How To Export Your WhatsApp Chat: A Step-By-Step Guide

Exporting a WhatsApp chat takes about 30 seconds. Most people have never done it - and most people have no idea what's actually inside the file when they do.

When you export a chat, WhatsApp creates a plain text file containing every message in the conversation: the text, the sender's name, and the timestamp. That's it. No photos, no voice notes, no account access required. Just a neat record of everything that's been said.

WhatsApp has had this feature built in for years. Here's how to use it - on iPhone, on Android, and what to do with the file once you have it.

How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

1. Open WhatsApp and go to the conversation you want to export
2. Tap the contact or group name at the top of the screen to open the chat info
3. Scroll down until you see the Export Chat option and tap it
4. When prompted, choose Without Media - this exports only the text, which is smaller, faster, and everything you need
5. WhatsApp will open your share sheet. Save the file somewhere you can find it easily - the Files app works well for this

That's it. The whole thing takes under a minute.

How to export a WhatsApp chat on Android

1. Open WhatsApp and go to the conversation you want to export
2. Tap the three-dot menu in the top right corner
3. Tap More, then tap Export Chat
4. When prompted, choose Without Media
5. Save or share the file to somewhere accessible on your device

On Android, WhatsApp sometimes wraps the export in a .zip file rather than a plain .txt. Don't worry about this - both formats work exactly the same when you come to use the file.

Which conversation should I export?

Any WhatsApp chat works - a relationship, a close friendship, a family group. The main thing to know is that the longer the conversation, the more data it contains, and the richer the results.

A chat with a few hundred messages will still produce a poster, but one with thousands of messages will have more interesting records, more varied emoji usage, and a fuller picture of how you two communicate. If you're exporting a long-running conversation, you'll get everything from the very first message to the most recent - WhatsApp exports the full history by default.

One useful habit before you export: scroll back through the chat and star any messages that stand out. This won't affect the export itself, but it gives you a sense of the conversation's highlights - useful when you come to choose the word or phrase you want tracked on your poster.

What to do with the file once you have it

This is where Between The Lines comes in.

Head to the Between The Lines product page. During the purchase process, you'll be prompted to upload your chat file - the .txt or .zip you've just saved. From there, you'll enter:

• Your name
• The other person's name
• A word or phrase to track - this is the personal touch. Choose something that means something: "love you," a nickname, an in-joke, a phrase that's become part of how you talk. The poster will show exactly how many times each of you said it.

Then choose your design - there are four colour options (Beige, Black & Gold, Blue & Grey, and Green & Pink) and your size (A4, A3, or A2), with framing available if you want it to arrive ready to hang.

There's no preview before the poster goes to print. The design is generated directly from the data in your file, so what you get is an accurate picture of your actual conversation.

One thing worth knowing: when you upload your file, it's processed directly in your browser. The content of your messages never reaches Between The Lines' servers - only the numbers and words needed to build your poster are sent across.

Ready to turn your chat into a poster?

You've got the file. Here's what to do with it.

Make your poster at Between The Lines

Not sure what a WhatsApp chat poster actually is? Read the full guide first.

Frequently asked questions

Does it matter which conversation I export? Any chat works, but longer conversations produce richer poster data.

What does "Without Media" mean? It means photos, videos and voice notes aren't included in the export - just the text. This keeps the file small and is all Between The Lines needs to generate your poster.

My file is a .zip, not a .txt. Is that okay? Yes. Android devices often produce a .zip file rather than a plain .txt. Both formats are accepted - you don't need to unzip or convert anything.

How long does the export take? Usually under a minute, regardless of how long the conversation is.

What if I can't find the Export Chat option? WhatsApp updates its interface occasionally, so the exact location of the option can shift. If you can't find it where the steps above describe, look in the chat settings or info screen - it's always there somewhere.