diff --git a/src/components/exporter/exporter.js b/src/components/exporter/exporter.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..2ae9492cb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/exporter/exporter.js
@@ -0,0 +1,47 @@
+const Exporter = {
+  props: {
+    getContent: {
+      type: Function,
+      required: true
+    },
+    filename: {
+      type: String,
+      default: 'export.csv'
+    },
+    exportButtonLabel: {
+      type: String,
+      default () {
+        return this.$t('exporter.export')
+      }
+    },
+    processingMessage: {
+      type: String,
+      default () {
+        return this.$t('exporter.processing')
+      }
+    }
+  },
+  data () {
+    return {
+      processing: false
+    }
+  },
+  methods: {
+    process () {
+      this.processing = true
+      this.getContent()
+        .then((content) => {
+          const fileToDownload = document.createElement('a')
+          fileToDownload.setAttribute('href', 'data:text/plain;charset=utf-8,' + encodeURIComponent(content))
+          fileToDownload.setAttribute('download', this.filename)
+          fileToDownload.style.display = 'none'
+          document.body.appendChild(fileToDownload)
+          fileToDownload.click()
+          document.body.removeChild(fileToDownload)
+          setTimeout(() => { this.processing = false }, 2000)
+        })
+    }
+  }
+}
+
+export default Exporter
diff --git a/src/components/exporter/exporter.vue b/src/components/exporter/exporter.vue
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..f22e579e5f
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/components/exporter/exporter.vue
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+<template>
+  <div class="exporter">
+    <div v-if="processing">
+      <i class="icon-spin4 animate-spin exporter-processing"></i>
+      <span>{{processingMessage}}</span>
+    </div>
+    <button class="btn btn-default" @click="process" v-else>{{exportButtonLabel}}</button>
+  </div>
+</template>
+
+<script src="./exporter.js"></script>
+
+<style lang="scss">
+.exporter {
+  &-processing {
+    font-size: 1.5em;
+    margin: 0.25em;
+  }
+}
+</style>
diff --git a/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.js b/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.js
index c42147447f..d40301f225 100644
--- a/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.js
+++ b/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import ProgressButton from '../progress_button/progress_button.vue'
 import EmojiInput from '../emoji-input/emoji-input.vue'
 import Autosuggest from '../autosuggest/autosuggest.vue'
 import Importer from '../importer/importer.vue'
+import Exporter from '../exporter/exporter.vue'
 import withSubscription from '../../hocs/with_subscription/with_subscription'
 import userSearchApi from '../../services/new_api/user_search.js'
 
@@ -41,7 +42,6 @@ const UserSettings = {
       hideFollowers: this.$store.state.users.currentUser.hide_followers,
       showRole: this.$store.state.users.currentUser.show_role,
       role: this.$store.state.users.currentUser.role,
-      enableFollowsExport: true,
       pickAvatarBtnVisible: true,
       bannerUploading: false,
       backgroundUploading: false,
@@ -73,7 +73,8 @@ const UserSettings = {
     BlockCard,
     MuteCard,
     ProgressButton,
-    Importer
+    Importer,
+    Exporter
   },
   computed: {
     user () {
@@ -250,38 +251,19 @@ const UserSettings = {
           }
         })
     },
-    /* This function takes an Array of Users
-     * and outputs a file with all the addresses for the user to download
-     */
-    exportPeople (users, filename) {
-      // Get all the friends addresses
-      var UserAddresses = users.map(function (user) {
-        // check is it's a local user
-        if (user && user.is_local) {
-          // append the instance address
-          // eslint-disable-next-line no-undef
-          user.screen_name += '@' + location.hostname
-        }
-        return user.screen_name
-      }).join('\n')
-      // Make the user download the file
-      var fileToDownload = document.createElement('a')
-      fileToDownload.setAttribute('href', 'data:text/plain;charset=utf-8,' + encodeURIComponent(UserAddresses))
-      fileToDownload.setAttribute('download', filename)
-      fileToDownload.style.display = 'none'
-      document.body.appendChild(fileToDownload)
-      fileToDownload.click()
-      document.body.removeChild(fileToDownload)
-    },
-    exportFollows () {
-      this.enableFollowsExport = false
-      this.$store.state.api.backendInteractor
-        .exportFriends({
-          id: this.$store.state.users.currentUser.id
-        })
+    getFollowsContent () {
+      return this.$store.state.api.backendInteractor.exportFriends({ id: this.$store.state.users.currentUser.id })
         .then((friendList) => {
-          this.exportPeople(friendList, 'friends.csv')
-          setTimeout(() => { this.enableFollowsExport = true }, 2000)
+          // Get all the friends addresses
+          return friendList.map((user) => {
+            // check is it's a local user
+            if (user && user.is_local) {
+              // append the instance address
+              // eslint-disable-next-line no-undef
+              return user.screen_name + '@' + location.hostname
+            }
+            return user.screen_name
+          }).join('\n')
         })
     },
     confirmDelete () {
diff --git a/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.vue b/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.vue
index 520a3d8a36..ef77aabaf2 100644
--- a/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.vue
+++ b/src/components/user_settings/user_settings.vue
@@ -173,12 +173,9 @@
             <p>{{$t('settings.import_followers_from_a_csv_file')}}</p>
             <Importer :submitHandler="importFollows" :successMessage="$t('settings.follows_imported')" :errorMessage="$t('settings.follow_import_error')" />
           </div>
-          <div class="setting-item" v-if="enableFollowsExport">
+          <div class="setting-item">
             <h2>{{$t('settings.follow_export')}}</h2>
-            <button class="btn btn-default" @click="exportFollows">{{$t('settings.follow_export_button')}}</button>
-          </div>
-          <div class="setting-item" v-else>
-            <h2>{{$t('settings.follow_export_processing')}}</h2>
+            <Exporter :getContent="getFollowsContent" filename="friends.csv" :exportButtonLabel="$t('settings.follow_export_button')" />
           </div>
           <div class="setting-item">
             <h2>{{$t('settings.block_import')}}</h2>
diff --git a/src/i18n/en.json b/src/i18n/en.json
index d4ec1134c5..10283024d7 100644
--- a/src/i18n/en.json
+++ b/src/i18n/en.json
@@ -2,6 +2,10 @@
   "chat": {
     "title": "Chat"
   },
+  "exporter": {
+    "export": "Export",
+    "processing": "Processing, you'll soon be asked to download your file"
+  },
   "features_panel": {
     "chat": "Chat",
     "gopher": "Gopher",
@@ -161,7 +165,6 @@
     "filtering_explanation": "All statuses containing these words will be muted, one per line",
     "follow_export": "Follow export",
     "follow_export_button": "Export your follows to a csv file",
-    "follow_export_processing": "Processing, you'll soon be asked to download your file",
     "follow_import": "Follow import",
     "follow_import_error": "Error importing followers",
     "follows_imported": "Follows imported! Processing them will take a while.",