Both sites let you download your own games as PGN, free. You need nothing more than your username and a browser.
From Lichess
- Open your profile on lichess.org.Games on Lichess are public, so you can do this without signing in.
- Choose Export games from the profile menu.You can pick a date range, colour, rated or casual games, and a time control.
- Download.Lichess builds one .pgn file with every game you chose.
Lichess also offers every user's games as a plain web address, which is handy for very large downloads: https://lichess.org/api/games/user/your-username. Opening it in a browser downloads your games as PGN.
From Chess.com
- Open your game archive on chess.com.From your profile, choose Games, or go to the archive page.
- Select the games you want.Filter by date or type, then tick the games.
- Choose Download.Chess.com saves the games as a .pgn file.
Chess.com also publishes each month of a player's games at an address like https://api.chess.com/pub/player/your-username/games/2026/10/pgn, which downloads that month as PGN.
Large files
Years of blitz can mean tens of thousands of games. A few things help:
- Download one year, or one time control, at a time.
- Leave out bullet games if you only want to study slower ones.
- If a file will not open, check it with a PGN checker first; one damaged game can stop some programs.
Into Plyfolio
- Choose Add game, then Import file.Pick the .pgn from Files, Downloads, Google Drive or iCloud.
- Check the count.Plyfolio says how many games it found and which, if any, need a look.
- Choose a folder.Online games is a good home, separate from your club games.
- Match players.Your online name is matched to you only if you say so.
Keeping online and club games apart
Online and over-the-board chess are different games for results: different time controls, different opponents, different ratings. Plyfolio keeps online games in their own folder and leaves them out of your over-the-board results unless you choose to include them. Lichess and Chess.com ratings go on their own rating tracks, never mixed with ECF or FIDE.
Written 4 November 2026. Websites move their buttons; if a step no longer matches, the site's own help pages will have the current way. Lichess and Chess.com are named for clarity; Plyfolio is not connected with either.