How do I export all my Salesforce data?
Setup, Data Export, Include all data. Then download the CSV zip inside 48 hours, before your last export window closes.
The short answer
- You export all your data from Salesforce with the Data Export Service in Setup: tick Include all data, add attachments if you want them, and Salesforce emails you a zip of CSV files.
- Salesforce deletes that zip 48 hours after the ready email, per Salesforce Trailhead in September 2026.
- Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions can export every 7 days; Professional and Developer editions every 29 days.
- Plan the final export before you give notice, so the cancellation date never lands inside a 29-day wait.
Your export window decides your cancel date
Most teams leave the export until the last week. That's the mistake. Salesforce caps how often you can run a full export, and the cap depends on your edition. A Professional edition org gets one run every 29 days, per Salesforce Trailhead in September 2026, so a bad first attempt can cost you a month.
Work backwards from your contract end. Run a trial export now, check that every object you care about is in the zip, and book the final export for a date that still leaves you one spare window. You'll want that spare run after your team stops editing records, so the last snapshot is the real one.
Two ways to get every record out of Salesforce
What each route gives you, and when to use it before you cancel.
| Route | What it produces | Best use before you cancel |
|---|---|---|
| Data Export Service (Setup) | One zip of CSV files, one per object, with optional images, documents and attachments | The full snapshot you keep: every record in the org |
| Data Loader (installed client app) | CSV files per object, from its interface or the command line | Re-pulling one object, or scripting a repeat export |
Data Export and Data Loader behaviour checked on trailhead.salesforce.com (Data Export module), September 2026.
Export everything before you cancel
Five steps a Salesforce admin can run in an afternoon, plus the wait for the email.
- 1
Open Data Export in Setup
In Setup, type Data Export in Quick Find. Choose Export Now for a one-off run, or Schedule Export to repeat it weekly or monthly.
- 2
Tick Include all data
Select every object, then add images, documents and attachments if your team stores files on records. A zip run without them has only record data.
- 3
Wait for the ready email
Salesforce builds the zip in the background and emails you when it is ready. Keep working in the org while you wait.
- 4
Download within 48 hours
Save every zip to a shared drive the same day. After 48 hours Salesforce deletes the files, and your next run waits for the 7 or 29 day window.
- 5
Open the CSVs and check the counts
Compare the row count in Account.csv, Contact.csv and Opportunity.csv with the totals your Salesforce list views show. A gap now is cheap; a gap after cancellation is permanent.
What to do with the zip once you have it
Your export is only useful in a system that reads it. Each Salesforce row carries its own ID and the IDs of the records it belongs to, so keep those columns when you load the files anywhere else. They are the only thing tying an opportunity to its account.
SalesCrew loads a Salesforce export into your own database. Contacts and leads go into the Data Bank through CSV import, matched on email and never overwritten. Accounts and opportunities become companies and deals through the MCP tools. Each rep connects a mailbox over IMAP, and the first sync backfills 90 days of email threads. The full walk-through is on the Salesforce migration page.
Export first, then give notice
Questions about exporting Salesforce data
- How often can I run a Salesforce data export?
- Enterprise, Performance and Unlimited editions can run the Data Export Service once every 7 days. Professional and Developer editions can run it once every 29 days, per Salesforce Trailhead in September 2026. Both can also schedule the export to run on its own.
- How long does Salesforce keep my export file?
- Salesforce deletes the export zip 48 hours after it emails you that the file is ready, per Salesforce Trailhead in September 2026. If you miss that window on a Professional edition org, the next export can be 29 days away. Download every part of the zip the day the email lands.
- Does a Salesforce data export include attachments and files?
- It can. The Data Export Service has options to include images, documents and attachments in the zip, per Salesforce Trailhead in September 2026. Tick them before you start the export, because a zip run without them has only the CSV record data.
- Should I use Data Loader or Data Export to leave Salesforce?
- Use Data Export for the one full snapshot you keep, and Data Loader when you need one object again or on a script. Data Loader is a separate client app you install, and you run it from its interface or the command line. Data Export runs in the browser from Setup and needs no install.
- Where does my Salesforce export go after I cancel?
- Into a CRM whose database you own. SalesCrew loads the Salesforce CSVs into your own database, completes a standard import within 7 business days, and includes migration help on every tier from $299 a month with unlimited seats.