Exporting from WhatsApp

How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

Exporting a WhatsApp chat on iPhone takes about a minute and creates a file you can save, email or move to a computer. This guide covers each step, the two export options, and how to get the file ready for conversion.

Before you begin

Make sure the chat you want is already open on the iPhone that holds it. Export works for individual chats and for groups. You do not need to be an admin of a group to export it, and the export only includes messages that are stored on your own phone. If a message was deleted before the export, it will not appear in the file.

Menu labels can change slightly between iOS and WhatsApp versions, so if a name below looks different on your screen, look for the same option in the chat info area.

Step by step

1. Open WhatsApp and go to the chat or group you want to export.
2. Tap the name of the contact or group at the top of the screen to open the info page.
3. Scroll to the bottom of the info page and tap Export Chat.
4. Choose Attach Media to include photos, videos and other files, or Without Media for text only.
5. In the share sheet, pick Save to Files, Mail, Google Drive or AirDrop, depending on where you want the file to go.

If you choose Attach Media, the file is a .zip archive that contains the chat text along with the media. If you choose Without Media, the file is a plain .txt file. Both are valid inputs for ChatIntoPDF.

Choosing Attach Media or Without Media

The choice affects the size of the file and what appears in the PDF. Without Media keeps the export small and quick to process. Each photo or video is replaced by a short placeholder in the text, so you still see when something was shared and who shared it. Attach Media keeps the files themselves, which matters if you want photos in the PDF.

If you are not sure, export without media first. You can always make a second export with media later for the same chat.

Getting the file from iPhone to your computer

• AirDrop: the quickest route to a Mac, sent straight from the share sheet.
• iCloud Drive: save to Files in iCloud, then open it on your computer at icloud.com or on a synced Mac.
• Email: send the file to your own address and download it on the computer. Large archives may be too big for email.
• Google Drive: upload from the share sheet and open the file in any browser.

Whichever route you use, check that the file has arrived in full before you delete anything from the phone. A .zip archive that has been cut off will fail to open.

Convert the export with ChatIntoPDF

Once you have the file on a computer or on your phone’s browser, open chatintopdf.com and load it. The conversion runs in your browser, so the chat is processed on the device you are using. You can then pick one of four layouts and check the free preview before deciding whether to download the PDF.

Troubleshooting

• The Export Chat option is missing: confirm you are on the info page for the chat, not the chat list. Update WhatsApp if the option still does not appear.
• The archive will not open: re-download it, since a partial transfer is the most common cause.
• Photos are missing from the PDF: you need an export made with Attach Media, and photos are reproduced inline on a higher tier.
• The file is very large: export without media for a text-only record, or split the work by exporting a shorter period of the chat.

A note on privacy

An export is a copy of your own chat. Treat it the way you would treat any personal file. Store it somewhere you control, avoid sharing it publicly, and delete copies you no longer need. ChatIntoPDF is an independent tool and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.