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Export a ChatGPT Chat to Markdown on Mac

Mac steps, from chatgpt.com or the ChatGPT Mac app to a Markdown file in ~/Downloads. Takes about thirty seconds.

Paste a ChatGPT share link. Have your full export? to search and export many chats.

Free, no daily limitNo extension or sign-upWorks on iPhone and Android

How it works

  1. Open the chat on chatgpt.com or in the ChatGPT Mac app. Click Share at the top right, then Copy link.
  2. Paste the link into the box above with ⌘V.
  3. Tap Download Markdown. The file goes to your Downloads folder, unless your browser asks where to save.

Where to find it on Mac

Your Markdown file is saved to ~/Downloads. Open it in Obsidian, Bear, iA Writer or any text editor. Drop the .md file into your Obsidian vault folder in Finder and it appears instantly.

What's in the Markdown file

Each turn is a ## heading, ChatGPT's code fences keep their language tag, and ?utm_source tracking is stripped from links. Untick Include my messages to keep only the answers, or tick Timestamps to record when each message was sent.

If something goes wrong on Mac

  • Safari blocks the download. Open Safari › Settings › Websites › Downloads and allow downloads for this site.
  • The PDF has the page address and date in the margins. In the print dialog, untick Print headers and footers in Safari, or open More settings and untick Headers and footers in Chrome.
  • The file goes to the wrong folder. Safari › Settings › General › File download location, or Chrome › Settings › Downloads.

Good to know on Mac

Preview can merge several chat PDFs into one: open them, show thumbnails, and drag pages between windows.

Other formats

The same link also gives you PDF and Word on Mac, plus plain text and HTML under More.

Questions

Do I need to install anything on Mac?

No. Everything happens in Safari or Chrome. There's no app or extension to install.

Does it work for long chats?

Yes. The whole conversation is loaded before saving, so long chats come out complete.

Related

PDF on MacHow to save a ChatGPT conversation as a PDF on Mac: copy the share link, paste it here, download pdf.Word on MacHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Word document on Mac: copy the share link, paste it here, download word.Markdown on iPhoneHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Markdown file on iPhone: copy the share link, paste it here, download markdown.Markdown on iPadHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Markdown file on iPad: copy the share link, paste it here, download markdown.Markdown on AndroidHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Markdown file on Android: copy the share link, paste it here, download markdown.Markdown on WindowsHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Markdown file on Windows: copy the share link, paste it here, download markdown.Markdown on ChromebookHow to export a ChatGPT conversation as a Markdown file on Chromebook: copy the share link, paste it here, download markdown.HomePaste a ChatGPT share link and download the whole chat as PDF, Word, Markdown, text or HTML.