WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It offers end-to-end encryption for chats, allowing you to have private conversations. However, you may want to extract your chat history for various reasons, like keeping a backup or viewing conversations on another device.
Why You May Want to Extract WhatsApp Chats
Here are some common reasons for extracting your WhatsApp chat history:
- Creating a backup: Backing up your chats allows you to restore them if you lose your phone or switch devices. It’s always a good idea to have a backup.
- Viewing chats on another device: You can transfer your chats to a new phone or view them on your computer by extracting them first.
- Looking through old conversations: Extracting your chats makes it easy to reminisce and look back on previous conversations.
- Searching for specific information: Once extracted, you can search your chat history to easily find specific messages, links, photos etc.
- Freeing up space: Exporting chats you no longer need can free up storage space on your phone.
How to Extract WhatsApp Chats on Android
There are a few different methods to extract your WhatsApp chats on Android devices:
Using WhatsApp’s Export Chat Feature
WhatsApp has a built-in feature to export your chat history:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the Chats tab.
- Tap the More options icon (3 vertical dots) in the top right.
- Select More > Export chat.
- Select the conversation you want to export.
- Tap Export. WhatsApp will export the chat as a .txt file.
- Choose where to save the file, such as your internal storage or an SD card.
This exports your chat history as a simple text file. Media like photos and videos will not be included.
Using Google Drive Backup
You can choose to backup your WhatsApp chats to Google Drive. To do this:
- Open WhatsApp > Tap More options > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap Backup to Google Drive and select a backup frequency.
- Tap Account to choose the Google account to backup to.
Your chat history will now be regularly backed up to your Google Drive. You can view and extract these backed up files using Google Drive on your phone or computer.
Using Local Backup Files
WhatsApp also allows you to create local backups stored on your device’s internal storage or SD card. To configure local backups:
- Go to WhatsApp > More options > Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap Backup to local storage.
- Select a backup frequency and choose where to store backup files.
Your chat history will be saved as encrypted backup files in the selected storage location. You can extract these files using a file manager app on Android.
How to Extract WhatsApp Chats on iPhone
On iOS devices, you have these options to export WhatsApp chats:
Using iCloud Drive Backup
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Auto Backup and select Back Up to iCloud.
- Choose a backup frequency.
Your chat history will now be regularly backed up to iCloud. You can access and extract these backups using iCloud on your Mac or PC.
Using iTunes Backup
- Connect your iPhone to a computer and open iTunes.
- Select your device and go to Summary > Backups.
- Click Back Up Now to backup your iPhone data including WhatsApp chats to iTunes.
The WhatsApp backups will be saved to your computer. You can browse and extract WhatsApp data files from iTunes backups.
Using Local Files
You can also save WhatsApp backups locally to your iPhone storage:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap Auto Backup and select Back Up to This iPhone.
- Choose a backup frequency.
The local backups can be accessed using WhatsApp’s built-in export chat feature to transfer them to your computer or another device.
How to View Extracted WhatsApp Chats
Once you’ve extracted your WhatsApp chat history, you need a way to view the conversations. Here are some options:
Plain Text Files
If you exported chats using WhatsApp’s built-in export feature, you get plaintext .txt files. You can open these with any text editor like Notepad on Windows or TextEdit on a Mac to view conversations.
Google Drive and iCloud Backups
Backups saved to Google Drive or iCloud can be accessed from your cloud storage. Open the files using an app like Google Drive or iCloud for Windows.
Dedicated Apps
There are specialized apps that allow you to view backups in an easy chat-like interface:
- Android: WhatsApp Viewer, Backup & Restore, Recover My WhatsApp.
- iPhone: iBackup Viewer, iBrowse, iBackupBot.
These tools parse through backup files and present your chats in an easy to read format.
Computer Apps
On your Windows PC or Mac, you can use apps to view WhatsApp backups:
- Windows: WhatsApp Viewer for PC
- Mac: iBackup Viewer for Mac
The computer version gives you the flexibility to easily search and manage your chat history.
How to Transfer WhatsApp Chats to a New Phone
One common reason to extract WhatsApp chats is when migrating to a new phone. Here are some ways to transfer your chat history:
Using Google Drive or iCloud Backup
If you have chat backups enabled in Google Drive or iCloud, you can restore them on your new phone:
- Install and set up WhatsApp on your new phone.
- On Android: Tap Restore when prompted. On iPhone: Tap Restore from iCloud Backup.
- Log in to your Google or iCloud account and restore the latest backup.
Your chat history will be downloaded to your new device.
Using Local Backup Files
You can also transfer local backup files from your old phone to the new one:
- Copy the WhatsApp backup files from your old phone to a computer.
- Install WhatsApp on your new phone.
- Connect the new phone to your computer and copy over the backup files.
- Open WhatsApp, tap Restore > Restore from local backup files.
This will restore chats from the local backup on your new phone.
Using Third-Party Apps
Apps like WhatsApp Transfer or CopyTrans Contacts can transfer your chats and media from one phone to another without needing backups. They do this over a Wi-Fi connection between both phones.
Top WhatsApp Chat Extraction Tools
Here is a comparison of some of the most popular tools for extracting WhatsApp chats:
| Tool | Platform | Key Features |
|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp’s Export Chat | Android, iPhone |
|
| Google Drive Backup | Android, iPhone |
|
| iCloud Backup | iPhone |
|
| WhatsApp Viewer | Android, iPhone, Windows, Mac |
|
| BackupTrans | Android, iPhone |
|
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it possible to extract WhatsApp chats without backups?
Unfortunately no, without a backup there is no way to extract your WhatsApp chat history from your phone. You need to have backups enabled to Google Drive, iCloud or local storage to be able to export your chats.
Do I need root access to export WhatsApp chats on Android?
No, root access is not required. All the WhatsApp chat extraction methods mentioned above work on non-rooted Android devices.
Can I extract WhatsApp chats from another person’s phone?
No, you can only extract your own chats, not those from someone else’s device due to encryption. Both parties in a chat can back up and export their own chat history though.
Will media like photos and videos be extracted as well?
WhatsApp’s built-in export only extracts text conversations. But third-party tools and cloud backups include your media files like images, videos and documents.
Is it safe to use third-party apps to export WhatsApp chats?
As long as you use well-known reliable tools, it is generally safe. Avoid unknown apps that ask for too many permissions. Stick to reputable apps like WhatsApp Viewer.
Conclusion
Extracting your chat history allows you to keep a backup, migrate your conversations to a new device, reminisce over old chats, and more. WhatsApp provides official ways to export chats using Google Drive or local backups. There are also third-party apps that make it easy to view and manage your extracted chats.
Just remember that you need to have backups enabled to be able to extract your chat history externally. Set up Google Drive or local backups and you’ll always have access to your precious conversations even if you lose your phone!