Why request the copy first
Closing an old Reddit account is irreversible in a way that a profile edit is not. Before you remove anything, it helps to hold your own copy of what the account contains, so you can review it privately and decide what actually matters. The request below is an owner-only step: you must be signed in to the account you want data from.
This guide covers three separate stages — requesting, receiving and verifying — and treats them as distinct on purpose. A submitted request is not a finished export, and an export is not proof that every item you remember is inside it.
Stage 1: Request the data copy
Reddit lets an owner request an account-data copy through its data request form while signed in to the intended account. Source
A practical sequence for the request stage:
- Sign in to the specific old account, not a newer one you also use. The request is tied to the account you are signed in to.
- Open Reddit’s data request form from that signed-in session.
- Submit the request and keep your own note of the date you sent it and which account it covers.
- Leave the account in place while the request is processed. Do not delete the account in the meantime.
If you are unsure which account you are signed in to, check the visible account identity before submitting. Requesting from the wrong account produces a copy of the wrong account’s data.
Stage 2: Wait for the ready notice
Preparing the copy can take up to 30 days; a request is not an immediate download. Source
Because the wait can run to weeks, plan the cleanup around the request rather than the other way round. A realistic decision table:
| Situation | Sensible action |
|---|---|
| You have just submitted the request | Pause deletion plans; note the submission date |
| You are still waiting | Do not close the account; keep access to the signed-in session |
| You received a ready notice | Move to Stage 3 before deleting anything |
| You no longer need the account at all | You can still wait for the copy first; deletion is not time-limited by this guide |
Reddit notifies the requester when the data is ready; users can also directly inspect their own posts and comments. Source
That direct inspection is useful as a parallel step: while the export is being prepared, you can read through your own posts and comments in the account itself and note anything you want to preserve or review later. It does not replace the export, and the export does not replace your own reading.
Stage 3: Verify the copy before deleting
When the notice arrives, treat the copy as something to check, not something to assume. A verification pass:
- Confirm the copy corresponds to the account you intended, not a different signed-in account.
- Read through the sections you care about and compare them with what you can still see in the account.
- Note anything you expected but did not find, and decide whether that gap matters for your plans.
- Keep the copy somewhere you control before you take any irreversible step.
Two limits are worth stating plainly. First, this guide does not promise that a data copy is complete, and it does not promise that deleted or removed information will appear in it. Second, receiving a copy tells you what was provided; it does not by itself confirm that the account is ready to close.
A short pre-deletion checklist
Use this only after the copy has arrived and you have reviewed it:
- The request was submitted from the correct old account.
- The ready notice has arrived and the copy has been received.
- The copy has been compared against what you can still see in the account.
- Anything you want to keep is saved somewhere you control.
- You have a recovery method you control, kept until closure is actually completed.
- You understand that removing a login connection or emptying a profile is not the same as deleting the account or its stored data.
If any box is unchecked, stop before deleting. The order matters more than the speed.
Where this fits in a wider cleanup
An old Reddit account is often one of several accounts tied to an email address you have used for years. Once the Reddit copy is requested and reviewed, a natural next task is to identify which other accounts that address may be connected to, so you can plan the same request-first approach elsewhere. Our guide to finding accounts by email address covers that next step.
That said, a username or email-based lookup returns public matches, which are leads rather than proof of ownership. A match on a profile does not confirm that the account belongs to you or to anyone in particular, and matching photos, biographies or handles cannot independently prove identity. Use such results to decide where to look next, not as evidence for a deletion decision.
What this guide does not cover
- It does not describe current Reddit menu paths beyond the data request form and the signed-in requirement.
- It does not promise a delivery time shorter than the stated preparation window, and it does not promise completeness of the copy.
- It does not treat an edited or empty profile as evidence that stored data has been deleted.
- It does not recommend deleting recovery methods before closure is completed, or using an email address you cannot access.
Keeping those limits in view is what makes the request-first order useful: you act on what you have verified, not on what you assume the export contains.