WhatsApp export limits: 10,000 and 40,000 messages
Older WhatsApp help pages capped exports at 10,000 messages with media and 40,000 without. Check if your export is complete, and what to do if it isn't.
· 6 min read
Older versions of WhatsApp's help pages gave two numbers: up to 10,000 of the latest messages when you export with media, and 40,000 without media. The current page no longer gives any number. So don't rely on a figure: compare the first date in your export with the day the chat really began.
What WhatsApp's help pages said, and what they say now
An older version of WhatsApp's help page on exporting said:
“When exporting with media, you can send up to 10,000 latest messages. Without media, you can send 40,000 messages. These constraints are due to maximum email sizes.”
That sentence is gone from the current help page. For Android, the page now only says: “If you choose Include media, the most recent media sent will be added as attachments.” For iPhone, it lists three choices when a chat has media: With all media, With selected media… and Without media. Older versions of the app say Attach Media.
Two things still follow from WhatsApp's own wording:
- With media, the newest part is kept. The old limit counted the “latest” messages, and the current page says the “most recent media” is added. If something is missing, it is the oldest part of the chat.
- Without media, you got more. The old figure for a text-only export was four times higher.
The current page doesn't say whether the old numbers still apply. Treat them as a rough guide and check your own file.
| With media | Without media | |
|---|---|---|
| Older help pages | up to 10,000 latest messages | 40,000 messages |
| Current help page | the most recent media is added (Android) | no number given |
| What the file holds | text plus photos, videos and voice messages | text only, media lines say “omitted” |
| Best for | recent voice messages | the long history |
Check whether your export is complete
This takes a couple of minutes.
- Open the text file. It is
_chat.txton iPhone or something likeWhatsApp Chat with Sam.txton Android. How to open a WhatsApp chat .txt has the steps for each device. - Note the date of the first message. It sits at the start of the first line someone wrote.
- Compare it with the start of the chat. In WhatsApp, scroll to the very top of the chat, or think back to when you first talked. In a group, a line such as
Ana created group "Book club"near the top means you have the beginning. - Check the last line too. It should be the newest message from when you exported.
- Count the messages. If the file holds close to the old figures, 10,000 messages with media or 40,000 without, and starts later than the chat, it was probably cut.
Counting lines by hand doesn't work, because a long message runs over several lines. The free WhatsApp chat viewer counts the messages on your own device and shows activity by month. A file that starts in a busy month, with nothing before it, stands out at once.
For voice messages, check the files as well as the lines. Search the text for .opus and compare a few of those names with the files in the folder. With media, an older line can name a voice message whose file was never added.
What to do when the export is cut
Export again without media
A text-only export holds far more messages and makes a much smaller file. Photos and voice messages turn into “omitted” lines, but every message keeps its date, time and sender. On iPhone, choose Without media. On Android, tap the three dots, then More, Export chat and Without media, then pick an app such as Quick Share or Gmail.
Keep the export with media too
Don't delete the first file. It has the recent voice messages, photos and documents, and the text-only file does not. Keep both in one folder, with the date you exported in the folder name.
Use a date range on WhatsApp Web
WhatsApp's help page says WhatsApp Web can now export a chat: open the chat menu, choose Export chat, then All messages or Custom date range, then Export. You get a .zip, and the page says “Media isn't included, unlike exporting chats on your mobile device.” View once and disappearing messages are left out as well. So a Web export can't give you voice messages. For those, export on your phone with media.
The page gives no size limit for Web exports, so check the first and last dates of whatever you get.
Other reasons an export starts late
A limit is not the only reason an export can begin later than you expect.
- The older messages aren't on that phone. If the chat was cleared, or the phone was set up without restoring a backup, there is nothing older to export.
- Disappearing messages. Messages that have already disappeared are not in an export.
- View once messages. WhatsApp's help page says these are not exported.
- Someone else may have more. Another person in the chat may still have the older messages on their phone and can export the chat from there.
What you cannot do
- Pick a date range on a phone. WhatsApp's help page lists only the media choice for iPhone and Android. The date range is a WhatsApp Web option.
- Make WhatsApp include more. The help pages describe no setting that raises how much an export holds.
- Put an export back into WhatsApp. The help page says an export can't be re-imported, because it is a text file and not a backup.
- Read a backup instead. A WhatsApp backup is for restoring chats to a phone. LogMyChat reads exports, not backups.
Which file to upload
LogMyChat reads one export at a time. It does not join two files into one record, so pick the file that fits the job.
- The voice messages matter. Use the export made on your phone with media, because only it has the audio. Every voice message is written out in the language spoken, under the date and time it was sent.
- The long history matters. Use the text-only export. For a busy group, the group chat summary lists what is still open, who promised what, and the money and dates mentioned, each linked to its message.
The free overview shows how many messages and voice minutes your file has, and the exact price before you pay. For example, a text-only export of 40,000 messages with no audio is a Large chat at $19. Every size is on the pricing page.
Common questions
Does the limit apply to group chats?
The older wording counted messages and made no difference between groups and one-to-one chats. Busy groups simply reach the numbers sooner.
Will WhatsApp warn me that the export was cut?
WhatsApp's help pages don't mention a warning. Check the first date in the file yourself.
Can I export only the older part of a chat?
Not on a phone, going by WhatsApp's help page. WhatsApp Web lists a custom date range, but that export has no media.
Is a bigger export always better?
Not always. A text-only file reaches further back, but it has no voice messages. If you need both, keep both files and use each for what it holds.