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Getting a WhatsApp Chat Export Off a Xiaomi or MIUI Phone

The export itself works on Xiaomi and MIUI phones, but the file can end up in a place that is hard to find. Here is how to export, locate the file and move it somewhere you can upload it from.

What is different on MIUI

MIUI and HyperOS add their own file manager, app settings and dual-app feature on top of Android. The WhatsApp export works in the same way as on other Android phones, but the menu names, the file manager and the default download folders can differ between MIUI versions. Storage rules introduced in newer Android versions also limit which folders other apps can see directly. Knowing these differences makes the export much easier to recover.

Step 1: export the chat

Open the chat in WhatsApp, tap the three-dot menu, go to More and choose Export chat. Select Without media for a small text file, or With media if you need the photos and videos. The share sheet will open next.

1. Open the chat and tap the three-dot menu.
2. Choose More, then Export chat.
3. Select Without media or With media.
4. In the share sheet, choose Save to Files, or save to a folder you can see.

Step 2: find the file

If you chose Save to Files, look in the Downloads folder of the file manager. On many MIUI phones this is the Files or File Manager app, and the exported file usually appears under Downloads. If you cannot see it, search the file manager for WhatsApp Chat, or sort the list by most recent. Avoid digging through the WhatsApp folder itself, because newer Android storage rules can hide it or make files hard to pick up from other apps.

Some phones save downloads into a folder named after the browser, so check there too if the file is not in Downloads.

Step 3: move the file if it is hard to reach

If the file is in a hidden or restricted folder, copy it into Downloads using the file manager, or share it to a folder you can reach. Once it is in a common location, the browser file picker will see it. This is the single most useful step on Xiaomi phones.

• Use the file manager to copy the export into Downloads.
• Rename it to something simple, such as chat.txt, if the name is awkward.
• Keep the original in case you need to export again.

Dual apps on Xiaomi

If you use WhatsApp through the dual-app feature in your phone settings, the chat lives in the second copy. Open the copy that holds the conversation and export from there, as described in the guide on exporting from a dual or clone app. The file still lands in the same storage area, so the steps above apply.

Battery and background settings

Battery optimisation on MIUI can close apps during long tasks. A large media export can be interrupted if the phone stops the app mid-way. If the export keeps failing, try a text-only export first, then consider allowing WhatsApp to run in the background for the duration of the export. Smaller exports finish quickly and are less likely to be cut off.

Converting the file with ChatIntoPDF

On the phone, open ChatIntoPDF in your browser and use the upload button. The file picker will show your Downloads folder, so choose the exported .txt or .zip there. The conversion runs in your browser, nothing is uploaded, and no account is needed. The free preview lets you check the result, and the 24-hour pass from $1.99 covers unlimited chats for the day. You can also copy the file to a computer and convert it there. ChatIntoPDF is independent and is not affiliated with WhatsApp or Meta.

Quick recap

• Export from the chat menu and choose the format you need.
• Save to Files and look in Downloads.
• Copy the file out of any restricted folder into Downloads.
• Upload the .txt or .zip from Downloads to ChatIntoPDF.