> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://elephas.app/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Export Your Data from Elephas

> Elephas has no export feature yet. Here is what you can do today to keep your files, answers and chats: your originals, Copy, and moving to a new computer.

<Warning>
  Draft. This article depends on an open product question and is not ready to publish.
</Warning>

Elephas does not have an export feature yet. Your documents are never locked in, though: Elephas works from copies of files you already have, so your originals stay where they were. For answers and chats, you can copy text out of Elephas today.

## Before you start

* Nothing here needs a particular plan. It works the same on Mac and Windows.
* If you are leaving Elephas or deleting your data, do these steps first. See [Delete your data and account](/docs/privacy-and-security/delete-your-data-and-account).

## What you can do today

### Keep your original files

When you add a file to a Brain, Elephas keeps its own copy and leaves your original untouched. Your PDFs, Word files, spreadsheets and notes are still in the folders you added them from. That is your export: Elephas never changes or moves them.

To find where a document came from:

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Brain">
    Go to **Brains** (⌘3 on Mac, Ctrl+3 on Windows) and open the Brain that holds the document.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy the original path">
    Open the document's menu and choose **Copy Path**. This copies the location of the original file you added. The item is not shown for web pages, or when the original location was not kept.
  </Step>
</Steps>

From an answer, you can also open the **Sources** panel, select a cited source, and choose **Show in Finder** (Mac) or **Show in File Explorer** (Windows) to go straight to the original file.

### Copy an answer or a question

<Steps>
  <Step title="Find the answer in Ask">
    Open the chat in **Ask** (⌘2 on Mac, Ctrl+2 on Windows).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Copy it">
    Open the **More actions** menu under the answer and choose **Copy**. The answer text is copied to your clipboard. Your questions have the same **Copy** action.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Paste it where you keep your work">
    Paste into a document, email or note.
  </Step>
</Steps>

There is no way to export a whole chat, or all chats, at once today.

### Move to a new computer instead of exporting

If you want your Brains and chats on another computer, you don't need an export. With [Personal Sync](/docs/sync-and-devices/personal-sync-overview) (Professional plan), your Brains, documents and chat history move between your own computers end-to-end encrypted. See [Move to a new computer](/docs/sync-and-devices/move-to-a-new-computer).

## How it works

### What cannot be exported today

| Item | Can you get it out? |
| - | - |
| Your original files | Yes, they stay where you added them from |
| Individual answers and questions | Yes, with **Copy** |
| Whole chats or all chat history | No |
| Brain structure, names and Protected Names | No |
| Search index | No, and you don't need it. Elephas rebuilds the index from your files. |

### Why the data folder is not an export

Elephas stores its copies of your files in its data folder, under random IDs rather than your file names, and stores extracted text and chats in an encrypted database. The folder is built for Elephas to read, not for you to browse. Use your originals instead. See [Where your data is stored](/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored).

## Troubleshooting

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Copy Path is missing from a document's menu">
    The document is a web page, or Elephas did not keep the original location. Find the original in your own folders, or use **Copy Name** to search for it by name.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Show in Finder or Show in File Explorer can't find the file">
    The original was moved, renamed or deleted after you added it. Elephas still has its own copy, so the Brain keeps working, but the original location no longer exists.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Will Elephas add an export feature?">
    There is no export in Elephas today. This page will be updated if that changes.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="If I stop paying, can I still get my documents?">
    Your documents stay on your computer, and your original files are never touched. See [When your plan ends](/docs/plans-and-billing/when-your-plan-ends) for what still works.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I import my data into another tool?">
    Use your original files. Any tool that reads PDFs, Word files or text can index them again.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related articles

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Where your data is stored" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/where-your-data-is-stored" />

  <Card title="Delete your data and account" href="/docs/privacy-and-security/delete-your-data-and-account" />

  <Card title="Manage chat history" href="/docs/ask/manage-chat-history" />

  <Card title="Move to a new computer" href="/docs/sync-and-devices/move-to-a-new-computer" />
</CardGroup>


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