How to Export a WhatsApp Chat and Turn It Into a PDF

WhatsApp’s phone apps can export one conversation at a time as text, with optional media. The export is useful, but it is not a finished record and it has important omissions.

Export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

The iPhone route starts in the conversation’s information page.

1. Open WhatsApp and open the individual or group conversation.
2. Tap the contact or group name at the top to open Contact Info or Group Info.
3. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
4. Choose Without Media or Attach Media. Some versions label the second choice Include Media.
5. Save or send the result with the iOS share sheet. Saving to Files is preferable to emailing it because it avoids mail attachment limits and creates a file you can copy without modification.

You may also see an export route by swiping left on a conversation in the chat list, tapping More, then Export Chat. The information-page route is easier to describe and verify before sharing.

Export a WhatsApp chat on Android

Android puts the command in the chat’s overflow menu.

1. Open WhatsApp and open the conversation.
2. Tap More options (the three vertical dots).
3. Tap More › Export chat.
4. Choose Without media or Include media.
5. Choose a destination from the Android share sheet. Save the file locally or to storage you control.

Do not edit the text before preserving an original copy. Rename a duplicate if you need a friendlier filename.

What the WhatsApp export contains

The core export is a plain-text transcript, commonly named _chat.txt, rather than a database or PDF. Each message starts with a rendered date and time, followed by a sender name and content. Multiline messages continue on following lines. Notices about encryption, membership changes, calls, edits, deleted messages, and omitted media can also appear.

With media selected, WhatsApp adds recent available photos, videos, audio, and documents as separate share-sheet attachments. The official help page deliberately says “the most recent media,” not all media. A transcript may therefore refer to a file that is absent. Keep the text file and every attached file together.

The transcript does not carry a declared time zone. Note the phone’s time zone, date, model, operating system, WhatsApp version, and who performed the export. If daylight-saving time or travel matters, explain it rather than silently shifting times.

Timestamp examples, not universal rules

WhatsApp formats exports according to platform, version, and locale. These published and observed parser examples show why a converter must not assume one pattern.

Phone and locale example	Possible line prefix	Reading
iPhone, UK English	[12/03/2026, 14:05:33]	12 March, seconds shown
Android, US English	3/12/26, 2:05 PM -	March 12, 12-hour time
Android, German	12.03.26, 14:05 -	12 March, dotted date
iPhone, US English	[3/12/26, 2:05:33 PM]	March 12, seconds shown

These are examples, not promises about a particular export. Dates such as 3/4/26 are ambiguous without other dates in the conversation. Review inferred dates before relying on a converted transcript.

Message limits: what is actually confirmed

WhatsApp currently confirms no numeric export ceiling in its public export article. It confirms that choosing media adds only the most recent media and that the result cannot be re-imported. Older help text and many third-party articles quote 10,000 or 40,000 messages, while newer articles quote much larger numbers. Those numbers are not confirmed by the current official page and should not be presented as current WhatsApp policy.

Export Without media first when text completeness matters. Compare the first visible message in the file with the oldest message you expected. If the export begins late, record that limitation and preserve supplementary screenshots or screen recordings. Do not join separate exports without saying how they overlap.

Privacy settings and temporary content

Advanced Chat Privacy can stop the export entirely. WhatsApp says that when it is enabled, people in the chat cannot export the conversation, cannot automatically save media to their gallery, and cannot use Meta AI with the chat. In a one-to-one chat either participant can enable it; group admins control it in groups. WhatsApp also warns that a participant using an older app version may still be able to share outside WhatsApp in some ways. That qualification is more accurate than claiming the setting makes copying impossible.

Disappearing messages that have expired are unavailable to export. Opened view-once photos, videos, and voice messages are likewise designed not to remain available. A deleted message may leave “This message was deleted,” but the deleted content does not return. Export promptly once preservation becomes appropriate, and do not delete or alter the original conversation.

Desktop, Web, and backups are different

WhatsApp does not document an Export Chat command for WhatsApp Web, Mac, or Windows. Its current export page offers Android and iOS instructions. Desktop copying or printing captures what is rendered, but it is not the official text export and may miss unloaded history.

iCloud and Google Account backups serve restoration, not reading or printing. WhatsApp says the text export is not a backup and cannot be re-imported. Conversely, a cloud backup is not a user-readable transcript. Restore procedures generally require the same account context; they are not a substitute for exporting and preserving a readable copy.

