Export Only Part of a WhatsApp Chat by Date

By Josep Mampel Marques, updated November 9, 2026

WhatsApp on the phone exports a chat as a whole, with no option to pick dates. To keep only part of a chat, either use Export chat on WhatsApp for Web, Windows or Mac, which lets you choose Custom date range (text only, no media), or export the full chat from the phone and filter it afterwards: open it in PrintChats, set From and To, and save just that range as a PDF with photos.

Option 1: custom date range on WhatsApp desktop

WhatsApp's help center describes this for WhatsApp on Web, Windows and Mac:

1. Open the individual or group chat.
2. Click More options (the three dots), then Export chat.
3. Choose Custom date range instead of All messages and set the dates.
4. Click Export. The chat is saved as a ZIP file.

Limits to know: the desktop export does not include media, and disappearing and view-once messages are not exported. A computer linked to your phone may also hold less history than the phone itself, so very old messages may not be available there. This option is newer than the phone export and may not appear on older desktop versions. PrintChats was built around phone exports; if a desktop export does not open correctly, use option 2.

Option 2: export everything, keep only the dates you need

This is the route when you want photos in the result, or when the desktop option is not available.

1. Export the full chat from your phone with media. Steps for iPhone and Android.
2. Open the .zip in PrintChats. The header shows the first and last date it found.
3. Set From to the first day you want and To to the last. Both days are included in full, from midnight to the end of the day.
4. Check the counter: it shows how many messages of the total are in the range.
5. Tap Save as PDF. Only the messages on screen go into the PDF, and its heading shows the chat name and the date range.

You can combine the dates with Search to keep, for example, only the messages that mention an address during one month. Clear the search box if you want every message in the range.

Which option to use

Common reasons to export a date range

• A long chat makes a huge PDF. Printing one month or one year at a time keeps each file manageable.
• You only need the days around an event, such as an agreement, a trip or a delivery.
• You want to share part of a chat without handing over years of unrelated conversation. Sharing less is also kinder to the other people in the chat.

If the PDF is for a dispute or a formal record, keep the full original export as well, since a range taken out of context can raise questions. See saving a WhatsApp chat as a record (general information, not legal advice).

When the range you want is missing

If your chosen start date is earlier than the first message PrintChats shows, the export did not reach that far back. Phone exports have limits, and older media in long chats may be left out. Try exporting without media for a longer text history, and read WhatsApp chat export limits for what else helps.