PrintChatsExport a WhatsApp Chat With Photos and Media
By Josep Mampel Marques, updated
To export a WhatsApp chat with photos, choose Include media (on iPhone, the option to export with media) when WhatsApp asks during Export chat. The export then carries the photos, videos, voice notes and documents as separate files next to the chat text. WhatsApp's help center says it adds the most recent media sent, so in a long chat older media may be left out. With Without media, you only get the text, and each photo shows up as a line saying the media was omitted.
How to export with media
- Open the chat in WhatsApp on your phone.
- On Android, tap More options (three dots), then More, then Export chat. On iPhone, tap the contact or group name, then Export chat.
- Choose Include media on Android. On iPhone, recent versions offer all media, selected media or no media, and older versions say Attach Media. Labels may vary by version.
- Save the result somewhere with room for large files, such as Files, iCloud Drive or Google Drive. Email is the weakest option for big exports because email services cap attachment size.
Detailed walkthroughs: export on iPhone and export on Android.
Include media versus Without media
| Include media | Without media | |
|---|---|---|
| Chat text | Yes | Yes |
| Photos, videos, voice notes, documents | Recent media, as separate files | No |
| What the text says where a photo was | The media file name | A note that the media was omitted |
| File size | Can be large | Small |
| Photos in a PrintChats PDF | Yes | No, a placeholder instead |
In the text, an included photo is referenced by name. On iPhone the line looks like <attached: 00000003-PHOTO-2024-01-15-21-41-45.jpg>, and on Android like IMG-20240115-WA0003.jpg (file attached). Without media, iPhone writes something like image omitted and Android <Media omitted>, in your phone's language. See what is inside a WhatsApp export zip for the full format.
Why some photos are missing
Three common reasons, all worth checking before you delete anything from your phone:
- Only recent media is attached. This is how WhatsApp describes Include media, so long chats may lose their oldest photos. There is more on this in WhatsApp chat export limits.
- The media is no longer on the phone. If a photo was never downloaded, or was deleted from the device, the export cannot include it.
- Some messages are never exported. WhatsApp's help center says view-once messages are not exported, and its desktop page adds disappearing messages.
WITNESS, a nonprofit that trains people to preserve video and documentation, reported in 2018 that Android exports with media above 25 MB only carried the most recent 25 MB of media in their tests. Treat that as an older observation that may vary by version, and check your export before relying on it.
Keep the photos in your PDF
- Export with media and keep the .zip as a single file. On Android, if you received the .txt and media as separate files, compress them together into one .zip.
- Open PrintChats and choose the .zip. Photos appear inside the bubbles, and videos and audio are listed as links.
- Leave Photos in PDF ticked and tap Save as PDF. PrintChats loads every photo before the print dialog opens, so they appear in the PDF.
Everything happens in your browser tab. The .zip, with all its photos, is not uploaded.
Exporting from a computer
WhatsApp on Web, Windows and Mac now has its own Export chat, but WhatsApp's help center says media is not included in that export. If you want photos, export from the phone and move the file to the computer. See WhatsApp chat to PDF on a Mac or PC.
FAQ
Does Include media export every photo in the chat?
Not necessarily. WhatsApp's help center says the most recent media sent is added as attachments, so very long chats can come out with older media missing.
Can I export media from WhatsApp on a computer?
WhatsApp's help center says exports from WhatsApp on Web, Windows and Mac do not include media. Export from the phone if you need the photos.