How to back up an Airtable base for free (CSV, schema and attachments)

Description and use

Create a read‑only token, use browser tools to export tables, schema and attachments, or run the Node.js script to obtain a full backup of an Airtable base.

Problem

Airtable’s built‑in safety does not guarantee a personal copy; accidental deletions, bulk edits or lost logins can destroy data. A backup must include records, schema and attachments.

Outcome

The backup contains complete data, schema, and attachments, enabling restoration without Airtable. The process is free and can be run manually or automated.

Workflow

• Create a read‑only personal access token with scopes data.records:read and schema.bases:read.
• Run the Base to CSV tool to download all tables as CSVs in a ZIP.
• Run the Schema export tool to get a data dictionary (CSV/Markdown/JSON).
• Run the Attachment downloader to fetch all files into a ZIP with a manifest CSV.
• Optionally run the Record counter to gauge size and limits.
• For full automation, set AIRTABLE_TOKEN and BASE_ID environment variables and execute the provided Node.js script (backup.mjs).

Evidence

A complete backup of a base has three parts, and most people only save the first: Records, Schema, Attachments.

Source

If the view has filters or hidden fields, the CSV has them too, so you can silently miss records or columns.

Source

Attachment URLs expire after about two hours.

Source

The Node.js script (version 18 or newer, no dependencies) saves the schema, every table as JSON, and every attachment.

Source