# Export a workspace

Exporting turns a whole workspace into a single file you can keep, archive or hand to someone outside Dewstack – as a PDF, a zip of HTML files, or a CSV. The export runs in the background: you don't wait on the page, you get an email with a download link when it's done.

## Export a workspace

1.  Go to **My Workspaces**.
2.  Open the **⋮** menu on the workspace card and click **Export Workspace**.
3.  Choose **PDF**, **HTML** or **CSV**.
4.  Click **Export**.

The dialog confirms the arrangement up front: "Confirm export of the workspace. You will receive an email with a link to the exported file upon completion." You can close it and carry on working – the toast "Workspace export started. You will get an email shortly" is the last you'll see of it until the mail arrives, with the subject **Your Exported Workspace!**

![The export dialog with the PDF, HTML and CSV options and a description of the selected format](https://res.cloudinary.com/dstack/image/upload/v1785143410/blob_symryv.png)

PDF is for handing to a person, HTML for hosting elsewhere, CSV for moving the text into another tool.

## Choosing a format

| Format | What you get |
| --- | --- |
| PDF | "Single PDF document with Table of Contents and proper page formatting." |
| HTML | "ZIP file containing individual HTML files organized by collection folders." |
| CSV | "Single CSV file with all pages and their content for easy data import." |

Pick by what you're going to do next:

*   **PDF** for something a person will read or print – a manual to attach to an email, a snapshot for an audit.
*   **HTML** if you want the content back as files, one per page, still grouped by collection. This is the format to take if you are moving off Dewstack or feeding a static site generator.
*   **CSV** if you want the content as data – one row per page, content in a column – for a spreadsheet, a bulk find-and-replace, or an import into another tool.

## The download link expires

The email contains a signed download link that is valid for **24 hours**. After that it stops working and you have to run the export again – which is free and takes no longer the second time. Download the file and put it somewhere durable rather than treating the email as your archive.

An export is not a backup you can restore

Dewstack cannot import an export back into a workspace. A PDF, HTML zip or CSV is a copy of your content for use elsewhere; it will not rebuild your collections, page tree, theme or settings. If what you want is a restorable copy inside Dewstack, use [Duplicate Workspace](/docs/understand-workspaces/duplicate-workspace) instead – and do it before you [delete anything](/docs/understand-workspaces/edit-delete-a-workspace).

**Drafts are included.** All three formats export every page in the workspace, whatever its status – so an export is a complete copy, not a snapshot of your live site. If you are sending an export to someone outside your team, check it for unfinished pages first.

## Related

[Edit or delete a workspace Rename, change the slug, and what deleting takes with it.](/docs/understand-workspaces/edit-delete-a-workspace) [Import content Bring existing pages into a workspace you already have.](/docs/understand-workspaces/import-content)