How to export a WhatsApp chat (iPhone and Android)
Updated October 2026 · 3 min read
WhatsApp has a built-in Export chat feature that saves a conversation as a plain text file. It never notifies the other person, and it works for one-to-one and group chats. Choose Without media: it's faster and the file stays small.
On iPhone
- Open WhatsApp and go to the chat.
- Tap the contact or group name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
- Choose Without Media.
- Pick Save to Files (or AirDrop / email it to yourself). You'll get a .zip containing
_chat.txt.
On Android
- Open the chat.
- Tap ⋮ (three dots, top right) → More → Export chat.
- Choose Without media.
- Save the .txt to your Drive or Files, or email it to yourself.
Common problems
"I can't find Export chat"
Some business or managed accounts disable exports. Update WhatsApp first. If it's still missing, use screenshots instead.
"The file is huge"
You probably picked "Attach media". Export again Without media; text-only exports are usually small even for years of chat.
"Dates look wrong"
Exports use your phone's date format. AreWeToxic detects day/month vs month/day and 12h vs 24h automatically.
"It's a group chat"
That works. AreWeToxic shows effort stats for up to 8 people.
What to do with the file
Upload the .txt or .zip to AreWeToxic as-is, no unzipping needed. We compute the stats (who starts, reply times, message length) and hold the parsed chat temporarily (max 20 minutes) while you confirm which person is you. It's deleted right after your toxicity report is built.
Got your export? Find out if you're toxic.
Your toxicity score, red flags with receipts and what to say next, in about a minute.
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