By Alpit Patel and the aibrevo team · October 21, 2026 · 11 min read
How Do You Export Data From Zoho CRM?
Quick answer
Go to Setup > Data Administration > Export, click Start an Export, pick a module and fields, and download the zipped CSV or XLSX within seven days. For every module plus attachments, use Data Backup instead. The limits differ by method and by edition.
Key takeaways
- Setup > Data Administration > Export exports one module at a time. CSV allows up to 200,000 records per module per export and XLSX up to 50,000. You need the Export (Module) permission on your profile.
- Daily export limits depend on edition: 10 on Free, 100 on Standard, 250 on Professional, 500 on Enterprise and 1,000 on Ultimate. Download links expire after seven days.
- Exporting every module and the attachments takes Setup > Data Administration > Data Backup, which only an administrator profile can run. It returns CSV files in a ZIP, with attachments in a separate folder.
- Module exports and the Bulk Read API do not give you a clean copy of attachments. Bulk Read also leaves out Notes and Emails, so notes need their own export (up to 3,000 per run) or a backup.
- Zoho CRM has no native scheduled export. Scheduled backups, scheduled reports (2,000 rows), Zoho Flow and the API are the options.
You need your Zoho CRM data out as a file, and the Export screen only seems to give you one module at a time. Zoho CRM has three routes: the module Export tool, a full Data Backup, and report export. Pick by what you want to end up with, because the limits are very different. Everything below comes from Zoho’s help center and developer docs, checked on October 21, 2026.
How do I export data from Zoho CRM?
Open Setup > Data Administration > Export, click Start an Export, choose what to export, and download the file when the export shows Completed. You need the Export (Module) permission on your profile. Zoho’s steps are:
- Go to Setup > Data Administration > Export and click Start an Export. You can also open the module, click the ellipsis next to Create and choose Export.
- Choose a module, a subform or Notes, then a custom view or your own criteria. Criteria are capped at 25 in total, subform criteria included.
- Choose fields. Exclude Fields lets you drop up to 20 fields from an all-fields export. Choose Fields takes up to 200 fields across the module and its lookup modules, with at most five lookup modules.
- Set preferences: CSV or XLSX, the CSV character set, an optional password and, if you want it, rich text exported as plain text. The password protects the whole ZIP, not each file inside.
- Click Export. The entry shows In progress in Export History. When it shows Completed, hover over it and click Download.
Two shortcuts exist for smaller jobs. On a module page you can select a custom view, open the ellipsis and choose Export for that module. From a list view you can tick up to 500 records and choose More > Export Selected Records. Zoho’s Export CRM Data article documents all of this.
Export History, in the same place, keeps the past 60 days of exports with their status, user, record count and the view, fields and file type used. Admins see everyone’s exports and download them. Other users see only their own. If one fails, Zoho gives you a retry option, and you get a notification when a file is ready.
What can I export, how, and up to what limit?
Pick the method from what you want out. The table puts the three Zoho routes next to the API options.
| What you want out | Method | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| One module’s records (Contacts, Leads, Deals) | Setup > Data Administration > Export | CSV: 200,000 per module per export. XLSX: 50,000. Daily export cap by edition |
| A handful of records from a list view | List view > More > Export Selected Records | Up to 500 records |
| Notes | Export > Start an Export > Notes | Up to 3,000 notes per export, CSV only |
| Sorted or grouped data across modules | Reports > ellipsis > Export | Formatted report 2,000 rows. Detailed report 50,000 rows |
| Every module plus attachments | Setup > Data Administration > Data Backup | Admin profile only. Free backups by edition. 7-day download |
| Recurring or very large pulls | Bulk Read API, or Backup API | 200,000 records per Bulk Read job. Result file kept for one day |
| Verdict | Module export for one-off lists, Data Backup for a complete copy, API for anything repeated | Check the daily cap before a multi-module export day |
Source: Zoho CRM Help (Export CRM Data, FAQs: Exporting Data from Zoho CRM, Data Backup) and Zoho CRM developer docs, checked Oct 21, 2026.
Zoho’s own FAQ gives the same advice for choosing: individual modules through Data Administration, everything (all modules, attachments, configuration) through a complete backup, and specific sorted or grouped data across modules through a report.
How many exports can I run per day in Zoho CRM?
