What is in a WhatsApp chat export?

People export chats for many reasons: to keep a record before changing phones, to save a conversation with someone who has passed away, to collect messages for work, or to free up space. The export is a snapshot of the chat at that moment. This guide explains what the files contain, how the two kinds differ, and how to read them comfortably.

What files does a chat export contain?

There are two kinds of export. You choose between them when you export.

	Without media	With media
What you get	One .txt file	One .zip file
Messages	Up to the latest 40,000	Up to the latest 10,000
Photos, videos, voice notes	Not included; a placeholder line marks each one	Included as separate files inside the zip
Size	Usually small	Can be very large
Best for	Searching and reading text	Keeping the whole conversation

Inside a .zip export you usually find:

• The chat text. On iPhone it is called _chat.txt. On Android it is named after the chat, for example WhatsApp Chat with Sam.txt.
• Photos and stickers, such as 00000012-PHOTO-2023-05-12-10-47-18.jpg or IMG-20230513-WA0001.jpg.
• Videos, such as VID-20230513-WA0002.mp4.
• Voice notes, usually .opus audio files, such as PTT-20230513-WA0003.opus.
• Documents and contact cards that were shared in the chat.

What does a line in the chat file look like?

Each message starts with a date and a time, then the sender’s name, then the message. The exact layout depends on the phone and its language settings.

An iPhone export looks like this:

[12/05/23, 10:45:12 AM] John Doe: Hey there!
[12/05/23, 10:47:18 AM] Jane Smith: <attached: 00000012-PHOTO-2023-05-12-10-47-18.jpg>

An Android export looks like this:

12/05/23, 10:45 - John Doe: Hey there!
12/05/23, 10:47 - Jane Smith: IMG-20230512-WA0001.jpg (file attached)

Detail	iPhone	Android
Date and time	In square brackets, with seconds	No brackets, usually no seconds, followed by a dash
Attachment	<attached: file name>	file name (file attached)
Media left out	image omitted, video omitted	<Media omitted>
System events	Shown as a line from the chat name	Shown as a line with no sender

A message that spans several lines continues on the next lines without a date. Edited messages can end with <This message was edited>. Deleted ones show as This message was deleted or You deleted this message.

Why are dates sometimes confusing?

Exports write dates the way your phone’s language settings do. In the United States that is month first (5/12/23 is May 12). In most other countries it is day first (12/5/23 is 12 May). Some phones write the year first (2023-05-12).

The export doesn’t say which order it uses. A good viewer works it out from the dates themselves. If any day is above 12, the order is clear. If not, the viewer can check which reading keeps the messages in time order. When even that doesn’t decide it, the viewer should tell you and let you switch.

How do I export a chat?

1. 1

   Open the chat

   Open the conversation you want to save in WhatsApp on your phone.

2. 2

   Choose Export chat

   On iPhone, tap the chat name, scroll down and tap Export chat. On Android, tap More options (three dots), then More, then Export chat.

3. 3

   Decide about media

   Choose to include media for a .zip with photos and voice notes, or leave it out for a small .txt file.

4. 4

   Save the file

   Save the export to your phone's files, or send it to yourself so you can open it on a computer.

5. 5

   Open it in a viewer

   Open the Chat Export Viewer and add the .zip or .txt file to read it as a chat.

On iPhone, the media choice is called Attach media or Without media. On Android, it is Include media or Without media. Menu names can change between app versions.

The app limits how much goes into one export. With media, it includes up to the latest 10,000 messages and only the most recent photos, videos and voice notes. Without media, it includes up to the latest 40,000 messages. Older messages are left out, so export a very long chat soon rather than later.

How do I read a chat export?

You have three options.

1. A text editor. Every computer can open the .txt file. You see every line, but long chats are hard to follow, and photos are just file names.
2. A chat viewer. The Chat Export Viewer shows the export as chat bubbles, with photos, videos and voice notes inside the conversation. You can search, jump to a date and show only some people. Nothing is uploaded: it runs in your browser.
3. Restoring the chat in the app. This continues the conversation on a new phone, but it uses the app’s backup system, not the export. An export can’t be imported back into the app, because it is a text file, not a backup.

For a side-by-side look, read Ways to read an exported chat, compared.

What is not in a chat export?

An export is not a full copy of everything you saw in the app. Typically missing:

• Reactions (the emoji people add to a message).
• Read receipts (whether a message was delivered or read).
• Interactive items. Polls, shared locations and similar messages don’t look or work as they do in the app. At most, they appear as plain text.
• Who exported the chat. Your own messages appear under your name, with nothing marking them as yours.
• Messages deleted before the export. These appear as “This message was deleted”, if at all.

Is a chat export proof of a conversation?

An export is a plain-text file. Anyone can edit a text file, so an export on its own is not tamper-proof. A PDF made from an export is a readable copy, not certified evidence. If you need a chat for a legal matter, ask a lawyer how it should be collected and preserved before you rely on an export.

Is it safe to open a chat export online?

Chats are personal. Before using any website, check whether it uploads the file. Many online viewers send your export to a server to process it.

The ToolkitHere viewer works on your device. Nothing is uploaded: the browser reads the file, and the part of the page that reads it cannot reach the internet. You can check this yourself by adding a file, turning on airplane mode and adding another. It still works. How it works explains more.

How should I store a chat export?

An export holds private messages and often photos of people, so treat it like any personal document.

1. Keep the original file. Don’t edit the .txt or unzip and re-zip the export if you might need it later. Store an untouched copy.
2. Name it clearly. Add the chat name and the export date to the file name, for example Chat with Sam - exported 2026-10-11.zip.
3. Back it up in two places. A copy on your computer and one on an external drive or a cloud folder you trust protects against a lost phone.
4. Mind shared devices. Exports in a downloads folder can be opened by anyone using the same computer. Move them somewhere private.
5. Delete copies you sent to yourself. If you emailed or messaged the export to yourself to move it, remove those copies once it is stored safely.

Key takeaways

• A chat export is a .txt file of messages, or a .zip with photos, videos and voice notes too.
• Each line starts with a date and time; the layout differs between iPhone and Android.
• Dates can be day first, month first or year first, depending on phone settings.
• Reactions and read receipts are not in the export.
• A PDF of an export is a readable copy, not certified evidence.
• The Chat Export Viewer reads both kinds of export in your browser.