How to export chats and media from WhatsApp without losing anything

Chats, photos, videos, and documents accumulated in WhatsApp over the years often form a valuable personal archive. What can you do to make sure you do not lose them? Fortunately, the messenger offers built-in export tools that work without third-party software or risks. Here is how to do it and what you need to know.

What You Can Export from WhatsApp

Official features allow you to save almost everything:

• text conversations from personal and group chats;
  • media files such as photos, videos, documents, and voice messages;
  • a full application backup for restoring data inside WhatsApp.

The export process is safe, as everything is done through the official app without installing suspicious software.

How to Export an Individual Chat

Chats are exported in text format (.txt), while media files are saved in their original quality.

On iPhone:

• Go to Settings → Chats → Export Chat.
  • Select the desired conversation from the list.
  • Choose whether to include media or not.
  • Send the file via email, Telegram, or AirDrop.

On Android:

• Open the chat, tap the three dots → More → Export chat.
  • Choose with media or without media.
  • Receive a ZIP archive and send it wherever convenient, such as email, Google Drive, or another messenger.

Important: on iOS, only one chat can be exported at a time. When exporting with media, keep in mind email attachment size limits, as large archives may not be delivered.

How to Save Photos and Videos

The easiest method is to enable automatic saving of media to the gallery. This is enabled by default but may have been turned off.

On iPhone: Settings → Chats → enable Save to Photos.
On Android: Settings → Chats → enable Media visibility.

If you need to transfer files manually:

• On Android, use a file manager to find the WhatsApp/Media folders (Images, Video, Audio) and copy them to cloud storage or a PC.
  • In the desktop or web version of WhatsApp, download files one by one by opening a chat, clicking on a media item, and selecting Download.

Full Account Backup

A full backup includes everything, but it cannot be opened outside the app. It can only be restored when reinstalling WhatsApp or moving to a new phone.

On iPhone: Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now. The backup is stored in iCloud.
On Android: Settings → Chats → Chat Backup → Back Up Now. The backup is stored in Google Drive, where you can also configure automatic backups.

Before creating a backup, check available cloud storage space, as the file can be quite large.

When moving from Android to iPhone, you can use the official Move to iOS app. It transfers chats, media, and groups, but not call history.

In Brief

WhatsApp allows you to safely export individual chats with media, automatically save photos and videos to the gallery, or create a full cloud backup. On iOS, the process is more limited, with one chat at a time, while on Android it is more flexible. Everything is done inside the official app without malware risks. If you are planning to switch messengers or simply want a backup, exporting now takes only a few minutes and ensures that important memories and documents are preserved.