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How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone and Android

WhatsApp can save any chat as a file in under a minute. Here are the exact taps, which option to pick, and what to do when the file does not appear. Updated September 14, 2026.

On iPhone

1. Open WhatsApp and open the chat you want to save.
2. Tap the contact's name at the top of the chat.
3. Scroll to the bottom and tap Export Chat.
4. Choose Without Media.
5. In the share sheet, tap Save to Files and pick a folder. You get a .zip file named after the chat.

On Android

1. Open WhatsApp and open the chat.
2. Tap the three dots in the top right corner, then More.
3. Tap Export chat, then Without media.
4. Pick where the file goes: save it to your phone, to Google Drive, or email it to yourself. You get a .txt file.

With media or without media?

Choose Without media. The file then holds only the text of every message with its date, time and sender, so it stays small and can include far more of your history. Photos, voice notes and videos make the export much larger, and WhatsApp keeps fewer messages when media is attached.

What is inside the file

One line per message, in the form date, time, name, then the text. Deleted messages and system notices such as "Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted" appear as their own lines. On iPhone the text file sits inside a .zip; you do not need to unzip it to use it with Texts of Us.

If the export does not work

• No Export Chat option. Update WhatsApp from the App Store or Google Play and try again.
• The file is not where you expected. On iPhone open the Files app and search for "WhatsApp Chat". On Android look in Downloads or in the app you shared it to.
• The export takes long or fails. Make sure you chose Without media, and that the phone has free storage.