How to export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone

It takes about a minute. You get a .zip file containing the messages (_chat.txt) and, if you want, the photos.

Steps

Open WhatsApp and go to the chat you want to export.
Tap the contact or group name at the top of the chat.
Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
Choose Attach Media to include photos, or Without Media for text only.
In the share sheet, tap Save to Files and pick a folder (for example On My iPhone).

Tip: choose Save to Files rather than Mail. Long chats with media are often too large to email.

With or without media?

Without Media: fast and small. Photos show as “image omitted”. Best for long chats where you only need the text.
Attach Media: photos, stickers, voice notes and videos are added to the zip. WhatsApp limits how many recent messages are included when you attach media (its help pages mention about 10,000 messages with media and 40,000 without), so for very long chats export without media.

Turn it into a PDF

On your iPhone, open Paperthread in Safari, tap the upload box and pick the zip from Files. Or AirDrop the zip to a computer, which is faster for long chats. The file is processed on your device and never uploaded.

Turn your exported chat into a clean PDF, right in your browser. Free preview, nothing uploaded.

Make my PDF

Problems?

“Export Chat” is missing: update WhatsApp from the App Store. The option sits at the bottom of the contact or group info screen.
The export only has recent messages: export again Without Media to get more history, or check the chat wasn’t cleared on this phone.
The zip won’t open on the iPhone: you don’t need to unzip it. Upload the zip as it is.