How to Export Data From Salesforce (2026 Guide)

SalesforceCRMData ExportHow-toData Loader

Salesforce stores everything from leads to custom object records, and every team eventually needs to pull that data out, for backups, BI tools, ad-hoc analysis, or migrations. Salesforce gives you four main ways to do it, and the right one depends on how much data you need and how often.

Here’s a breakdown of each method.

1. Data Export Service (Full Backup)

The Data Export Service is built into Setup and gives you a complete CSV backup of your org. It’s the closest thing to a “download everything” button.

  1. Go to Setup (gear icon, top-right) and search for Data Export in the Quick Find box.
  2. Click Data Export.
  3. Click Export Now for an immediate one-time export, or Schedule Export to set up a recurring backup.
  4. Configure options:
    • Include images, documents, and attachments: adds binary files (this can make the export much larger).
    • Include Salesforce Files and Chatter files.
    • Replace carriage returns with spaces: cleans up multi-line text fields for CSV parsing.
  5. Choose Include all data or pick specific objects.
  6. Click Start Export (or Save for a scheduled export).

When the export is ready, Salesforce emails you a link to download zipped CSV files, one per object. Files larger than a few hundred MB are split into multiple zips. Download links expire after 48 hours, so grab them quickly.

Export frequency by edition

  • Professional and Enterprise: monthly export only by default. Weekly export is available as a paid add-on.
  • Performance and Unlimited: weekly export included.
  • Developer Edition: monthly only.

If you need weekly backups on Enterprise without paying for the add-on, schedule monthly via Data Export Service and supplement with Data Loader exports of high-churn objects.

2. Export a Single Report

For one-off pulls or specific slices of data, exporting a report is the fastest path.

  1. Open the Reports tab and click the report you want.
  2. Click the dropdown arrow next to Edit at the top.
  3. Select Export.
  4. Choose a format:
    • Formatted Report: keeps headers, groupings, and totals. Exports as .xlsx only. Good for sharing with stakeholders.
    • Details Only: raw rows with no formatting. Exports as CSV or Excel. Better for analysis or feeding into another tool.
  5. For Details Only, pick the encoding (usually UTF-8 for non-English characters or special symbols).
  6. Click Export. The file downloads to your browser.

Reports are capped at 2,000 rows in the Lightning UI, but exports return up to 100,000 rows for tabular reports and varying limits for summary/matrix reports. If you need more, use Data Loader instead.

3. Data Loader for Bulk Exports

Data Loader is a free Salesforce desktop app for Windows and Mac that handles up to 5 million records per export, far beyond the report limit.

Install Data Loader

  1. Go to Setup > search for Data Loader.
  2. Click the download link for your OS (Windows or Mac).
  3. Run the installer.

Export with Data Loader

  1. Launch Data Loader and click Export (use Export All if you also want to include archived activities and soft-deleted records).
  2. Log in with your Salesforce username and password + security token, or use OAuth.
  3. Choose the object (e.g., Account, Contact, Opportunity, or any custom object).
  4. Pick a target CSV file location.
  5. Select the fields to include. The dialog generates a SOQL query in the background, you can edit the WHERE clause to filter (e.g., LastModifiedDate > LAST_N_DAYS:30).
  6. Click Finish. Data Loader runs the query and writes the CSV.

Data Loader uses the Bulk API for large extracts, which is faster but processes records in batches asynchronously. Check the Bulk Data Load Jobs page in Setup to monitor progress.

4. SOQL via Workbench (Ad-Hoc Queries)

Workbench is a free web tool maintained by Salesforce that lets you run SOQL queries directly and download results as CSV. Best for one-off custom extracts where Data Loader is overkill.

  1. Go to workbench.developerforce.com.
  2. Choose Production (or Sandbox), accept the terms, and click Login with Salesforce.
  3. Authorize Workbench to access your org.
  4. Click Queries > SOQL Query.
  5. Build the query, either with the Object and Fields dropdowns or by typing SOQL directly. Example: 
    SELECT Id, Name, Email, AccountId
FROM Contact
WHERE CreatedDate = LAST_N_DAYS:90
  6. Under View As, choose Bulk CSV for large result sets (up to several million rows) or List for quick previews.
  7. Click Query. For bulk, click Get Results when the job finishes and download the CSV.

Workbench supports relationship queries (e.g., SELECT Account.Name, Owner.Email FROM Contact), which CSV exports from the Reports tab can struggle with.

Quick Reference: Export Methods

MethodMax recordsFormatEdition gatingScheduled?
Data Export ServiceEntire orgZipped CSVsWeekly: Performance/Unlimited; Monthly: all paid editionsYes (weekly or monthly)
Report Export~100k rows (tabular)CSV or XLSXAll editionsVia report subscription
Data Loader5 million per jobCSVAll editions (admin install required)Via command-line / scheduler
Workbench (SOQL)Several million (Bulk)CSVAll editionsNo (run on demand)

Common Limits and Errors

  • Field-level security: exports respect FLS. If a user doesn’t have read access to a field, it won’t appear in the export.
  • Encrypted fields: Shield-encrypted fields export as encrypted unless the running user has the View Encrypted Data permission.
  • Activity history: only the most recent 4,000 archived activities export by default. Use Export All in Data Loader to capture more.
  • Long text and rich text fields: line breaks can break naive CSV parsers. Enable “Replace carriage returns with spaces” in Data Export Service to avoid this.

Which Method Should You Use?

  • Full backup of your org? Data Export Service. Schedule it monthly (or weekly if your edition allows).
  • Send a specific dataset to a stakeholder? Export the report. Use Formatted Report for executives, Details Only for analysts.
  • Bulk extract for a migration or BI sync? Data Loader. It handles millions of rows and runs from the command line for automation.
  • One-off custom query with relationships? Workbench SOQL. Faster than building a custom report type.

Stop Manually Pulling the Same Reports Every Week

Data exports are great for backups, but if you find yourself running the same Salesforce export every Monday and pasting it into a deck, that’s a sign automation could help. Carly is an AI assistant that connects to 200+ apps including Salesforce and handles the repetitive work for you.

More on Salesforce: How to create a report in Salesforce · How to bulk edit in Salesforce · How to import contacts into Salesforce · How to connect Salesforce to an AI agent

Ready to automate your busywork?

Carly schedules, researches, and briefs you—so you can focus on what matters.

Get Carly Today →

Or try our Free Group Scheduling Tool or Free Booking Page

Related Articles

Guides

How to Bulk Edit Records in Salesforce (2026 Guide)

Guides

How to Import Contacts Into Salesforce (2026 Guide)

Guides

How to Create a Dashboard in Salesforce (2026 Guide)