Turn the export into a timestamped PDF

The free WhatsApp-to-PDF tool accepts the TXT or ZIP and formats messages into a printable transcript. Parsing and PDF creation happen in your browser. The chat files are never uploaded. Keep the source export beside the PDF because the PDF is a presentation copy, not a replacement for the source.

1. Preserve the untouched TXT or shared ZIP.
2. Open the converter and select that file.
3. Confirm the participant names and inferred date order.
4. Check the first, middle, and last pages against WhatsApp.
5. Download the PDF and keep it with the original files and acquisition notes.

Text Exporter for iPhone is coming soon. It will import WhatsApp exports and produce PDF, CSV, and TXT records with a SHA-256 manifest, on device, for a one-time price rather than a subscription. Join the launch list on the app page. You can also inspect a sample WhatsApp transcript.

Preserve a WhatsApp conversation for a dispute

Keep context and explain your process. Save the original phone, avoid deleting messages, retain the complete export, and record when and how you created it. Screenshots can supplement the text export with contact details, reply context, or interface states, but selective screenshots alone can hide surrounding messages.

For England and Wales, do not describe an export as automatically accepted evidence. The court or tribunal decides. A party may need to explain authorship, completeness, and the method used. Read the general messages for court guide and the specific employment tribunal guide, then follow the directions in your case. Legal advice may be appropriate where authenticity, disclosure, privacy, or privilege is disputed.

Choose whether to include media

The media choice changes both the size of the share and the material you receive. For preservation, make a Without media export first, then make a second Include media export if attachments matter. Keep the two outputs as separate acquisitions rather than mixing their contents.

Choice	Best for	Trade-off
Without media	A smaller text record, long chats, email or Files transfer	Photos, audio, video, and documents are not attached
Include media	Recent attachments that help explain the conversation	WhatsApp says only the most recent media is added; the share can be large or fail at the destination

Media does not become embedded in the text transcript. Depending on the app version and phone, a message line may show an attachment filename, an attached marker, or a phrase such as “Media omitted.” The corresponding file travels separately. Preserve the original spelling of every filename because it may be the only link between a transcript line and an attachment.

The text filename also varies. _chat.txt is common in iPhone exports; Android shares have also been observed with names such as WhatsApp Chat with Alex.txt. WhatsApp’s current help article does not promise either filename. Identify the transcript by opening a working copy as plain text, not by renaming the only original.

Understand group and business chats

Group exports can contain more than member messages. They commonly record system events such as a participant joining or leaving, a group name or icon changing, or an admin changing a setting. A person who has left may still appear as the sender of older messages. Preserve the system lines because they can explain who was present and when.

Names are display labels, not durable identity proof. A saved contact can appear under the name assigned in the exporting phone, while an unsaved participant may appear as a phone number. Capture Group Info and relevant Contact Info screens separately when identity matters. Do not silently replace a displayed nickname with a legal name in the source transcript.

WhatsApp Business uses the same conversation concept, but a business may use multiple staff, automation, or Meta-hosted services. The export can show the business-facing name without identifying the individual employee who typed each reply. Note that limitation. WhatsApp also says Advanced Chat Privacy is unavailable in chats with businesses that choose Meta to store messages and respond on their behalf.

Export several conversations

WhatsApp exports one chat at a time, so a multi-chat matter needs a simple acquisition log. Number each export, record the visible chat name, the phone used, the export date, and whether media was selected. Do not merge _chat.txt files or place all attachments in one folder, because duplicate filenames and different timestamp conventions can create false associations.

Use a structure such as 01-family-group-original, 02-landlord-original, and 03-manager-original. Place the untouched share from each chat inside its own folder. Working copies, converted PDFs, screenshots, and notes should sit beside the originals, not replace them. The coming-soon iPhone app will organize imported sources and manifests locally, but the same separation is useful today.

