Export guide

How to export a WhatsApp chat

By the Clarity Forensics team · Updated October 22, 2026

To export a WhatsApp chat on Android, open the chat, tap ⋮ › More › Export chat, choose Without media, and pick where to send the file. WhatsApp saves the conversation as a plain-text (.txt) file. It is a copy you can read or share, not a backup you can restore, and it doesn't change anything in the chat or notify the other person.

Export a WhatsApp chat on Android

Open the chat. Open the one-to-one or group chat you want a copy of.
Open the menu. Tap ⋮ (More options) at the top right, then More › Export chat.
Choose Without media. Without media gives you a small text file with every message. Include media adds your most recent photos and files as attachments, which makes it much larger. Clarity only needs the text.
Send it to Clarity. In the share menu, pick Clarity and the import starts by itself. Or save the file (for example to Files) and tap Import File in Clarity.
Confirm who you are looking at. If Clarity can't tell which person is the other side of the conversation, for example in a group chat, it asks you to pick.

On an iPhone

Clarity runs on Android, but you can export a chat on an iPhone and open the file on an Android phone. In WhatsApp on the iPhone, open the chat, tap the contact's or group's name at the top, then Export chat, and choose Without media. Send the file to yourself by email or a cloud drive you trust, then import it in Clarity.

Good to know

The other person isn't told. Exporting only makes a copy on your phone. Nothing is sent to anyone unless you choose to share it.
What's included. The export has the messages currently in the chat, with dates and names. Messages that were deleted, or that disappeared because disappearing messages were on, aren't in it.
Where the file goes. Wherever you share it. If you email it to yourself or put it in a cloud drive, it stays there until you delete it, so think about who else can open that account.
Dates in any format. WhatsApp writes dates the way your phone is set up (for example 3/14/26 or 14/03/2026, 12-hour or 24-hour). Clarity reads the common formats.

Privacy: Clarity looks for patterns on your phone. Imported conversations are saved to your private account so they survive a reinstall, or you can use Volatile Mode to keep one in memory only. If you run an AI report, a short summary is sent, never the whole conversation. Details are in the privacy policy.

Then see what the conversation shows

Clarity is a free Android app that reads the file you export and shows where patterns like gaslighting, love bombing and DARVO appear, with the messages behind every flag, a health score and a timeline. Pattern detection runs on your phone.

Get Clarity on Google Play

Not sure what to look for? Read the red flag guides.

Questions

How do I export a WhatsApp chat on Android?

Open the chat, tap the three-dot menu at the top right, then More and Export chat. Choose Without media, then pick an app to send the file to. WhatsApp creates a .txt file with the conversation.

Does the other person know if I export a WhatsApp chat?

No. Exporting makes a copy on your phone and does not notify anyone. The file only goes where you choose to send it.

Can I import an exported WhatsApp chat back into WhatsApp?

No. WhatsApp says an exported chat is a text file, not a backup, so it cannot be restored into WhatsApp. To move chats between phones, use WhatsApp's own backup or transfer options.

Should I choose Include media or Without media?

For reading or analyzing the conversation, Without media is enough and keeps the file small. Include media adds your most recent photos and files as attachments, which makes it much larger.

Sources

WhatsApp Help Center. How to export your chat history (Android and iOS instructions).