It depends on your edition. Zoho lists daily export limits of 10 on Free, 100 on Standard, 250 on Professional, 500 on Enterprise and 1,000 on Ultimate.
Source: Zoho CRM Help, FAQs: Exporting Data from Zoho CRM, checked Oct 21, 2026. Standard is 100 and Enterprise is 500.
The record cap is the one that catches teams with a large Contacts or Leads module. The FAQ says a single export returns up to 200,000 records, and that they are the oldest records matching your criteria. To get the rest, run several exports with Created Time criteria that slice the module into ranges, or take a backup. If you are weighing editions partly for these allowances, our Zoho CRM pricing calculator shows what each edition costs for your team size.
How do I export Zoho CRM data to Excel or CSV?
For Excel, choose XLSX in the export preferences, which allows up to 50,000 records. For CSV, choose CSV, which allows up to 200,000 records per module. Either way the file arrives inside a ZIP.
If a big list has to land in Excel, export CSV and open it there. Zoho says problems with delimiters or Excel compatibility often trace back to regional settings, so check those and the export format options first, then contact Zoho support if it persists. Choose a character set that keeps international characters if your names include accents.
Excel may warn about executable content when it opens an exported CSV. Zoho says exports should not contain harmful content, but advises you not to edit any commands in the file. Reports are the third route to a spreadsheet: formatted reports export as Excel, CSV or PDF, and detailed reports as Excel or CSV only. Open the Reports module, hover over a report, click the ellipsis, choose Export, then pick Formatted or Detailed.
How do I export contacts from Zoho CRM?
Open the Contacts module, choose the view you want (All Contacts, a custom view, or one built on criteria), click the ellipsis next to Create and choose Export. The Module, Custom View and Fields dropdowns are filled in from the view you chose. Click Export and download the file from Export History when it completes.
Contacts have two traps. A lookup such as Account Name arrives as a name in a module export, but the Data Backup file holds only the Account ID: Zoho’s backup troubleshooting says the Account Name is not included in the backup file and that it is included if you export your data. Second, tags can be included in exports, so you can carry segments into a new tool. Before moving contacts anywhere, clean duplicates first. Our CRM data cleaning guide lists the checks, and the import file checker tests a CSV before the next system reads it.
How do I back up all my Zoho CRM data?
Go to Setup > Data Administration > Data Backup. Only users with an administrator profile can request one. You can schedule it twice a month, once a month or every week, or choose Download immediately for an on-demand copy.
The result is CSV files compressed into a ZIP. Records from each module go in the data folder, and attachments go in a separate folder. Drafts from wizards are included and labeled Draft. Zoho’s Data Backup article lists what is left out: email content and attachments, Documents, and data obtained through integrations. Its backup troubleshooting page lists the email types that are backed up (individual emails, workflow alerts, mass emails and a few others) and says emails synced from an IMAP account are not. Those two pages do not line up exactly on email, so open a test backup and look before you rely on it for a wind-down.
What you get free depends on edition:
| Edition | Free backups |
|---|---|
| Ultimate | 4, no payment |
| Other paid editions | 2 |
| Free | None. Buy a one-time backup add-on or upgrade |
| Verdict | Twice-monthly scheduling uses both free backups on a non-Ultimate paid plan, leaving none for an on-demand copy |
Source: Zoho CRM Help, Data Backup, checked Oct 21, 2026.
Download within seven days of the backup date. The troubleshooting page gives an example where a backup ready on December 16 expires on December 22, and Zoho sends a “Zoho CRM Notification - Zoho Data Backup Completed” email from systemgenerated@zohocrm.com. Large backups take longer: Zoho says to write to support if one takes more than 24 hours. Per its developer docs, each backup ZIP is up to 1 GB, and bigger backups split into several files.
Does Zoho CRM export include attachments and notes?
Zoho documents attachments only for Data Backup. Its export article covers records, not files, so use a backup when you need the attachments. Zoho’s community thread titled “Can I export all attachments from Zoho CRM?” showed no answer when we checked it on October 21, 2026.
Notes have their own route. Choose Notes in the Start an Export dropdown, then the parent module. You get up to 3,000 notes per export as CSV, and the Parent ID is always included. You can narrow the run with a custom view of the parent module and the Include Notes Criteria option.
A short list of what you cannot rely on getting out:
- Attachments from the module Export tool (the article does not describe them) or from the Bulk Read API (listed as unsupported).
- Notes and Emails through the Bulk Read API.
