Can You Export All WhatsApp Chats at Once?

By Josep Mampel Marques, updated November 9, 2026

No. WhatsApp's Export chat works on one individual or group chat at a time, and there is no built-in option to export all chats in one file. To keep many chats, export them one by one (on Android there is a shortcut in Settings that saves opening each chat), or use a WhatsApp backup if your goal is to keep everything inside WhatsApp rather than to read it elsewhere.

What WhatsApp offers instead of a bulk export

So if you want every conversation as something you can open, search and print, the route is several exports. If you only want to be sure nothing is lost, a backup covers all chats in one step. The trade-offs are in WhatsApp backup vs export chat.

Export many chats, one after another

1. Make a list of the chats you actually need. Most people care about a handful, not every group they are in.
2. Pick one destination and use it for every export, for example a folder called WhatsApp exports in Files, iCloud Drive or Google Drive. Email is a poor choice for many large files.
3. Export each chat:
   • iPhone: open the chat, tap the contact or group name, Export chat.
   • Android: open the chat, More options, More, Export chat.
   • Android shortcut: Android Authority describes Settings, Chats, Chat history, Export chat, which shows a list where you pick the contact or group. This path is not on WhatsApp's export help page and may vary by version.
4. Decide on media per chat. Without media is quick and small. Include media only for chats where the photos matter.
5. Check the names. Exports are usually named after the chat, but two contacts with the same name, or exports made on different days, can be confusing. Add the date to the file name if your file manager lets you, without changing anything inside the .zip.

Each export is separate, so you can stop at any point and continue later. If an export never arrives, see where a WhatsApp chat export goes.

On a computer

WhatsApp for Web, Windows and Mac also exports one chat at a time, as a ZIP file without media, with a choice of all messages or a custom date range. It does not add a bulk option. It can be quicker to click through many chats with a mouse, but the computer may hold less history than the phone, and you lose the photos.

Read the exports afterwards

Each export opens on its own in PrintChats: choose the .zip or .txt, read it as bubbles with photos, search it and save it as a PDF. To go through several chats, open one, then choose the next file; the previous chat is cleared from the page. Nothing is uploaded at any point.

Before you delete anything

If you are exporting everything because you are about to reset or replace your phone, export is only half the job: it gives you readable copies, but it cannot be imported back into WhatsApp. Make a backup or transfer as well. The full checklist is in save WhatsApp chats before changing phones.