# Personal data export

Export and download a contact's or visitor's linked personal data as an Excel workbook for review and disclosure.

*Release 3.3 · admin, operator, visitor*

**Settings › Account › Operators**

## What it is

Personal data export creates an Excel workbook containing data associated with a selected contact or visitor, then opens a download in a new browser tab. A contact export gathers conversations across linked visitor devices and channel identities. A visitor export gathers data for one visitor identity.

## Who uses it and why

- Operators locate the person in **Audit**, complete email verification when required and download the workbook.
- Supervisors and administrators review the workbook before disclosure. Users with the **Settings** or **Manager** role manage operator access.
- Visitors can receive the reviewed workbook from your organisation through its personal-data request process.

## Where to find it

Open **Audit**, search for the contact or conversation, and use the row's **Export** action. The verification prompt is titled **Export Conversation Data**. The download opens after workbook creation; there is no separate Settings menu for it.

Operator access is managed under **Settings › Account › Operators**, in **Audit** permissions.

## How it works

1. Find the correct contact or visitor in **Audit** and select **Export** on the relevant result.
2. If prompted, enter the six-digit code sent to your registered operator email address and select **Verify and Download**.
3. INSIDE prepares the workbook and opens its download in a new browser tab. Your browser saves the file automatically or asks you to choose a destination.
4. Review the workbook before sending it to the intended recipient through your organisation's approved disclosure process.

Depending on the available records, the workbook contains:

| Section | Contents |
|---|---|
| **Contact Info** | For a contact export, stored name, email, telephone details and company reference. |
| **Devices** | Visitor identifiers and IP addresses. |
| **Leads** | Captured contact details. |
| **Conversations** | Identifiers, subjects, start and end times and channel descriptions. |
| **Messages** | Non-system message content, sender and time. Visitor messages are labelled **You**. |
| **Attachments** | File names and content types. |

Contact exports combine conversations found through linked visitors and channel identities and remove duplicate conversation entries. Selecting a conversation's **Export** action can export its associated contact's data, rather than just that conversation.

INSIDE records download attempts with the file name, website, requesting IP address and time. A recorded attempt does not prove that your browser received the complete file.

## Configure it

A user with the **Settings** or **Manager** role can manage access:

1. Open **Settings › Account › Operators** and edit the appropriate operator.
2. Enable the **Audit** role.
3. Open its permissions and select **Export**.
4. Save the operator's changes.

Keep the operator's registered email address current for verification. Check the contact's linked visitor and channel identities before exporting a request that covers more than one device or channel.

There are no client Settings controls for the download step. Ask Powerfront to investigate a missing or unreadable export file.

### Permissions

| Permission | Lets you |
|---|---|
| Audit | Opens the Audit workspace used to locate records and their available actions. |
| Export | Shows personal-data export actions within Audit permissions. |

## Limits and good to know

- Attachment files are not embedded in the workbook. The download step adds no attachment contents.
- Internal operator comments can appear among non-system messages. Review them before disclosure.
- The workbook labels Email, SMS and Messenger separately; other channels can appear as **Chat**.
- A contact export without device records can omit messages and attachments, even when channel conversations are listed.
- Email verification confirms the requesting operator's email. Neither export creation nor the download confirms the customer's identity or authorises disclosure to a recipient.
- The download flow provides no confirmed link lifetime, single-use limit or revocation control. Use your organisation's approved process to deliver the reviewed workbook.
- The workbook does not provide a complete export of data held by external CRM or messaging providers.

## Depends on and works with

### This feature uses

- **Requires** [Audit search for retained customer records](REP-021.md): Audit search provides the contact and visitor records used to start an export.
- **Requires** [Email verification for protected exports](SEC-013.md): Personal-data export requires verification of the requesting operator's email.
- **Configured in** [Roles and permissions](ADM-008.md): Audit and its Export permission control the workspace and export action shown to operators.
- **Configured in** [Contact merge preview and assignment](CRM-004.md): Contact assignments determine which linked visitor conversations a contact export gathers.
- **Works better with** [Attachments in conversations](CHAT-018.md): The workbook includes attachment names and content types for included messages.
- **Works better with** [Customer contact details](CRM-001.md): Contact exports include stored contact identity details.
- **Works better with** [Customer contact identities across channels](CRM-005.md): Linked platform identities add their conversations to a contact export.

### Used by

- **Related** [Internal comments](CHAT-014.md): Personal-data exports can include internal comments, so review the workbook before disclosure.
- **Related** [Email verification for protected exports](SEC-013.md): Personal-data export uses the Audit verification category, separately from history and reports.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Why are conversations from another device included?

A contact export follows linked visitor and channel identities. A conversation's **Export** action can therefore include more than that conversation. When the record has no contact, a visitor export covers that visitor identity.

### Why are some conversations or messages missing?

Check whether the visitor or channel identity is linked to the selected contact. Conversations under an unrelated identity are not gathered merely because their text mentions the same person. Missing device records can also leave messages and attachments out of a contact export.

### Why are there no attachment files in the workbook?

The export lists file names and content types. It does not embed the files, and downloading the workbook does not add them.

### Why can I not see Export?

Ask your **Settings** administrator to review your **Audit** role and its **Export** permission.

### Why did the download not open?

Check whether your browser blocked the new tab or placed the file in its downloads list. Return to **Audit** and start the export again if needed. If the page shows **Unable to download the file**, **Url is expired** or **Url is invalid**, ask Powerfront to investigate the export. These messages do not identify the underlying cause by themselves.

### Does Url is expired mean the link reached a fixed expiry time?

It can also appear when file retrieval fails. Ask Powerfront to check the export rather than assuming a particular expiry period.

### Will entering another code repair a failed download?

After a failed request, the download page may show **Please enter 6 digit access code** and **Submit**. That form does not perform an additional code check in this release. Email verification belongs to export creation. Return to **Audit** to start the export again or ask Powerfront to investigate the file.

### Is the download link restricted to the customer's email address?

The download does not check the recipient's email address. Verify the intended recipient through your organisation's approved disclosure process before sending the reviewed workbook.