Seesaw guide

How to download your Seesaw journal — and what to do with the zip file

Every year, schools archive their Seesaw classes, and family access can close with little notice. If your child's teacher used Seesaw this year, you may only have until the end of the school year to download their photos, videos, and teacher notes, including every caption your child's teacher wrote. Here's how to do it.

Before you start

Two things to know upfront. Both will save you from going in circles:

Use a browser, not the app

Whether you're on desktop or phone, go to app.seesaw.me in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, not through the Seesaw app. The download option only appears on the web.

You need to be a connected family member

Your child's teacher must have added your email address to their account. If you've been receiving Seesaw updates by email, you're already connected.

How to download your child's Seesaw archive

Takes about a minute. Works on desktop and phone.

  1. Go to app.seesaw.me and sign in with the email connected to your child's account
  2. Click your name in the top corner
  3. Click the gear icon
  4. Click Account Settings
  5. Click Download Journal Archives
  6. Click Download Journal next to the class you want

Don't see "Download Journal Archives"? Your child's teacher hasn't enabled Family Access for downloads. Send them a quick message and ask them to turn it on. It's a one-click change on their end. For blank zips, missing photos, or downloads that fail, see Seesaw export not working.

Seesaw will prepare your archive and email you a download link when it's ready. It can take a few minutes for larger journals.

What you'll get

A zip file, organised by month. Inside each folder: the original photos, videos, and audio files, plus an HTML file for each post containing the teacher's captions and notes.

The honest truth: it's not a photo album. Files are named with long numeric strings, the HTML files need a browser to open, and the captions are tangled up with code. It's a data export. Useful to have, but not something you'll sit down and look through with your kid. If you want those photos and captions somewhere you'll actually use them, that's the next step.

On your phone?

You can do this on mobile, but not through the Seesaw app. Open your phone's browser (Safari or Chrome), go to app.seesaw.me, and follow the same steps above.

One thing to watch: the zip file can be very large. Make sure you have enough storage space on your phone before you start, or you'll hit a wall mid-download.

Common questions

Why can't I find the download option in the Seesaw app?
It isn't there. Journal downloads only exist on the web version. Open app.seesaw.me in a browser — Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, on desktop or phone — and follow the steps above.
Do I need the teacher to do anything first?
Two things must be true: your email is connected to your child's account (if you get Seesaw updates by email, it is), and the teacher has enabled Family Access downloads. If you don't see "Download Journal Archives", ask the teacher to turn it on — it's one click on their end.
How long does the download take?
Requesting it takes about a minute. Seesaw then prepares the archive and emails you a link when it's ready — a few minutes for most journals, longer for a full year with videos, which can run to several gigabytes. If something fails, see Seesaw export not working.
Does the download include the teacher's captions?
Yes, but not attached to the photos. Captions live in separate HTML files inside the zip. If you want them embedded in the photos themselves, that's what Little Archive does when it moves everything to Google Photos.

You did the hard part. We'll do the part Seesaw doesn't.

The manual export drops every teacher caption. Little Archive moves the same photos into Google Photos with captions baked in as metadata — searchable, and permanent.

See your photos first → $12.95 per journal · Preview before you pay

Most schools close Seesaw archive access in the weeks after the school year ends — if your child's year just wrapped up, don't wait. Here's what happens when access ends.

Not ready yet? Grab the free end-of-year checklist so you don't lose access.