Move the export to a computer safely

The safest transfer is one you control and can explain. On iPhone, Save to Files creates a local or chosen cloud-drive copy; AirDrop can transfer directly to a nearby Apple device. On Android, save to local storage or a drive account you control, or use a cable. After transfer, compare the filename and file size at both ends and keep the phone copy.

Email is convenient for a text-only export, but mail providers impose attachment limits and may reject a media export or replace it with a cloud link. Email also creates copies on mail servers and recipient devices. Do not repeatedly compress and edit the archive merely to fit it into mail. Use a controlled file-transfer method instead, and document it.

Avoid random online “WhatsApp converter” sites. Uploading the TXT or ZIP gives that operator the whole conversation and possibly private photos, phone numbers, addresses, and voice notes. The free WhatsApp-to-PDF tool runs in your browser and does not upload the selected files.

Account for edits, deletions, and temporary messages

An export records what is available at export time, not every historical state of a message. A currently visible edited marker may appear, but the earlier wording is not thereby recovered. A deletion notice can establish that the interface displayed a deletion event, not what the deleted message said. Describe both distinctions accurately.

Disappearing messages create the same timing problem. Once an item has expired, a later export cannot bring it back. Opened view-once media is intentionally unavailable. If preservation is legitimate and safe, export promptly and also capture the live interface around important temporary-message notices. Do not ask someone to resend material merely to manufacture a more complete record.

Handle time zones and daylight saving time

WhatsApp text lines show local-looking clock values without a time-zone identifier or UTC offset. That means 9:15 PM does not, by itself, say whether the phone was in New York, London, or another zone. The official export page does not explain whether historical messages are rendered using the phone’s zone at the time of each message or the zone at export.

Record the phone’s current Date & Time settings, your location or time zone during the relevant period, and any travel or manual clock changes. If a range crosses a daylight-saving transition, do not “fix” a repeated or skipped hour in the original. Render the transcript as supplied and add a separate explanatory note. The timestamps and time zones guide covers ambiguous dates and offsets in more detail.

Troubleshoot a missing or stalled export

Most export problems come from privacy settings, destination limits, or a media-heavy share. Work from the least destructive option.

1. If Export chat is missing, open Contact Info or Group Info and check Advanced Chat Privacy. In a group, an admin controls the setting. Do not pressure another participant to weaken a privacy setting; record that export was unavailable and use permitted screenshots instead.
2. If the share sheet stalls, retry Without media. Close other apps, confirm free storage, update WhatsApp through the official app store, and restart the phone before trying again.
3. If mail says the file is too large, cancel rather than trimming source files. Save to Files, local storage, a cable-connected computer, or another destination you control.
4. If the export starts later than expected, confirm that you opened the right chat and inspect the oldest available message in WhatsApp. Preserve the export as partial and supplement it; do not assert an undocumented numerical cap.
5. If someone sends you an iCloud or Google Drive backup, do not treat it as an export. WhatsApp’s help center says chat exports are text files that cannot be re-imported; backups are intended for restoration and are not ordinary readable transcripts.

Preserve WhatsApp messages in the United States

For a US dispute, preserve source, identity, context, and process rather than relying on a polished PDF alone. Keep the original phone and untouched export, capture the contact or group information, retain surrounding messages, and write down each transfer and conversion. A declaration or testimony may need to explain who participated and how the copy was made.

Requirements vary by court and case. The messages for court guide explains general authentication and completeness issues, while the custody and divorce guide addresses family conversations and sensitive third-party material. Follow the court’s filing, exhibit, redaction, and service rules. This is general information, not legal advice.

Preserve WhatsApp messages in the United Kingdom

For a UK matter, keep the native conversation and a clear record of collection. Preserve the whole relevant period, not only favorable lines, and retain attachments in their original folders. If you make an excerpt, label it and state what was omitted. Avoid changing timestamps or names in the source to make the transcript easier to read.

An employment tribunal can give directions about disclosure, witness statements, bundles, and redaction. The employment tribunal guide explains that workflow; the general court guide covers preservation and explanation. A PDF can support your account, but the tribunal decides what weight to give it. Seek legal advice where privilege, confidential workplace information, or another person’s privacy is involved.