A complete, step-by-step guide to export your WhatsApp chats on Android, iPhone, and WhatsApp Web — with or without media, and saved as a TXT, PDF, HTML, or CSV file. Plus the fastest way to export full conversations and contacts from your computer.
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On Android: Open the chat → tap the ⋮ menu → More → Export chat → choose Include media or Without media → pick where to save or send it.
On iPhone: Open the chat → tap the contact or group name at the top → scroll down → Export Chat → choose Attach Media or Without Media → share or save the file.
On WhatsApp Web / desktop: there is no built-in export button — use the free WAexport extension to export any chat to HTML, CSV, PDF, or TXT.
Exporting a chat in WhatsApp creates a portable copy of a conversation you can read, search, print, or store outside the app. People export WhatsApp chats to keep a backup before switching phones, to save a record for legal or work reasons, to archive a family or group conversation, or to pull data into a spreadsheet.
WhatsApp has a built-in Export chat feature on Android and iPhone that produces a .txt file (optionally with a media ZIP). It works, but it has real limits: it caps the number of messages, has no formatting, can't export from WhatsApp Web, and can't pull contact lists. Below you'll find both the native method and the more powerful browser-based method, so you can choose what fits your needs.
Use this method to export a single chat or a group conversation directly from the WhatsApp app on any Android phone.
Tip: Exporting "Without media" lets you save far more messages and is best if you only need the text of the conversation. Choose "Include media" when photos and videos matter for your record.
On iOS, the Export Chat option lives inside the contact or group info screen rather than the main menu.
Good to know: The exported file is a plain .txt transcript. To turn it into a clean, readable document, you can open it and use Print → Save as PDF, or use WAexport on WhatsApp Web for a formatted export.
When you export a WhatsApp chat, you choose whether to include attachments. This choice also affects how many messages WhatsApp will export:
You get a single .txt file containing the text of the conversation, including timestamps and sender names. WhatsApp exports up to roughly 40,000 messages this way. Best for long chats, archiving, and importing into other tools.
You get the .txt transcript plus the photos, videos, and voice notes bundled in a ZIP. Because attachments are large, WhatsApp limits this to about 10,000 of the most recent messages. Best when the images and videos are part of the record you need.
Hitting the export limit? The 40,000 / 10,000 message cap is a hard limit of WhatsApp's native export. To export an entire long-running conversation in one readable file, use the WAexport browser extension on WhatsApp Web.
WhatsApp doesn't drop the file into a folder automatically. After you tap Export chat, it opens a share sheet so you decide the destination — email the chat to yourself, save it to Google Drive or Files / iCloud Drive, send it to Notes, or transfer it to your computer.
WhatsApp's own app has no direct "export to PDF" button — but the WAexport extension does. Two ways to get a PDF:
1. From WhatsApp Web (recommended): with the WAexport extension, simply choose PDF as the export format and download a clean, formatted PDF with chat bubbles and images — no extra steps.
2. From the native .txt export: open the exported text file on your phone or computer and use Print → Save as PDF.
Exporting a group works exactly like a single chat — open the group, then use Export chat (Android) or Export Chat under the group name (iPhone). If you also need the group's contact list (names and numbers of members), the native export can't do that. WAexport can export group contacts in one click.
Here's the catch many people run into: WhatsApp Web and the WhatsApp desktop app have no built-in Export chat option. There is no menu item to download a conversation from your computer.
The fix is a lightweight Chrome extension called WAexport. It adds an export button right inside WhatsApp Web, so you can download any chat — or many chats at once — straight to your PC or Mac in the format you want, no phone needed.
WAexport is a free Chrome extension that exports WhatsApp Web conversations and contacts to HTML, CSV, PDF, or TXT — far beyond the limits of WhatsApp's built-in export. Here's exactly what it can do.
Export every chat and group in one go, or filter by WhatsApp labels to select a specific group of conversations to export.
Set a start and end date so you only export the messages from the period you actually need — a single month, a project window, or the full history.
Export to HTML (formatted, with chat bubbles and images), CSV (for spreadsheets), PDF (ready to print or share), or TXT (a plain archive).
Include all photos, videos, and voice notes. An advanced option even downloads unresolved media that WhatsApp Web normally won't show — so nothing is left out of your export.
