How to export a chat
WhatsApp has a built-in export for every chat. It creates a text file with all messages and the time they were sent. The export takes about 30 seconds. Choose “without media”, the statistics only need the text.
iPhone
- 1Open the chat you want to analyze.
- 2Tap the name at the top to open the contact or group info.
- 3Scroll down and tap “Export Chat”.
- 4Choose “Without Media”. The statistics do not need photos or videos.
- 5Save the file: tap “Save to Files”, or AirDrop it to your Mac, or send it to yourself by email.
- 6Open TextScope on the device where the file is, and drop the .zip or .txt into the box.
Android
- 1Open the chat you want to analyze.
- 2Tap the three dots in the top right, then “More”.
- 3Tap “Export chat”.
- 4Choose “Without media”.
- 5Pick where to save it: Drive, email to yourself, or any app that stores files.
- 6Open TextScope on the device where the file is, and choose the .txt or .zip file.
Good to know
The export contains only this one chat. Other chats are not touched, and nobody in the chat is notified.
Very long chats can take a moment to export in WhatsApp. On the analysis side, 100,000 messages are read in a few seconds.
If the export is a .zip file, you can drop it directly. If it contains media files, they are ignored.
The file stays on your device. TextScope reads it in the browser and does not upload it.