WA FoldersExport a WhatsApp chat to CSV, HTML, Markdown or JSON
Keep a copy of an order thread, a landlord chat or a client conversation in a file you can open anywhere.
Free plan with no time limit. Pro is a one-time $4.99 payment.
![An HTML export of a demo chat with Rosa's Bakery, including a note and a [photo] label.](../assets/export-html.webp)
Four formats
HTML looks like the chat and opens in any browser. CSV opens cleanly in Excel, including on Windows, with date, sender and text columns. Markdown is for notes apps. JSON is for scripts.
Photos, files and voice messages are labelled, for example [photo] and [voice message]. Your private note on the chat and any voice-note transcripts are included.
What the free export covers
Free exports the messages loaded on screen, 3 times a day. One export keeps the newest 5,000 loaded messages.
What Pro adds
Pro exports the whole chat from the start, a whole folder (up to 100 chats) in one file, or a password-protected HTML file that opens in any browser with the password. One-time $4.99, no subscription.
Set it up in two minutes
- Install WA Folders and open web.whatsapp.com.
- Open the chat you want and scroll up if you need older messages loaded (free plan).
- In the WA Folders panel, press HTML, CSV, Markdown or JSON.
- The file lands in your Downloads folder, named after the chat and the date.
- For a whole folder or a protected file, use the folder export or tick Password-protect (Pro).
Why not WhatsApp's own export?
WhatsApp's built-in Export chat lives in the phone app and sends a .txt file (optionally with media) through the share sheet. WhatsApp Web has no export button. WA Folders adds one on the computer, in four formats, with your notes included.
What's in each file
- Date and time of each message, as WhatsApp shows them.
- Sender: the contact's name, or You.
- Text, with line breaks kept.
- Labels for media: [photo], [video], [document], [voice message]. If you transcribed a voice note with WA Folders, the transcript is included.
- Your private note on the chat, at the top.
Which format to pick
Use HTML to read or print the conversation; it opens in any browser and looks like a chat. Use CSV for Excel or Google Sheets, for example to total amounts in an order thread. Use Markdown for Obsidian or Notion. Use JSON if you're writing a script.
Whole folder and password-protected exports (Pro)
A folder export opens each chat in the folder in turn (up to 100) and puts them all in one file. WA Folders warns you first, because opening a chat marks it as read in WhatsApp.
A password-protected export is an HTML file that shows nothing until you type the password, then decrypts in the browser. Handy for sending a copy to an accountant or lawyer by email. If you lose the password, the file can't be opened, so keep it somewhere safe.
Limits worth knowing
One export of the open chat keeps the newest 5,000 loaded messages. Free exports what's loaded on screen, 3 times a day. Media files themselves aren't included; save them from WhatsApp if you need them.
Step-by-step with screenshots: how to export a WhatsApp Web chat, and what ends up in the file. To find the right chat first, see search WhatsApp Web messages.
Free vs Pro for export
| Free | Pro ($4.99 once) | |
|---|---|---|
| Exports per day | 3 | Unlimited |
| What's exported | Messages loaded on screen | Whole chat from the start |
| Whole folder in one file | No | Yes, up to 100 chats |
| Password-protected HTML | No | Yes |
Common problems
- The file is shorter than the chat: on the free plan only loaded messages are exported; scroll up first, or use Pro's whole-chat export.
- Photos aren't in the file: exports carry labels like [photo], not the media; save media from WhatsApp itself.
- Hit the daily limit: free allows 3 exports a day; the count resets the next day, or Pro removes it.
Step-by-step guide: How to export a WhatsApp Web chat, and what ends up in the file.
Questions
Does it export photos and videos?
No, media appears as labels in the file. Use WhatsApp's own save option for media.
Is the export sent anywhere?
No. The file is made in your browser and saved to your Downloads.
Can I open the CSV in Excel on Windows?
Yes. CSV exports are made to open cleanly in Excel, including on Windows.
Can I export a group chat?
Yes. Group exports name each sender, the same as one-to-one chats.
Where does the file go?
To Chrome's Downloads folder, like any download. WA Folders doesn't keep a copy anywhere else.
Try it on your own chat list
Free in the Chrome Web Store. Pay once later if you want everything unlocked.