> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.chief.bot/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Downloading responses (PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, Markdown, text) & tables

> Any answer Chief gives you can leave the app as a file.

Any [answer](/help/chatting-with-chief/working-with-an-answer-the-response-menu) Chief gives you can leave the app as a file. Use the download control on a response to save it as a document, or download a single table on its own for your spreadsheet.

## Download an answer

<Frame>
  <img src="https://mintcdn.com/chief-2d405d1a/ZjT7ckngTj8rjHF7/images/help/chat-download-formats.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=ZjT7ckngTj8rjHF7&q=85&s=70081138a94449d539cae0b86d50bb52" alt="The Download as control on an answer with PDF, DOC, Text and Markdown formats" width="840" height="150" data-path="images/help/chat-download-formats.png" />
</Frame>

1. [Hover over the answer](/help/chatting-with-chief/editing-copying-downloading-messages) and click the **Download** button.
2. The control expands and shows **Download as:** with format buttons.
3. Click the format you want: **PDF**, **DOC**, **Text**, or **Markdown**.

<Note>
  ℹ️ **Good to Know:** An **XLS** button appears in the download row only when the answer contains a table. If the answer has no table, you'll see PDF, DOC, Text, and Markdown only.
</Note>

## Download a single table

When an answer includes a table, that table has its own download control (**Download table as:**) so you can export just the data — handy for dropping numbers straight into [a spreadsheet](/help/how-chief-works-magic-under-the-hood/how-chief-processes-spreadsheets) without the surrounding text.

## Download a whole thread

Some download controls offer "Download entire thread" instead of a single answer, letting you save the full conversation as one file.

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="The PDF download didn't work.">
    PDF export needs an active session and runs through a conversion service, so it can occasionally fail. If the PDF button shows "Failed," try again, or [download as DOC or Markdown](/help/creating-exporting/copying-responses-as-rich-text-or-markdown) instead — those generate locally and don't depend on the service.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why is there no XLS or spreadsheet option on my answer?">
    The XLS option only appears when the answer contains a table. Plain-text answers offer PDF, DOC, Text, and Markdown.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What's the difference between Text and Markdown?">
    Text strips formatting to plain prose. Markdown keeps the structure (headings, bold, lists, tables) as Markdown syntax, which is ideal for pasting into another Markdown-aware tool.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>