How to export your data from Basecamp
Account owners can export a full HTML copy of Basecamp data — individual projects, a selection, or the entire account — from Adminland, with Ping (direct message) conversations exportable separately as their own archive.
✓ Verified against Basecamp's official documentation, September 2026
Step by step
- 1From the Basecamp Home page, click the Adminland (key icon) button on the left side.
- 2Select 'Export data from this account'. Only account owners see this option.
- 3Under 'Exporting project data', review the list of all active and archived projects on the account (including projects you personally haven't been added to).
- 4Check off the specific projects you want to export, or check all of them to export the entire account.
- 5Click 'Export my data' to start the job.
- 6Wait for the export to compile — this can take a while depending on the size of the account — then check your email for a notification that the download is ready.
- 7Optionally, on the same Export data page, use the separate Ping export option to export all Ping conversations or a selected subset.
- 8If you cancel your Basecamp account, do it only after the export download has finished completely.
What the export includes
- ✓A full HTML copy of project data for the projects you select (browsable export, not raw CSV/JSON)
- ✓Data from active and archived projects, including ones the exporting owner wasn't personally added to
- ✓Ping (direct/group message) conversations, if you run the separate Ping export
What it doesn't include
- ✗Ping conversations are NOT part of the default project export — they require running the separate Ping export step
- ✗Basecamp's own documentation does not describe a structured CSV/JSON/API-based bulk export format, only the HTML export
Before you start
- ⚠Export time varies with account size — there's no fixed turnaround guarantee, and you're notified by email when it's ready
- ⚠If you cancel your account mid-download, the export won't complete and you'll need to contact Basecamp support to retrieve it
- ⚠Only account owners can access the export feature; if you don't see it, ask Adminland to check who the current owners are
- ⚠Basecamp explicitly warns that Pings are private conversations and recommends exporting them only for legitimate reasons (active legal matter, formal HR investigation, or court order) — not for general employee monitoring
- ⚠After you cancel your Basecamp account, all content becomes inaccessible immediately, is permanently deleted from active systems within 30 days, and permanently deleted from backups within 60 days — so you must export before canceling, not after
Where to take your data
Free and cheaper tools that can take a Basecamp export. See all Basecamp alternatives →
Basecamp's export is browsable HTML, not a structured file Notion can auto-import. Open the exported HTML pages, then manually recreate message boards, to-do lists, and docs as Notion pages/databases, copying over text and re-uploading attached files.
ClickUp Free
There's no native Basecamp-HTML importer in ClickUp. Use the HTML export as a reference while manually rebuilding to-do lists as ClickUp tasks/lists, and re-attach files pulled from the export.
Height has no direct Basecamp import path either. Treat the HTML export as an archive/reference copy and manually re-enter active to-dos and open items into Height lists.
Exporting from Basecamp: common questions
Can I export just one project instead of my whole Basecamp account?+
Yes. On the Export data page in Adminland, you check off individual projects to export a selection instead of the entire account.
Do I need to be the account owner to export Basecamp data?+
Yes. Only account owners can access the 'Export data from this account' option; other roles won't see it.
What file format does Basecamp give me?+
A full HTML copy of the selected project data — a browsable archive rather than a CSV or JSON export.
Can I export private Ping (direct message) conversations?+
Yes, via a separate export option on the same page, but Basecamp advises doing this only for legitimate reasons like a legal matter, HR investigation, or court order — not routine monitoring.
How long does a Basecamp export take?+
It varies with account size. Basecamp compiles it in the background and emails you when the download is ready — there's no fixed time listed.
What happens to my data if I cancel my account before exporting?+
Your content becomes inaccessible immediately on cancellation, is permanently deleted from active systems within 30 days, and from backups within 60 days — it cannot be recovered after that, so export first.
Sources
This guide was written from Basecamp's own documentation and checked against it in September 2026. If a step has changed, the official page wins.
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