WhatsApp export guide
How to export a WhatsApp chat
WhatsApp can save any chat as a text file that you can keep, email or open in another app. It takes a few taps on Android or iPhone. Here's how, what the file contains, and what to do when the option is missing.
Export a chat on Android
- Open the chat you want to export.
- Tap ⋮ (More options) in the top-right corner.
- Tap More, then Export chat.
- Choose Without media or Include media.
- Pick an app from the share sheet, such as Gmail, Google Drive or ChatChemistry.
Export a chat on iPhone
- Open the chat you want to export.
- Tap the contact's or group's name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
- Choose Without Media or Attach Media.
- Pick where it goes from the share sheet, such as Mail, Save to Files or AirDrop.
Should you include media?
Without media exports just the messages, as a small text file. Include media also attaches recent photos, videos and voice notes, which makes the file far bigger and slower to share.
To read, archive or analyze a conversation, Without media is all you need.
What's in the export file?
Each line is one message: the date and time, the sender's name, then the text. Android saves a .txt file; iPhone wraps it in a .zip. Without media, each photo or attachment is replaced by a short note such as “<Media omitted>”.
The export is a copy, not a backup. WhatsApp can't import it back, so use WhatsApp's own chat backup if you're moving to a new phone. Very long chats can also hit WhatsApp's export limit, so the file may not hold the whole history.
Export chat is missing?
The most common reason is Advanced Chat Privacy, a WhatsApp setting that blocks exporting a chat. To check it, tap the chat's name, then Advanced chat privacy. The chat can only be exported once the setting is off.
If that's not it, update WhatsApp from Google Play or the App Store and try again.