Why a multi-blog account needs a per-blog list
If one Tumblr account hosts several primary or secondary blogs, there is no single export that covers all of them. Each blog is requested on its own, so the first practical step is a written ledger of what exists. Without that list, it is easy to back up the blog you use most and forget the secondary one you set up years ago.
Tumblr blog exports are requested separately for each primary or secondary blog using the web settings. Source
Build the ledger before you request anything. It also gives you a place to record what each ZIP did and did not contain, which matters later if you retire the account.
Step-by-step: build the backup ledger
- Sign in on the web and open the settings area where blog-level export requests are made. Work on a desktop browser rather than in the app.
- List every primary and secondary blog by its exact name, not a nickname or a description of its theme.
- For each blog, note the date you requested the export and the date the ZIP became available.
- Download the ZIP and store it somewhere you control, with a filename that includes the blog name and export date.
- Open the ZIP and check that the contents belong to the blog you intended to back up.
- Record any category you expected but did not find, such as posts you liked.
- Mark the blog as “exported and checked” only after steps 4–6 are done.
A simple ledger with one row per blog is usually enough:
| Blog name | Export requested | ZIP downloaded | Contents match this blog? | Missing categories noted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Example: main blog | Date | Date | Yes / No | Liked posts, etc. |
| Example: side blog | Date | Date | Yes / No | Liked posts, etc. |
Requesting and downloading the export
Exports are started and downloaded on the web, not in the apps. If you only have a phone to hand, plan the backup for a session at a desktop browser.
A finished export is delivered as a downloadable ZIP; initiating and downloading exports is not available in Tumblr’s apps. Source
The ZIP is the deliverable. Treat the download itself as a task to finish, not something to leave for later, because the file does not stay available indefinitely.
Tumblr says backups are retained for three days and limits each blog to four exports per month; liked posts are not included. Source
Three days is short. If you request several blogs on the same day, you may be downloading several ZIPs in a narrow window, so clear space and time for it. The four-per-month limit also means a failed or lost download is not free to redo; check the ledger before requesting again.
Checking the ZIP privately before you rely on it
Open the ZIP on your own device and look at what is inside before you treat the backup as complete. This is a private check, not a public step, and there is no need to upload the archive anywhere to inspect it.
What to confirm for each blog:
- The archive corresponds to the blog you requested, not a different one on the same account.
- The post content you care about is present.
- Liked posts are absent, as Tumblr states, so do not count on the export to preserve them.
- Any other category you expected but cannot find is written into the ledger rather than assumed to be included.
If the contents do not match the intended blog, do not mark that row as done. Record what you found and decide whether to request another export within the monthly limit.
What an export does not do
An export is a copy of blog content. It is not account deletion, and it does not close the account or remove the blog from public view. Retiring an account is a separate action.
It is also not a guarantee that the files can be imported into another service. The ZIP is a backup of what was on the blog; whether and how it can be reused elsewhere depends on the destination, and nothing in the export process promises a working import.
For these reasons, keep the ledger until the retirement is actually finished. A backup you have checked is the record that lets you close the account without wondering what was on the blogs you are about to lose.
Common failure paths
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| You started the export from the app and nothing appeared | Exports are not available in the apps; repeat the request on the web. |
| The three-day window passed before you downloaded | The export is no longer retrievable; check the monthly limit before requesting again and log the miss. |
| You have already used four exports for a blog this month | Wait for the limit to reset; use the ledger to avoid wasting requests on the same blog. |
| The ZIP contains a different blog than expected | Do not mark it complete; record the mismatch and re-check the blog list. |
| Liked posts are missing | This is expected; note it in the ledger and decide separately whether those items matter to you. |
| You assumed the export deleted the account | It did not; deletion is a separate step you still need to take. |
After the backups are checked
Once every blog in the ledger is marked as exported and checked, the remaining work is the retirement itself, which is outside the export process. If part of that work involves reducing what can still be found about the old accounts, the related guide on cleaning up an old account’s footprint covers that next task. Keep the ledger and the ZIPs until the account is fully closed, so you can confirm what you preserved before anything is removed.