- Email content and attachments, Documents and integration data in a Data Backup (per the backup article).
- Emails synced over IMAP, in any backup.
If you are leaving Zoho, the safe order is a backup for the attachments and the full record set, then module exports for the lists you will import elsewhere (they keep readable lookup names), then a notes export. Plan the receiving side with our CRM migration guide, and the Pipedrive to Zoho migration guide covers mapping records into Zoho. The vendor-by-vendor import caps are in CRM import limits compared.
Can I automate Zoho CRM exports with the API?
Yes, but not from the Export screen. Zoho says CRM does not support fully automated exports through its interface and points to Zoho Flow, the APIs, or third-party tools. Scheduled reports can email a report on a daily, weekly or monthly schedule, capped at 2,000 rows per emailed report.
The Bulk Read API is the large-volume route. You create a job, poll for status or register a callback, and download a ZIP holding a CSV.
| Bulk Read detail | What Zoho documents |
|---|---|
| Records per job | 200,000. Increase page for more, up to 500 |
| Fields | Up to 200 per request. More than 200 exports all fields |
| Download window | One day after the job completes |
| Download rate | 10 requests per minute. More returns HTTP 429 |
| Criteria | 25 per query, in and not_in take up to 20 values |
| Not supported | Notes, Attachments, Emails, related and cross modules, external fields, sorting, group by |
| Verdict | Good for module data on a schedule. It cannot replace a backup |
Source: Zoho CRM developer docs, Bulk Read API limitations, checked Oct 21, 2026. Jobs per day and credit cost are not stated on that page.
The API also has a Data Backup API for administrators. It can schedule or cancel backups and fetch download URLs, and the number of backups depends on your edition. If a recurring export would feed a data warehouse or another CRM, compare the API rate limits across CRMs before you design it.
What if my export is stuck, empty or garbled?
Most problems have a short fix, and Zoho documents several.
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Export option missing | Profile lacks the Export (Module) permission | An admin enables it on your profile or runs the export |
| Export says Error while Processing | The job failed | Use the retry option in Export History |
| Only 200,000 rows for a bigger module | Per-export cap | Split with Created Time criteria, or take a backup |
| Link will not open | Seven days passed | Run the export again |
| Backup not ready | Large data volumes take longer | Wait. Email Zoho support if it passes 24 hours |
| Module missing from backup ZIP | Module was renamed after the backup ran | Look for renames in the last seven days |
| Backup shows Account ID, not name | Backups store associations as IDs | Use a module export for lookup names |
| Garbled characters | Character set or regional settings | Re-export with the right character set, open as CSV, check regional settings |
| Export hits the daily cap | Edition allowance used | Wait for the next day or move up an edition |
Source: Zoho CRM Help, Export CRM Data, FAQs: Exporting Data from Zoho CRM and Troubleshooting Data Backup, checked Oct 21, 2026.
If you restore from a backup later, Zoho advises against changing the alphanumeric record IDs, because that makes restoration harder. It also notes that the audit log and the recycle bin each keep data for 60 days, which is often a faster way to undo a mistake than any backup.
When to get help
Exporting one module is a ten minute job. Bring someone in when the export is the first step of a move: mapping modules and lookups to a new CRM, keeping attachments and notes attached to the right records, and checking record counts after the import. Our Zoho CRM services cover migrations in and out, and the HubSpot vs Zoho comparison is worth reading if the export is part of a platform decision. To talk through a specific export, contact us.
Founder’s note, Alpit Patel. Export before you need to. I’d run a full backup and open the file once, because a backup nobody has opened is a guess. I founded aibrevo in San Francisco in 2021, and through autoesta I have overseen 320+ GoHighLevel implementation projects across med spas, real estate, healthcare, dental, home services, SaaS and professional-services clients in the US, UK and UAE. About Alpit
Sources
- Zoho CRM Help, Export CRM Data, checked October 21, 2026.
- Zoho CRM Help, FAQs: Exporting Data from Zoho CRM, checked October 21, 2026.
- Zoho CRM Help, Data Backup, checked October 21, 2026.
- Zoho CRM Help, Troubleshooting Data Backup, checked October 21, 2026.
- Zoho CRM developer docs, Bulk Read API limitations and Create Bulk Read job, checked October 21, 2026.
- Zoho CRM developer docs, Data Backup API, checked October 21, 2026.