How to save your Snapchat Memories before January 2027
The complete guide, step by step: request your export from Snapchat, download it, and keep the real date of every photo. You can do everything by hand, for free. Memora only automates the last step.
1. What changes in January 2027
Snapchat limits free Memories storage to 5 GB. Starting January 2027, Memories older than one year that go beyond this limit will be archived: you will still see the thumbnail, but to open or download the photo you will need a paid subscription, every month.
Your Memories are not deleted. But if you don't want to pay Snapchat every month, the simplest option is to keep a copy elsewhere, while the export is still free.
2. Request your Snapchat export
You request the export on Snapchat's website, from a computer or your phone's browser.
- Go to accounts.snapchat.com and log in to your Snapchat account.
- Open My Data.
- Select the option that exports your Memories. Also select the JSON files if they are offered: that's where the dates and locations are.
- For the date range, choose All time. Otherwise you will only get part of your Memories.
- Check the email address, then submit the request.
The exact labels sometimes change with new versions of Snapchat's website, but you will always find these three choices: Memories, JSON files and the date range.
Nobody needs your Snapchat password for this. If a website or app asks for it, be careful.
3. Wait for Snapchat's email
Snapchat emails you when the export is ready: from a few hours to a few days depending on its size. The email contains a link to the download page.
- Several files: a big export is split into several
mydata~….zipfiles of about 2 GB each. You need to get all of them; the last one is often smaller. - Limited time: the export is only available for a few days. After that, you need to request it again.
📅 Add a reminder to your calendar so you don't forget to come back.
4. Get your Memories, with the right dates
The catch: the dates
If you unzip the files by hand and copy the photos to your gallery, they often all show up dated the day you downloaded them. Your summer 2019 photo ends up filed under today, among thousands of others. The real dates and locations are in the export, but in a separate file (memories_history.json), not inside the photos themselves.
Another detail: Memories with text or stickers are often split into two files, the photo and a transparent layer on top.
Option A: by hand (free)
Download all the zips, unzip them, and keep the memories folder on a computer or a drive. It's free and enough to keep a copy. To restore the right dates, you need metadata software (like ExifTool) and some patience.
Option B: with Memora
Memora does this step for you: you paste the link of Snapchat's Download button, and each Memory is copied to Google Photos or Google Drive, with its real date and location written into the file. The transfer runs on our servers: you can close the page. The first 50 Memories are free, then it's a one-time payment, no subscription.
5. Get them in your iPhone gallery
Once your Memories are in Google Photos, they show up in the Google Photos app on your iPhone, sorted by their real date. To also have them in Apple's Photos app (iCloud), Google offers a free transfer: on Google Takeout, choose Google Photos, then the "iCloud Photos" destination (Apple's guide).
6. Frequently asked questions
Will my Memories be deleted?
No. Those over the limit will be archived: visible as thumbnails, but you will have to pay to open or download them. Making a copy doesn't delete anything from your Snapchat account.
What if I have less than 5 GB?
The archiving doesn't affect you for now. A copy elsewhere is still a good idea: an account can be lost, hacked or deleted.
Does the export include my chats?
Only if you select them. To save your photos, Memories and JSON files are enough.
My download link doesn't work anymore
Snapchat links expire quickly. Go back to the export page and copy the link again right before using it. If the export itself has expired, request it again.