How to export your data from Grafana

Grafana lets you export individual dashboards as JSON/YAML (full layout, panels, variables, and queries) for re-import elsewhere, plus render them as PDF (Enterprise only) or PNG images; there is no built-in bulk 'export all my data' or account-wide backup feature in the docs, and dashboard exports never include the underlying time-series data itself, only the queries pointing at it.

Formats: JSON, YAML, PDF, PNGPlan: JSON and PNG export: any plan (Cloud, Enterprise, OSS). PDF export: Grafana Enterprise only.Role: Must have access to open and edit the dashboard; viewing shared links requires an authorized viewer permission on the instance.

✓ Verified against Grafana's official documentation, October 2026

Step by step

1Click Dashboards in the main menu and open the dashboard you want to export.
2In the dashboard toolbar, click the Export icon and select Export as code to open the Export dashboard drawer.
3(Optional) Click Advanced options and choose the Model: Classic or V2 Resource; for V2 Resource also choose Format: JSON or YAML.
4Toggle Share dashboard with another instance if you plan to move the dashboard elsewhere — this strips details specific to your current Grafana instance.
5Click Download file (or Copy to clipboard) to get the exported JSON/YAML.
6Click the X in the top-right corner to close the drawer.
7Repeat per dashboard — the docs describe exporting one dashboard at a time, not a bulk/account-wide export.
8Optional: for a rendered snapshot instead of raw config, use the Export dropdown > Export as PDF (Enterprise only) or Export as image (PNG, requires the Image Renderer service) and follow the on-screen options before downloading.

What the export includes

✓Full dashboard JSON: layout, panels, variables, styles, data source references, and queries, enough to re-import the dashboard elsewhere
✓PDF render of the dashboard's current state, with landscape/portrait orientation and grid/simple layout options (Enterprise only)
✓PNG image of the dashboard exactly as it renders in your browser (requires the Grafana Image Renderer service)
✓Shareable internal/external links, snapshots, and scheduled reports (reports are Enterprise only)

What it doesn't include

✗The actual time-series/metrics data stored in your connected data sources — dashboard exports contain only the queries that point at that data, not the data itself
✗PDF export if you're not on Grafana Enterprise
✗Anonymous access and panel embedding, which are not available on Grafana Cloud (only on Enterprise and self-hosted OSS)
✗A single bulk export of all dashboards, alert rules, users, or org settings — the documented flow is one dashboard at a time

Before you start

⚠PDF export is gated to Grafana Enterprise; on Cloud/OSS you only get JSON/YAML or PNG
⚠PNG export requires the Grafana Image Renderer service to be configured first
⚠Dashboard snapshots strip sensitive data such as queries and panel links before publishing, so a snapshot is not a full backup of the dashboard
⚠Only the Classic JSON model can be published to the Grafana community dashboard catalog; V2 Resource exports (JSON or YAML) cannot
⚠Remember to toggle 'Share dashboard with another instance' before exporting if the target is a different Grafana install, or instance-specific details will carry over

Where to take your data

Free and cheaper tools that can take a Grafana export. See all Grafana alternatives →

Grafana OSS (Self-Hosted)

Go to Dashboards > New > Import, then upload or paste the exported JSON (Classic model recommended for widest compatibility) and map any data sources to your self-hosted instance.

Prometheus + Alertmanager

The exported dashboard JSON keeps your PromQL queries, but it does not carry the metric data itself — point the imported dashboard's data source at your own Prometheus server so the same queries resolve against your retained metrics.

Netdata

Netdata ships its own pre-built dashboards and doesn't import Grafana dashboard JSON directly; use the exported JSON only as a reference for which metrics/panels to recreate in Netdata's UI or custom charts.

Exporting from Grafana: common questions

Can I export the actual metrics data from Grafana, not just the dashboard?+

No. Grafana's export as code feature produces a JSON (or YAML) file containing the dashboard's layout, panels, variables, and queries, but not the stored data points — those live in your connected data source (Prometheus, Loki, etc.), which you'd need to export or migrate separately.

Do I need Grafana Enterprise to export a dashboard?+

No for JSON/YAML export, which is available on Cloud, Enterprise, and self-hosted OSS. PDF export specifically is an Enterprise-only feature; on other tiers you'd use JSON export or the PNG image export instead.

Can I export all my dashboards at once?+

The official docs only describe exporting a dashboard one at a time via Export as code, Export as PDF, or Export as image — there's no documented single-click bulk export for every dashboard in an org.

What's the difference between the Classic and V2 Resource export models?+

Classic is the original dashboard JSON format and is required if you want to publish the dashboard to the Grafana community catalog. V2 Resource is a newer model that additionally lets you choose JSON or YAML as the output format.

Will the exported JSON include my data source credentials?+

The docs don't spell out credential handling explicitly, but they note a 'Share dashboard with another instance' toggle that strips instance-specific details — enable it when moving a dashboard to a different Grafana install so you don't carry over instance-tied configuration.

Can I export alert rules, users, or org settings the same way?+

Not covered by Grafana's dashboard/panel sharing docs — that page only addresses exporting and sharing dashboards and panels (JSON, PDF, PNG, links, snapshots, reports), not alerting, user, or organization data.