How to Export a WhatsApp Chat for Local Analysis
Export one WhatsApp conversation as text, then open its TXT or ZIP in InstaScope. Review the recorded format before analyzing it locally.
Open your chat exportStart with a chat export, not a cloud backup
Use WhatsApp's chat-export feature to save a text copy of one conversation, then open that TXT or its ZIP in InstaScope. You do not need to connect your WhatsApp account. An iCloud or Google Drive backup is a different format and cannot be opened here.
WhatsApp's Android instructions currently place Export chat under More options, then More. Choose Without media for a smaller file: InstaScope reads text records and supported media markers, not attachment contents. On iPhone, open the individual or group chat, tap the contact or group name and look for Export chat. Choose the option without media when offered and save the text export on your device. Consult the official platform-specific instructions below if labels or placement differ.
Export one conversation at a time. If the ZIP contains two candidate chat TXT files, select the intended extracted TXT on its own. A screenshot, PDF or cloud-backup file is not a substitute for the exported text records.
- Open the conversation in WhatsApp and use its Export chat action.
- Save the export to a location you control on your device. Avoid sending a private chat to an unrelated service just to move the file.
- In Chat Analyzer, choose Open chat export and select one TXT or one ZIP containing exactly one chat TXT.
- Review the detected timestamp format, choose the date order if it is ambiguous, then select Confirm format and open chat.
A fictional format check
These invented headers illustrate why the format review matters. Numeric dates can have more than one valid reading; your browser's language does not resolve that ambiguity.
| Synthetic header | What must be established |
|---|---|
| 03/04/2026, 09:15 - Example A: Hello | 3 April or 4 March: confirm the source date order |
| [2026-04-13, 09:15:02] Example B: Hello | Year-month-day, bracket wrapper, seconds recorded |
Check what actually arrived
After import, compare the first and latest recorded dates with the period you expected. An export is supplied evidence, not a guarantee that every historical message is included. The Chat Export Doctor explains supported structures, skipped preamble and unclassified markers.
Split or combined conversations are not merged automatically. ZIPs with several TXT candidates are rejected rather than guessed. Keep the original export unchanged; if a format is unsupported, use the troubleshooting guide instead of editing dates until they pass.
Parsing stays in your browser. The working chat is removed on reload or clear. A Chat Vault save preserves only selected aggregates, so retain your original file privately if you want to reopen the analysis later. WhatsApp also explains that a text export is not a backup that can be re-imported into WhatsApp.