how do you export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone?
Open the chat, tap the contact or group name at the top, scroll to the bottom, and tap Export Chat. Choose Without Media, then save or share the .txt file from the share sheet. The whole thing takes under a minute.
the long version, step by step:
- Open the chat. Open WhatsApp and go into the conversation you want to export.
- Tap the name at the top. Tapping the contact or group name opens the chat info screen.
- Scroll down and tap Export Chat. It is near the bottom, below the media and settings sections.
- Choose Without Media. WhatsApp offers Attach Media or Without Media. Without Media is almost always the right choice (more on that below).
- Save or share the file. The iOS share sheet opens. Save to Files, AirDrop it to yourself, email it, or share it straight into an app.
what does the export actually contain?
- a plain .txt file (zipped if shared with media), readable by anything that can open text.
- timestamps. every message is dated to the minute, in lines like [14/03/2026, 21:47:12] Alex: on my way.
- sender names. each line is attributed exactly as the contact is saved in your phone.
- the message text, in order, both sides. media appears as placeholders like <image omitted> when exported without media.
why Without Media?
Two reasons. Without Media exports a much longer history, up to roughly 40,000 messages, while Attach Media caps at around 10,000 because the photos and videos come too. And the file stays small enough to email, store, and process easily. If the messages are what you care about, media just adds weight.
what about Android?
Nearly identical: open the chat, tap the three dots in the top corner, tap More, then Export chat, and choose with or without media. The resulting file is the same plain-text format.
what can go wrong?
the honest section, because exports have quirks:
- the export is a snapshot, not a sync. Messages sent after the export are not in it. Export again if you need the latest.
- very long chats get truncated. The oldest messages fall outside the limit in years-long conversations. The most recent history is always included.
- disappearing messages and deleted messages are not recovered. The export contains what the chat currently contains. It is a record, not a séance.
- names appear as saved. If the contact is saved as "DO NOT TEXT", the export will faithfully say so on every line.
what can you do with an export?
Keep it as a record. Search it properly on a computer, which is far faster than scrolling. Archive it before changing phones. Or analyse it: an export is the best possible input for textRay, because it carries the complete timeline with timestamps, both sides, no screenshot cropping. Add the .txt to a scan and the app reads the whole conversation and returns the verdict, the receipts, and the pattern findings, every claim cited and counterevidence one tap away.
textRay also takes screenshots and pasted text, but the export is the deluxe evidence format. delivered, dated, and in writing.
you've got the file. get the read.
download on the App StoreiOS · 16+ · no subscription · credits from £2.99
The plain version.
An exported chat contains other people's messages, so treat the file with care and share it thoughtfully. If you add an export to textRay, you consent before any AI processing, both sides of the conversation are read, and reports stay until you delete them. An initial scan costs 1 credit and a full scan costs 3. There is no subscription.