When you export your WhatsApp chats, the file is saved in a .txt format. This plain text file can be opened on any device, making it easy to transfer your chats between phones or back them up on your computer.
The .txt export contains the full history of your conversations, including text messages, images, videos, and other media. Everything is formatted sequentially as it appeared in your chat, along with timestamps for each message.
Knowing the .txt format of exported WhatsApp chats is useful when you need to manage, edit, or analyze your conversation history outside of the app. The open plain text nature gives you full access to your data.
Why Export WhatsApp Chats?
There are a few key reasons why you may want to export your WhatsApp chats:
- Backup your chat history – Exporting all your chats provides a backup if you ever switch phones or lose your device.
- Transfer chats to a new phone – Moving your .txt chat file makes transferring to a new phone quick and easy.
- Analyze chat data – The text file allows you to open chats in other programs and analyze the raw data.
- Read chat history when not connected – You can open the .txt file to view all message history without a network connection.
- Free up space – Exporting and saving chats elsewhere frees up storage space on your phone.
Overall, the .txt export gives you full control over your own chat data for portability, analysis, and backup.
What Does an Exported Chat Look Like?
When you open a .txt file of your exported WhatsApp chats, it will look something like this:
16/10/2022, 09:17 - From: Jane Doe Good morning! How are you today? 16/10/2022, 09:20 - To: Jane Doe I'm doing great, thanks! Just drinking my morning coffee. How about you? 16/10/2022, 09:23 - From: Jane Doe I'm good! Getting ready to head into work now. Have a great rest of your day! 16/10/2022, 15:43 - From: Jane Doe [Photo attached: coffee.jpg] Needed a coffee break!
Each message shows the date, the sender name, the text, and any media attachments. Everything is neatly organized chronologically so you can follow the back and forth conversation.
Breakdown of Format
Looking closer, we can break down the key components of the .txt chat file format:
- Timestamp – Includes the date and time each message was sent.
- Sender – Indicates who sent the message, either “From” or “To”.
- Text – Contains the actual message content as plain text.
- Media – Links to any attached photos, videos, or files. They won’t be included.
The format is very simple and clean, allowing your chats to be displayed in an organized manner.
How to Export WhatsApp Chats
Exporting your WhatsApp chats is an easy process on both iPhone and Android devices. Here are the basic steps:
On iPhone
- Open the WhatsApp app and go into the chat you want to export.
- Tap on the contact’s name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap “Export Chat”.
- Choose whether to include media or not. Exporting without media will be faster.
- Tap “Export” and select the destination on your phone to save the .txt file.
On Android
- Open WhatsApp and go into the chat you want to export.
- Tap the three dots menu in the top right.
- Select More > Export chat.
- Choose whether to include media and tap Export.
- Select the location on your phone to save the .txt file.
The process takes just a few taps and your chat history will be neatly organized into an accessible text document.
Importing Exported Chats
After exporting your WhatsApp chats, you may later want to import them back into the app, either on the same phone or a new device.
Unfortunately, WhatsApp does not offer an automated import option for .txt chat files. However, the text document can still be used to manually restore your chat history.
Here are two options for using an exported .txt file to import chats:
Copy and Paste
You can open the .txt file on a computer or phone and manually copy each message. Then paste them one-by-one into the relevant chat window in WhatsApp. This will take some time but everything will import back accurately.
Email Chat to Yourself
Another method is to email the .txt chat file to yourself. Open it on your phone and copy chunks of the conversation to paste back into WhatsApp. This allows you to import parts of the chat quickly.
While a bit tedious, using the .txt file as a reference does allow your exported chats to be imported again when needed.
Conclusion
Exporting WhatsApp chats saves your conversation history in an open plain text format (.txt) that can be easily accessed, edited, and analyzed. The file neatly organizes all messages, media, and timestamps in sequence for reference.
While WhatsApp itself does not allow automated import from .txt files, the exported chats can still be imported back into the app manually. Overall, the open text document provides full control over your chat data for backup and portability.