Moving your data
How do I export my Apple Health data?
Updated · 3 min read
- Steps
- Cardio
- Heart
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Short answer
On iPhone, open Health, tap Summary, tap your picture or initials, then tap Export All Health Data and choose how to share it. Your data comes as XML.
On iPhone, the Health app exports all of your health and fitness data, including what Apple Watch saves there, in XML (Extensible Markup Language), a common format for sharing data between apps. You start the export from your picture or initials on the Summary screen, then choose where the file goes.
Steps
- Open the Health app on your iPhone.
- Tap Summary.
- Tap your picture or initials.
- Tap Export All Health Data.
- Wait while Health prepares the file.
- Choose a method for sharing the file. In a 2018 Apple Community thread, one member's options included email and Files.
What's in the export
- A zip file
Members of Apple's forums report a file named export.zip. In a 2023 Apple Community thread, one member got two files after the download: export.xml and export_cda.xml.
- XML, not a spreadsheet
A member in the same thread explains that the structure of this data does not fit the simple structure of a spreadsheet. The same member expects that third-party apps and scripts could convert it, but had not looked for one.
- Not every record
In August 2024, one developer reported in Apple's developer forums that export.xml did not include when each medication was taken. The developer also could not find logged emotions in it. An Apple engineer asked for a report through Feedback Assistant, so that Apple could get logs from the device.
Other ways to keep your Health data
The export gives you a file to open in other apps. iCloud and an encrypted computer backup keep a copy of your Health data with Apple or on your computer.
| Way | What it keeps | Where the copy is |
|---|---|---|
| Export All Health Data | All of your health and fitness data, in XML | A file that you share or save |
| iCloud | Your Health data, stored automatically when you sign in with your Apple Account | iCloud, encrypted in transit and in storage |
| Encrypted computer backup | Health data, which an unencrypted backup does not include | Your Mac or PC |
- iCloud
Open the Settings app. Tap your name, then tap iCloud. Tap Show All, then tap Health. Check that Sync with iPhone is on: it is the setting that keeps your Health data in iCloud.
- Encrypted backup
Connect your iPhone to your computer with a USB cable. In the Finder, the Apple Devices app or iTunes, go to the General tab or the Summary tab and select Encrypt local backup under Backups. Create a password when asked: you need it to use the backup.
If it still doesn't work
- The export stops with an error
In a 2018 Apple Community thread, one member got past an export error after setting Auto-Lock, the time before iPhone locks itself, to Never. To change it, open Settings, tap Display & Brightness, then tap Auto-Lock and choose Never. Apple notes that delaying Auto-Lock, or setting it to Never, may increase power consumption. You can choose a length of time again after the export.
- The zip file is empty
In the same thread, one member got an empty zip file by email. The member who fixed the error with Auto-Lock still got an empty file when saving to Dropbox. The thread gives no fix for this.
- The file won't open as a table
The export is XML. See "XML, not a spreadsheet" above.
- An app's data is missing
Check that the app has permission to write to Health. In the Health app, tap Summary, then tap your picture or initials. Below Privacy, tap Apps, tap the app, and turn on permission to write data to Health.
Questions
Does the Apple Health export include Apple Watch data?
Apple says the export holds all of your health and fitness data from Health, and that Health stores data from Apple Watch. One developer reported two gaps in 2024, medication times and logged emotions, which are under "Not every record" above.
How long does an Apple Health export take?
Apple gives no time on its export page. In a 2018 Apple Community thread, one member waited 10 to 20 minutes.
Can I export Apple Health data as a CSV file?
Not from the Health app, which exports XML. In a 2023 Apple Community thread, one member reported that an app gave them a CSV file that opened in Excel.
Sources
- 1Share your data in Health on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 2Intro to Health data on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 3Back up your Health data in iCloud on iPhone, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 4About encrypted backups on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 5Keep the iPhone display on longer, Apple Supportsupport.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 6Apple Health export.zip doesn't include several important data points, Apple Developer Forumsdeveloper.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 7apple health data export does not work, Apple Communitydiscussions.apple.com (opens in a new tab)
- 8Health Data Export gives me empty zip file, Apple Communitydiscussions.apple.com (opens in a new tab)