Your Bluesky posts represent hours of thought, creativity, and connection. Whether you're worried about data loss, want to keep a personal archive, or just believe in owning your content, backing up your Bluesky posts is something every user should consider.

Skyscraper for iOS makes it easy to export all your Bluesky posts with just a few taps. In this guide, we'll walk you through every way to backup, save, and preserve your Bluesky content.

Why Backup Your Bluesky Posts?

Before we dive into the how, let's talk about why backing up your posts matters:

  • Data ownership - Your content belongs to you. Having a local copy ensures you always have access to your work.
  • Platform independence - While Bluesky is built on the open ATProtocol with data portability in mind, having your own backup provides extra peace of mind.
  • Content repurposing - Export your best posts to turn them into blog posts, newsletters, or other content.
  • Personal archive - Years from now, you might want to look back at what you were thinking and sharing.
  • Account recovery - If anything ever happens to your account, you'll have a record of your content.

Method 1: Export All Your Posts (Full Backup)

Skyscraper includes a powerful Export My Posts feature that downloads your complete Bluesky post history as a portable ZIP file.

How to Export Your Bluesky Posts

  1. Open Skyscraper and navigate to Settings (tap the gear icon)
  2. Scroll to the "Data & Backup" section
  3. Tap "Export My Posts"
  4. Wait while the app fetches your posts - you'll see progress updates:
    • "Starting export..."
    • "Fetching your posts..."
    • "Downloading backup (X posts)..."
  5. When complete, the iOS share sheet appears
  6. Save to Files, AirDrop to your Mac, email to yourself, or share however you prefer

What's In the Export?

Your backup downloads as a ZIP file named bluesky_backup_[id].zip containing:

  • HTML files - Human-readable versions of your posts that you can open in any web browser. Perfect for reading and browsing your archive.
  • JSON files - Machine-readable data files containing all post metadata. Ideal for developers, data analysis, or importing into other tools.

The JSON export includes everything: post text, timestamps, reply counts, like counts, repost counts, and all the metadata associated with each post.

Tips for Managing Your Backups

  • Schedule regular backups - Set a reminder to export your posts monthly or quarterly
  • Store in multiple locations - Save to iCloud, Google Drive, Dropbox, or an external drive
  • Name files with dates - Rename your backups to include the date (e.g., bluesky_backup_2025-12-26.zip)
  • Verify your backup - Occasionally unzip and check that your posts are readable

Method 2: Save Individual Posts (Bookmarks)

Not every post needs a full backup. For individual posts you want to save - whether your own or someone else's - Bluesky has a built-in bookmark feature that Skyscraper fully supports.

How to Save a Post

  1. Find any post in your timeline, a profile, or search results
  2. Tap the menu button (•••) on the post
  3. Select "Save Post"
  4. The post is now saved to your bookmarks

How to View Saved Posts

  1. Go to your profile
  2. Tap the "Saved" tab
  3. Browse all your bookmarked posts

Key Features of Saved Posts

  • Syncs everywhere - Saved posts sync to Bluesky's servers, so they appear in any Bluesky client you use
  • Save anyone's posts - Bookmark your own posts or content from others
  • Easy to manage - Unsave a post anytime by tapping the menu and selecting "Unsave Post"
  • Instant feedback - Skyscraper uses optimistic updates, so saves feel instant

Method 3: Share Thread Archives

Sometimes a single post doesn't tell the whole story. For complete conversations and threads, Skyscraper's Thread Archive feature creates permanent, shareable snapshots.

How to Archive a Thread

  1. Find any post that's part of a thread
  2. Tap the menu button (•••)
  3. Select "Share Thread"
  4. Wait briefly while the archive is created
  5. The archive URL is automatically copied to your clipboard
  6. Share the link anywhere - Twitter, Discord, email, messaging apps

Why Use Thread Archives?

  • Share with non-users - Anyone can view the archive, even without a Bluesky account
  • Preserve conversations - Capture the full context of a discussion
  • Permanent links - Archives are stored on Skyscraper's servers for reliable access
  • Complete threads - Includes the original post and all replies in the thread

Bonus: Automatic Offline Caching

In addition to manual backups, Skyscraper automatically caches your timeline posts locally on your device. This means:

  • Offline reading - Browse previously loaded posts without an internet connection
  • Faster loading - Cached posts appear instantly when you reopen the app
  • Scroll position memory - The app remembers where you left off in each feed
  • Secure storage - Cached data is encrypted on your device

The cache automatically cleans up old posts after 10 days to save storage space, so this isn't a replacement for proper backups - but it's a nice convenience feature.

Data Portability: The ATProtocol Advantage

One of Bluesky's core principles is data portability. Unlike traditional social networks where your content is locked in, the ATProtocol is designed to let you own and move your data.

This means:

  • Your posts, follows, and profile data are stored in a format you can export
  • You can theoretically move your entire social graph to a different provider
  • Third-party apps like Skyscraper can help you access and backup your data
  • The JSON export format is open and documented

Skyscraper's backup features build on this foundation to make data portability practical and easy.

Best Practices for Bluesky Data Management

Here's our recommended approach to keeping your Bluesky content safe:

Regular Full Backups

Export all your posts at least once a month. Store backups in cloud storage and keep at least one copy offline (external drive, etc.).

Save Important Posts

Use bookmarks liberally for posts you might want to reference later. It's free, syncs everywhere, and takes one tap.

Archive Key Threads

When you're part of an important conversation or create a valuable thread, archive it immediately. URLs are easier to find than scrolling through months of posts.

Verify Your Backups

Occasionally open your backup files to make sure they're readable and complete. An untested backup isn't really a backup.

Get Started with Skyscraper

Ready to take control of your Bluesky data? Download Skyscraper for iOS and start backing up your posts today.

Skyscraper is a free, native iOS client for Bluesky that includes:

  • Full post export - Download all your posts as HTML and JSON
  • Bookmark sync - Save individual posts across all your devices
  • Thread archives - Create shareable snapshots of conversations
  • Offline caching - Read your timeline without internet
  • Trending hashtags - Discover what's popular right now
  • Multi-account support - Manage multiple Bluesky accounts
  • Push notifications - Stay updated on mentions and replies

Your Bluesky posts are valuable. Make sure you have copies of them.

Questions about backing up your Bluesky data? Reach out at contact@getskyscraper.com.