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Export a WhatsApp Business chat: how to save a customer's history

Published on October 19, 2026

Sometimes a chat needs to leave the phone.

A customer agreed to a price and now says something else.

Your accountant asked for the history of an order.

Someone on your team is taking over a customer and needs to read what’s already been said.

That’s what Export chat is for: it creates a file with the messages from one chat, which you can email or keep in a folder.

On the WhatsApp Business app, the option sits in the same chat menu as on regular WhatsApp.

The steps below come from the WhatsApp Help Center.

How to export on Android

According to the official page on exporting chat history on Android, here’s the path:

  1. Open the individual or group chat.
  2. Tap More options (the three dots), then More and Export chat.
  3. Choose Without media or Include media.
  4. Choose where the file goes, such as Gmail, Quick Share or a chat.

With Include media, only the most recent media go as attachments, per the same official Android page.

If the photo of a receipt is old, it’s worth saving that photo separately.

How to export on iPhone

The official page on exporting chat history on iPhone has a shorter path:

  1. Open the individual or group chat.
  2. Tap the contact’s name or the group name, then Export chat.
  3. If the chat has media, choose With all media, With selected media or Without media.
  4. Choose where to save it, such as Message, Save to Files or Notes.

On iPhone, the history comes out as a ZIP file, and view once messages aren’t included, according to the official iPhone page.

Exporting isn’t a backup

This is the most common mix-up.

The exported file is text you can read, not a copy that goes back into the app.

The WhatsApp Help Center says exported history can’t be re-imported into WhatsApp, precisely because it’s a text file and not a backup file.

In other words, exporting is for keeping a record of one specific chat.

To switch phones without losing anything, use the app’s own backup.

When the export option is missing

If the option is gone in a chat, it may be restricted chat, which is replacing the older advanced chat privacy.

The official page about restricted chat explains that, when it’s on, no one in the chat can export it, automatically save media to their gallery, use Meta AI there or use linked devices for that chat.

Who can turn it on depends on the type of chat.

In an individual chat, either person can turn it on or off.

In a group, the admins decide.

The setting works chat by chat and can only be changed on the primary device, per the same page about restricted chat.

One detail for businesses that answer through the official API: the page about restricted chat says the feature isn’t available in chats with businesses that use Meta’s services to store and reply to customer messages.

Handle the file with care

The exported history includes the customer’s name, phone number and whatever they told you.

Treat the file the way you’d treat a customer record: keep it in a folder with restricted access, send it only to people who need it and delete it once the reason for keeping it is over.

Where we come in

Exporting handles the record of one chat at a time.

Day-to-day support still happens on WhatsApp.

We set up and run the assistant for those chats on your business number: it uses your own business content, books on the calendar you already use and brings in someone from your team when the topic needs a person.

Sources