# Export Messages

**URL:** <https://community.graylog.org/t/export-messages/5887>\
**Category:** Graylog Central (peer support)\
**Created:** [July 5, 2018, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.graylog.org/t/export-messages/5887 "2018-07-05T14:50:56Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![johnsayce](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@johnsayce](https://community.graylog.org/u/johnsayce)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 2:50pm UTC](https://community.graylog.org/t/export-messages/5887/1 "2018-07-05T14:50:56Z")

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Hi,

I’d like to export the raw message data. CSV Export is okay but it adds a timestamp and puts the message data in quotation marks but I’d like to refine this further. I’ve had a quick google but the best I can see is from 2014 and it says to create an output plugin. Is that still my best bet or will there be one in the market place? Or is there a better way?

Thanks

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**Author:** ![jochen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.graylog.org/jochen/32/8_2.png) [@jochen](https://community.graylog.org/u/jochen)\
**Post date:** [July 5, 2018, 3:00pm UTC](https://community.graylog.org/t/export-messages/5887/2 "2018-07-05T15:00:03Z")

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> [@johnsayce](#):
>
> CSV Export is okay but it adds a timestamp and puts the message data in quotation marks but I’d like to refine this further.

CSV export is the best you can do without further customizing Graylog with a plugin.

You could also try using the [STDOUT output](https://github.com/Graylog2/graylog2-server/blob/2.4.5/graylog2-server/src/main/java/org/graylog2/outputs/LoggingOutput.java) and create a [custom appender](https://logging.apache.org/log4j/2.x/manual/appenders.html) for `org.graylog2.outputs.LoggingOutput` in the `log4j2.xml` file, but that has the caveat that it only works for new incoming messages and you would need to post-process the output, too.

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**Author:** ![system](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/uploads/graylog/original/3X/c/7/c7c09c6b5099570133d6502b83f50ba4430de5b6.png) [@system](https://community.graylog.org/u/system)\
**Post date:** [July 19, 2018, 3:01pm UTC](https://community.graylog.org/t/export-messages/5887/3 "2018-07-19T15:01:14Z")

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Closed on July 19, 2018, 3:01pm UTC

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