker names and duplicated conversations. Different downloads of the same story can include different messages, so do not delete an original merely because the filenames look similar.

A model in another app can interpret the same card differently. Start with a short recap of the current scene, correct one detail at a time and keep your backup independent of the new account. See our 2026 Character.AI alternatives guide for a comparison by type of app, and the continuity guide for a practical recap format.

Keep writing.

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