Turn on auto-scroll to the top and WhatsApp Web refreshes to pull older messages from your phone. It takes more time, but it's how you capture old chats that most exports miss — very useful for full backups.
Download all your chats as separate individual files, or combine everything into a single file — whichever is easier to store and search.
Don't need the messages? Export just the contacts. WAexport can pull a clean contact list without exporting any conversations.
Export all contacts that exist in your WhatsApp — across every group, plus both saved and unsaved chats, in one export.
When exporting group contacts, select all groups, multiple groups, or just a single group — your choice.
Build the file your way: include Name, phone, last message date, last message, chat name, group name — or any combination of these fields.
| Feature | WhatsApp built-in export | WAexport extension |
|---|---|---|
| Works on phone | Yes (Android & iPhone) | Uses WhatsApp Web on your computer |
| Works on WhatsApp Web / desktop | No | Yes |
| Export formats | TXT only (+ media ZIP) | HTML, CSV, PDF, and TXT |
| Message limit | ~40,000 (no media) / ~10,000 (with media) | No manual per-export cap |
| Filter by label & date range | No | Yes — select by WhatsApp label and date range |
| Loads old chats from your phone | No | Yes — auto-scroll refreshes WhatsApp Web |
| Media coverage | Recent media in ZIP | All media, incl. unresolved media WhatsApp Web hides |
| Export contact lists | No | Yes — all contacts, saved & unsaved, custom columns |
| Bulk export many chats | No — one chat at a time | Yes — as individual files or one combined file |
| Readable, formatted output | Plain text | Formatted HTML with bubbles & images |
| Price | Free | Free |
Save important conversations to your computer before you change devices or accounts, so nothing is lost in the move.
Produce a readable, timestamped archive of a conversation for disputes, audits, or internal investigations. The HTML export preserves the original chat structure.
Export contact lists from WhatsApp groups to build lead lists or import members into your CRM — without copying names one by one.
Collect structured exports of group conversations or interview threads that you can analyze in a spreadsheet or cite later.
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"I manage 15 WhatsApp groups for my business. WAexport saves me hours every week pulling contact lists and exporting chats."
WhatsApp's native export creates a local file and lets you choose where it goes. The WAexport extension goes a step further: it processes everything locally in your browser. Your chats and contacts are never uploaded to external servers, never sold, and never used for advertising.
On Android, open the chat, tap the three-dot menu, tap More, then Export chat, and choose Include media or Without media. On iPhone, open the chat, tap the contact or group name, scroll down and tap Export Chat. WhatsApp then lets you email, save, or share the exported file.
Yes. When you tap Export chat, WhatsApp asks whether to Include Media or export Without Media. Including media attaches photos and videos in a ZIP but is limited to about 10,000 of the most recent messages. Without media exports up to 40,000 messages as a plain .txt file.
WhatsApp's own app has no direct PDF export, but the free WAexport extension does. On WhatsApp Web, open WAexport and choose PDF as the export format to download a clean, formatted PDF with chat bubbles and images. Alternatively, export the native .txt file and use Print → Save as PDF.
WhatsApp Web and the desktop app have no built-in Export chat button. To export a conversation on your computer, install the free WAexport Chrome extension, open WhatsApp Web, and export any chat to HTML, CSV, PDF, or TXT — including bulk exports and contact lists.
WhatsApp's built-in export is capped at roughly 40,000 messages without media and about 10,000 messages when media is included. For longer conversations or full archives, a browser extension like WAexport on WhatsApp Web removes this manual limit.
Exporting a group chat works the same as a single chat: open the group and use Export chat (Android) or Export Chat under the group name (iPhone). The native export can't export the group's member list, so to export group contacts (names and numbers) use the WAexport extension on WhatsApp Web.
WhatsApp doesn't save the export to a folder automatically. After you tap Export chat, it opens a share sheet so you can email the file to yourself, save it to Google Drive or Files, or send it to another app or your computer.
WhatsApp's native export creates a local file and you choose where to send it. The WAexport extension processes everything locally in your browser and never uploads your chats or contacts to external servers.
Yes. The built-in Export chat feature works on both regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business. WAexport works with WhatsApp Web, which supports both account types.
Use the built-in steps on your phone, or add WAexport to export full chats and contacts from WhatsApp Web. Free, private, no account required.
Add WAexport to Chrome — Free