Apple Personal Data Download: How To Get Your Stuff

As of this week, users are able to download a copy of their Apple data, including most of the history they've got with the company digitally. That includes the data you store with Apple too, including calendars, photos, documents, and more. This data download is very similar to what Google offers with Google Takeout, and both services are entirely free to use.

With the initial release of the Apple Data and Privacy page, users were invited to log in with their Apple ID. Once inside, the page displayed a Manage Your Data header with several options. Users could get a copy of their data, correct their data, deactivate their account, or delete their account.

With "get a copy of your data," Apple allows the download of one whole heck of a lot of data all at once. Users will find "App usage and activity information as spreadsheets or files in JSON, CSV, XML, or PDF format" and contacts, calendars, and bookmarks in VCF, ICS, and HTML format. All documents, photos, and videos are available in their original format.

Included in the first mix of info was the option to checkmark the following categories. This was the list as of October 18th, 2018:

• App Store, iTunes Store, iBooks Store, Apple Music activity

• Apple ID account and device information

• Apple Online and Retail Stores activity

• Apple Online and Retail Stores activity

• AppleCare support history, repair requests

• Game Center activity

• iCloud Bookmarks and reading list

• iCloud Calendars and Reminders

• iCloud Contacts

• iCloud Notes

• Maps

• Marketing subscriptions, downloads, and other activity

• "Other data"

Apple also listed the following categories of data download, but included a disclaimer. Apple wrote: "The following items may be large and take a long time to download." These categories were as follows as of October 18th, 2018:

• iCloud Drive files and documents

• iCloud Mail

• iCloud Photos

This set of downloads notably abstains from including the following sorts of downloads and datasets: "Your download will not include App, book, movie, TV show, or music purchases."

OK but how, though: To get to Apple's "get a copy of your data" download service, head over to Apple Data and Privacy. To get in, you'll need your Apple ID and password. This is the same ID and password you'd use to log in to any Apple app store and/or the iTunes music store, etcetera.

Apple's data download service included the following disclaimer as of October 18th, 2018. "Select the data you'd like to download, and we'll prepare a copy for you. This process may take up to seven days. To ensure the security of your data, we use this time to verify that the request was made by you."