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Thanodore's avatar
Thanodore
Copper Contributor
Oct 16, 2026

How to export whatsapp chat history on PC from my Android phone

Hey guys, Got tons of old WhatsApp chats on my Android phone and want to save them to my Windows 11 PC before getting a new phone. Some of these conversations go back years, so it'd be nice to keep ...
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HenryRomero's avatar
HenryRomero
Iron Contributor
Oct 16, 2026

I ran into the same situation with years of WhatsApp conversations and wanted to keep a readable copy on my PC instead of leaving everything on the phone. I found that wa-backup fits this use case well because it can process an exported WhatsApp ZIP and turn the messages and available media into local files such as HTML, Markdown, JSON, and CSV, making the archive easier to browse and keep.

How to export WhatsApp chat from Android on PC：

  1. Export the chat➡️On Android, open the WhatsApp conversation, choose More → Export chat, and select With media if you want the attachments included.
  2. Move the ZIP to the PC➡️Transfer the exported ZIP file from your phone to a folder on the Windows PC.
  3. Process the ZIP➡️The PC receives the exported ZIP as input. It reads the _chat.txt file and matches the available media from the same export.
  4. Open the finished archive➡️The tool creates files such as messages.html, messages.json, messages.md, messages.csv, and a media folder.Open the HTML file in a browser to view the conversation. 

 

Advantages: It runs locally, does not require an account or server, and keeps the exported messages and available media together. GitHub

Limitations: It processes WhatsApp's exported ZIP rather than the WhatsApp database itself, so you still need to export chats individually, and media that is missing from the original export cannot be recovered by the tool.