How to export a WhatsApp chat with photos
Updated November 8, 2026
Open the chat, then on iPhone tap the contact's or group's name and choose Export chat, then With all media. On Android tap ⋮ › More › Export chat, then Include media. Save the file, or send it to yourself, and you have the whole chat with its photos.
These steps are WhatsApp's own, from its help page How to export your chat history (read November 8, 2026). WhatsApp moves menus now and then; if a name below has changed, the help page has the current one.
On an iPhone
- Open the one-to-one or group chat.
- Tap the contact's name or the group's name at the top, then tap Export chat.
- If the chat has photos, choose With all media (or With selected media to pick some, or Without media for text only).
- Choose where it goes: Save to Files keeps it on the phone; Mail or Messages sends it on.
WhatsApp makes a ZIP file: the chat as a text file, and the photos next to it.
On an Android phone
- Open the one-to-one or group chat.
- Tap ⋮ (top right), then More, then Export chat.
- Tap Include media (or Without media for text only).
- Choose how to send it: Quick Share, Gmail, Drive or another app.
You get the chat as a text file, with the photos as separate attachments. WhatsApp's note: with Include media, the most recent media sent are added.
What the export leaves out
- View once messages.
- Messages that were deleted before you exported.
- On a long chat, possibly older photos (see above).
What to do with the file
The export is a plain text file: readable, but not much to look at. To turn it into something you can hold, drop the ZIP (or the text file) into the book maker. It lays the chat out as bubbles with the photos where they were sent; see how to print a WhatsApp chat as a book.
Questions
Does the export include every photo?
Not always. On Android, WhatsApp says the most recent media sent are added as attachments. For a long chat with many photos, older photos may be left out; the messages themselves are all there.
Can I put the export back into WhatsApp?
No. WhatsApp's help page says an export can't be re-imported, because it is a text file and not a backup. To move WhatsApp to a new phone, use its backup instead.
Are disappearing and view once messages exported?
No. WhatsApp leaves view once messages out of exports (and, from WhatsApp on the web, disappearing messages too).