How to Export Your MyAnimeList Data (2026 Guide)
Step-by-step guide to exporting your MyAnimeList data in 2026: where the export page lives, how to open the .xml.gz file, what the XML actually includes, and where to import your
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To export your MyAnimeList data: sign in at myanimelist.net in a browser, go to the export page at myanimelist.net/panel.php?go=export, select Anime List, and click Export My List. Run it a second time with Manga List selected if you keep one. Each download is a compressed XML file ending in .xml.gz. No premium account, no waiting period, about two minutes total.
That is the procedure. The rest of this guide covers the part most walkthroughs skip: the .gz wrapper that makes the file look broken, what the XML actually carries and what stays behind, and where to take your list once you have it.
If you are running this export because you are leaving, you are in good company. The reasons people cite have not changed in years: an aging interface, ads, and a list that lives on one site while the rest of your taste lives everywhere else. We compare the destinations properly in the best MyAnimeList alternatives. Whatever you decide, the export comes first. Get the file while it is one click away.
What the export includes, and what it leaves behind
The XML is a full snapshot of your list. Each entry carries:
- Status: watching, completed, on hold, dropped, or plan to watch
- Your score, on MAL’s 10-point scale
- Episodes watched, including partial progress on airing shows
- Start and finish dates, when you set them
- Rewatch count, so your third run through a favorite survives
- Tags and comments, the private notes most people forget they wrote
- The MAL database ID for every entry, which is what lets importers match titles reliably instead of guessing from names
Movies live on your anime list too, so a film like Spirited Away exports right alongside your series.
Now the gaps, because there are real ones:
- Favorites stay behind. The curated row on your profile is a profile feature, and it is not in the file.
- Reviews and forum posts do not travel. If you wrote long reviews, copy them out by hand before you close anything.
- Friends, clubs, and interest stacks are all tied to MAL itself. No destination can inherit them.
- Anime and manga are separate exports. One file each. People miss the second one constantly, then discover a hole in their reading history months later.
For most people the XML holds everything that matters: the list, the scores, the dates, the progress. Decide whether any of the rest is worth a screenshot before you delete anything.
The export, step by step
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Sign in at myanimelist.net in a browser. The export lives on the website, so use a computer or a mobile browser rather than the app.
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Go to the export page. The direct address is myanimelist.net/panel.php?go=export. You can also reach it from your list page via the import and export links.
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Select Anime List and click Export My List. The file downloads as something like animelist_yourusername.xml.gz.
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Repeat with Manga List selected if you track manga. This is the step every abandoned guide forgets, and it is the difference between a full backup and half of one.
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Extract the file. More on this below, because it is where most exports appear to go wrong.
The gzip quirk most guides skip
The file MAL hands you is not a plain XML file. It is gzip-compressed, which is why it ends in .xml.gz, and why the most common export complaint is some version of “the file is corrupted.”
It is not corrupted. On a Mac, double-click it and the real .xml appears next to it. On Windows, double-clicking often fails; open it with 7-Zip, WinRAR, or the tar command instead. On a phone, this is fiddly enough that using a computer is genuinely faster.
Extract it even if you think you do not need to. Some importers accept the compressed file directly, others reject it with an error that never mentions compression. A raw .xml works everywhere, so extracting first removes a whole category of confusing failure.
Once extracted, you can sanity-check it in any text editor. You will see a block per entry, with lines like series_title and my_score. Two details worth knowing: titles are wrapped in CDATA markers, which is normal XML and not damage, and every entry carries an update_on_import flag, which MAL’s own importer uses to update existing entries if you ever load the file back into a MAL account. That second detail means the export doubles as a real backup: it can restore your list to a fresh MAL account, which is more than many trackers offer.
Check the file before you trust it
Three checks worth two minutes:
Find a series you finished years ago. Search the XML for something like Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood and confirm the status, score, and dates match what you remember. Old entries are where a stalled export shows first.
Check partial progress on something current. An airing or recently finished series, say Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End, should show the exact episode you are on. If progress numbers look wrong, re-export before you import anywhere.
Count roughly. Your list page shows total entries; the file should have a matching number of anime blocks. A file that ends abruptly mid-entry means a partial download, and requesting it again usually fixes it.
Then store a copy somewhere that is not your Downloads folder. This file may be a decade of watching in portable form. Treat it like the backup it is.
Where to take your MyAnimeList export
Four destinations cover most people leaving, and the right one depends on whether anime is your whole library or one shelf of it. The best MyAnimeList alternatives breakdown goes deeper on each.
AniList
The standard modern destination. Upload your XML in AniList’s settings under the import section, and your list arrives with scores, status, and episode counts intact. Anime and manga import separately, which is why you exported two files. AniList converts your 10-point scores into whatever scoring system you use there, and its third-party app ecosystem is the strongest of any anime tracker. Free. The full head to head is in AniList vs MyAnimeList.
Anime-Planet
The discovery specialist. Anime-Planet accepts MAL XML imports directly and is the better fit if recommendations and browsing matter more to you than stats. It covers anime and manga both. Free, and actively maintained.
