WhatsApp chat export
The .txt (or .zip with media) file WhatsApp generates from a chat, and the only input any chat-analysis tool needs.
Open a chat, tap the three dots or the contact name, then Export chat. WhatsApp writes every message to a plain text file, one line per message, tagged with a timestamp and a sender name — optionally bundled into a .zip with the photos and voice notes attached. Nothing about this requires WhatsApp’s servers: the file is built on your phone from messages already on your phone. Choosing "Without Media" keeps the file small — usually under a few megabytes even for tens of thousands of messages — because photos and videos are replaced with a one-line placeholder instead of being included.
Example
A two-person chat running since 2022 with 30,000 messages typically exports to a 2–4MB .txt file without media, or 200MB+ as a .zip with every photo and voice note included.
Frequently asked questions
Does exporting a chat notify the other person?+
No. Export is a local, on-device action — WhatsApp has no mechanism to tell the other participants that a copy was exported.
With or without media — which should I choose?+
Without media, unless you specifically need the photos themselves. Every statistic a chat-analysis tool produces — including this one — comes from the text file; media only adds size and upload time.
Related terms
- "Media omitted" (WhatsApp)The placeholder text WhatsApp writes into an export in place of a photo, video, or voice note when the chat is exported "without media".
- System message (WhatsApp)A line WhatsApp writes into the chat itself — someone joined, a call happened, the encryption notice — with no sender and no place in a message count.
- "WhatsApp Wrapped" (the format)A year-in-review recap for a chat, in the style Spotify made famous for listening habits — built from an export, not from anything WhatsApp itself provides.