You export a group the same way as any other chat. On iPhone, open the group, tap its name, then tap Export chat. On Android, open the group, tap the three dots, then More, then Export chat. The export only holds what’s on your phone, so it usually starts around the day you joined.
The steps
On iPhone (WhatsApp’s help page):
- Open the group and tap the group’s name at the top.
- Tap Export chat.
- If the group has media, choose With all media, With selected media or Without media.
- Choose where to send it. Save to Files keeps it on your phone.
On Android (WhatsApp’s help page):
- Open the group and tap the three dots.
- Tap More, then Export chat.
- Tap Without media or Include media.
- Choose where to send it, such as your own drive or email.
To keep voice notes and photos, include media. On Android, WhatsApp says only the most recent media is added. A busy group can make a very large file, so if it fails or takes too long, export without media first. Our article on the WhatsApp export limit has more options.
You can also export on a computer, though a computer only holds part of the history. Our guide to exporting on a computer explains the differences.
Who can export a group
WhatsApp’s export page has one set of steps for individual and group chats, with no mention of needing to be an admin. So any member should see the option.
The block WhatsApp describes is Restricted chat, or Advanced chat privacy in groups that haven’t moved to it. The Restricted chat page says group admins can turn it on and that it applies to every member of the group. While it’s on, nobody in the group can export. Only an admin can change it for a group, so you’d need to ask one. Some recent test versions offered Restricted chat for individual chats only, so you may not see it in every group yet.
Exporting doesn’t appear to alert the group. Our article on whether exporting notifies anyone explains what’s known.
Why your export may start late
| What you see | The likely reason |
|---|---|
| It starts around the day you joined | WhatsApp says history is only available to people who were members when the messages were sent |
| A few messages appear from before you joined | Members can send up to 100 messages from the last 14 days to someone new, unless an admin has turned this off. We couldn’t confirm whether these reach an export |
| It starts later than your phone goes back | The export may have hit a limit. Check it this way |
| Your phone starts late too | You may have moved phones or restored a backup. See getting messages from an old phone |
| Some messages are missing | View once messages aren’t exported, and disappearing messages may already be gone |
If you need the group’s earlier messages, ask a member who was there from the start. Their phone has its own copy, and their export may reach further back than yours.
What a group export looks like
Each message is a line with its date, time, sender and text. Each person usually appears under the name your phone shows for them, so the same person may have a different name in someone else’s export. In the app, someone whose number you don’t have saved may show a username. We haven’t confirmed how that appears in an export.
Parsers built for these files, such as this open-source one, also handle system lines with no sender, such as someone creating the group. WhatsApp doesn’t document the file’s contents, so check your own export for the lines you need. Reactions were left out of the exports we’ve seen.
If you’ve left, or plan to leave
WhatsApp gives you two choices when you leave. Exit group keeps your chat history, and Exit and delete for me permanently removes it. WhatsApp also suggests choosing Exit group after a scam or fraud, so your messages stay available as evidence.
We couldn’t find anything official on whether someone who has left can still export. So if you may need the chat, export it before you leave.
If an admin deletes the group, or removes someone, WhatsApp says it won’t delete the group from other members’ devices. They’ll still see the earlier content unless they delete it themselves.
Communities and announcement groups
WhatsApp’s export page doesn’t mention these. Its page on a community’s general chat says it works like other groups. We couldn’t confirm whether announcement groups can be exported, so open yours and look for the option.
Exporting the group’s contacts
We found no WhatsApp feature for exporting a group’s phone numbers. You can view current members, and those who left in the last 60 days, in the group’s info. WhatsApp also warns that harvesting information with automated tools for an unpermitted purpose breaks its terms and can get accounts banned, so take care with any tool that offers this.
Making sense of a big group
A group with thousands of messages is hard to read in a text file. You can open your export on Chatonfile.com and read it free on your own device, with people’s names in colour. You can search it and filter it by person. You can also see the numbers, such as who writes most and when the group is busiest.
If you need a record, you can order a dated PDF. The first page lists each person with their number of messages, every voice note in the export is written out, and the summary pulls out the key highlights and promises. Our guide to summarizing a group chat compares this with the other options.
A group chat holds other people’s words, so read about sharing WhatsApp messages before you pass it on.
Common questions
Can any member export a WhatsApp group chat?
WhatsApp's export steps don't limit it to admins, so any member should see the option. The exception is Restricted chat, or the older Advanced chat privacy. If an admin has turned that on, nobody in the group can export.
Can I export a WhatsApp group I've left?
WhatsApp doesn't say. If you chose Exit group, your chat history stays on your phone, so open the group and look for Export chat. If you're still a member, it's safest to export before you leave.
Why does my group export start after the group began?
WhatsApp says a group's history is only available to people who were members when the messages were sent. So your copy usually starts around the day you joined. Someone who was there earlier may have more.
Can I export the phone numbers of everyone in a group?
We found no WhatsApp feature for that. You can view the member list. WhatsApp says using automated tools to harvest information for an unpermitted purpose breaks its terms and can get accounts banned.
