Guides

How to export a WhatsApp chat

In short

Open the chat. On iPhone, tap the contact’s name. On Android, tap the three dots, then More. Tap Export chat, choose Without media, and save the file.

To export a WhatsApp chat, open the chat and find Export chat.

On iPhone it is on the contact’s info screen. On Android it is under the three dots, then More.

Choose Without media to get a small file with only the text.

Export a chat on iPhone

Pictures are illustrations, not screenshots. Menu names are WhatsApp’s own.

1
Open the chat.
Open WhatsApp and tap the chat you want to export.
2
Tap the contact’s name at the top.
Their info screen opens.
3
Tap Export chat.
Scroll down if you do not see it right away.
4
Choose Without media.
If the chat has photos or videos, you see three options: With all media, With selected media and Without media.
5
Choose where to save it.
Save to Files is the easiest. You can also send it in Message or save it in Notes.
You now have a .zip file with your chat inside.

Export a chat on Android

Pictures are illustrations, not screenshots. Menu names are WhatsApp’s own.

1
Open the chat.
Open WhatsApp and tap the chat you want to export.
2
Tap the three dots at the top right.
This is the More options menu.
3
Tap More, then Export chat.
4
Tap Without media.
The other choice is Include media.
5
Choose where to send it.
Pick an app to save or share the file, for example Google Drive or your email.
You now have a .txt file with your chat. Some phones make a .zip file instead.

Without media or include media?

Without media gives you a text file. Photos, videos and voice notes show as one short line, like “<Media omitted>”.

Include media adds the files too. The export gets much bigger and can take a long time to send.

For a chat Wrapped, Without media is all you need. Photos still count as messages.

What the file looks like

Each message is one line with the date, the time, the name and the text. The format changes a little between iPhone and Android.

Example

15/01/24, 21:41 - Ana: are you awake?
15/01/24, 21:43 - Leo: yes 😄 call?
[15/01/24, 21:41:05] Ana: are you awake?

The first two lines are an Android export. The last line is the same message from an iPhone.

Now see your chat, wrapped

Add the file to the free Lovenido Wrapped and see who said I love you first, who texts more and who replies faster.

Make your free Wrapped

Your chat is analyzed on your device. It never leaves it.

If it does not work

I do not see Export chat

Update WhatsApp from the App Store or Google Play and try again. If the option is still missing, your phone or account may block it, for example on a work phone.

The file is too big to send

Export again and choose Without media. The text file is much smaller.

A tool says the file is not a WhatsApp export

Use the file exactly as WhatsApp made it. Opening it and saving it again in another app can change the format.

Old messages are missing

The export has the messages that are on this phone. If you moved to a new phone, it only has the history you restored from your backup.

Questions

Does the other person know I exported the chat?

WhatsApp’s help page does not mention any notice to the other person. Exporting makes a copy of the chat as a file.

Can I export a group chat?

Yes. The steps are the same for group chats. The Lovenido Wrapped reads chats between two people only.

Where is the file on my iPhone?

If you chose Save to Files, open the Files app and go to the folder you picked.

Is the exported file private?

The file has your whole chat in plain text. Keep it private and delete it when you are done. Lovenido reads it on your device and never uploads it.

Steps checked against WhatsApp’s help page on 2 November 2026. WhatsApp Help Center. Lovenido is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.