Kitsu: read this before you import
Kitsu still has a MAL importer, and this is where we save you a migration. Kitsu is effectively inactive as of 2026: development stalled years ago, the apps have decayed, and nothing suggests that changes. The importer usually works, but importing a library into an unmaintained platform means running this whole export again later, from a site with less certain exits than MAL’s. If you were weighing it, AniList vs MyAnimeList covers why AniList won this race.
Achriom
Achriom imports your MyAnimeList export, and your anime lands in a library that also holds your films, TV, books, and albums. From there the AI librarian reads across the whole collection: what your 10s share with your five-star novels, which films rhyme with the series you finish fastest, what to watch next based on everything you track rather than your anime list alone. Private by default, with no followers and no feed, and a full export back out whenever you want one. Free to start, with Pro at $9.99 a month for heavier AI use.
You are moving your anime list today, and your films, books, and albums will each hand you this same afternoon eventually. Achriom is one library for all of it: shows, films, books, albums, and anime, with an AI librarian that connects them and a full export back out any time. One migration instead of one per format. Free to start, no card.
Import your MAL export →Quick comparison
| App | MAL import | Scope | Status in 2026 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| AniList | XML upload | Anime + manga | Active | Free |
| Anime-Planet | XML upload | Anime + manga | Active | Free |
| Kitsu | XML upload | Anime + manga | Effectively inactive | Free |
| Achriom | MAL export file | Anime, films, TV, books, albums | Active | Free / $9.99 mo |
Which should you use?
Use AniList if: you want a straight replacement for MAL. The import is painless, the interface is modern, and the surrounding app ecosystem is the best in anime tracking.
Use Anime-Planet if: discovery is the point. Its recommendation engine and browsing are stronger than its stats, and it handles manga well.
Skip Kitsu. The importer works, but development stopped in 2024 and the mobile apps are gone from the stores. Building a new library on an unmaintained site turns one migration into two.
Use Achriom if: anime is one part of your taste rather than all of it. Importing everything into one library means this is the last migration you run, and the librarian gets more interesting the more of your collection it can see. Our guide to the best apps to track anime covers where it fits among the specialists.
Nothing stops you from trying two. The XML does not expire, and importing it anywhere leaves your MAL account untouched.
If you are deleting your MAL account
Order matters here, because MAL account deletion is permanent and there is no grace period for retrieving a list you forgot to export.
- Export both files, anime and manga, and extract them.
- Run the three checks above and confirm the entries are all there.
- Copy out any reviews you wrote and screenshot your favorites row.
- Import into your new app and spot-check that a few series landed with the right scores and episode counts.
- Then delete, if you still want to.
There is no rush on step five. A dormant MAL account costs nothing and keeps your list alive as a fallback while the new library beds in. Plenty of people leave the account standing for a year and never miss it.
The honest answer
Exporting from MyAnimeList is free, fast, and more complete than its reputation suggests. The XML carries your scores, dates, progress, rewatches, and private notes, keyed to database IDs that make imports reliable. The only real friction is the .gz wrapper, and now you know it is compression rather than corruption. The real losses are social: favorites, reviews, forum history. Those were always tied to the site.
Where to go depends on scope. AniList is the faithful replacement, Anime-Planet is the discovery pick, Kitsu is a door worth walking past, and Achriom is the option if you want your anime understood alongside your films, books, and albums as one taste instead of separate lists. Whichever you pick, keep the file. MAL hands your history back in a format its own importer can restore, and that is a standard worth holding every tracker to. The Goodreads export guide and the Letterboxd export guide exist for the same reason.
Common questions
How do I export my MyAnimeList data?
Sign in at myanimelist.net in a browser and go to myanimelist.net/panel.php?go=export. Select Anime List, click Export My List, and download the file. Run it again with Manga List selected if you keep one. The whole process is free and takes about two minutes.
Why does my export end in .xml.gz instead of .xml?
The file is gzip-compressed. Double-click it on a Mac to extract, or use 7-Zip on Windows. Extract it before uploading anywhere, since some importers reject the compressed file with errors that never explain the actual problem.
Does the export include my manga list?
Only if you export it separately. Anime and manga are two different exports from the same page, one file each. Grabbing only the anime file is the single most common way people end up with half a backup.
Can I import my MAL export into AniList?
Yes. Upload the XML in AniList’s settings under the import section. Anime and manga import separately, scores convert to your chosen rating system, and episode progress carries over. It takes a few minutes for even a large list.
Is Kitsu still a good place to import my list?
No. The importer exists and usually works, but Kitsu is effectively inactive as of 2026, so a library moved there will need moving again. AniList and Anime-Planet are the maintained anime-focused destinations.
Can Achriom import my MyAnimeList data?
Yes. Achriom imports your MAL export and places your anime in a library alongside your films, TV, books, and albums, where the AI librarian can reason across all of it. Your MAL account is untouched by the import, so there is no need to delete anything until you are ready.