At one point or another, you may have wished to save a copy of a WhatsApp chat on your PC for future reference or to share with others. Among the best formats for doing this is the Portable Document Format (PDF) because it is easily readable, sharable, printable, and difficult to modify unknowingly. This comprehensive guide will teach you how to save a WhatsApp chat on your PC and convert it to a PDF file.

Methods of Saving WhatsApp Chat on Your PC

There are two simple yet effective methods to back up your WhatsApp chat on your PC. You can either export the chat directly from your phone, or use the Google Chrome extension called Backup WhatsApp Chats. Both methods have their unique advantages and some limitations.

Method 1: Exporting WhatsApp Conversation from Phone to Google Drive

WhatsApp, being one of the leading messaging platforms globally, has an inbuilt feature that allows users to export chats. This feature supports various sharing options, including via email, WhatsApp, or Google Drive.

Here’s a detailed walkthrough of how to export a chat from your WhatsApp application to Google Drive, using an Android phone:

  1. Open the desired chat on WhatsApp.
  2. Tap the three vertical dots located at the top right corner of your screen, then tap “More” at the bottom of the context menu.
  3. From the expanded list, select “Export Chat.”
  4. Choose whether to include or exclude media in your export file by selecting “With Media” or “Without Media.” Including media will add all related files alongside a text file of your messages.
  5. After making your selection, WhatsApp will begin exporting the chat.
  6. Upon successful export, choose “Google Drive” as your preferred share option and click “Save.”
  7. Open Google Drive on your PC to access the .txt file containing your exported WhatsApp chat.

Method 2: Backing up WhatsApp Conversation Using Chrome Extension – WhatsApp Backup Chats

Another simple way to back up your WhatsApp chat on your PC is by using the WhatsApp Backup Chats extension for Google Chrome. This extension, available at a one-time cost of $5, allows you to download your WhatsApp chats via WhatsApp Web.

Here’s how you can use the Chrome extension to back up your WhatsApp chat:

  1. Download the WhatsApp Backup Chats extension from the Chrome Web Store.
  2. Log into WhatsApp Web and select the chat you wish to save.
  3. Click the WhatsApp Backup Chats extension icon in the Chrome extension bar.
  4. In the context menu, select the date range and the type of export file (HTML, CSV, or text file).
  5. Once you’ve adjusted your settings, click “Download” to save your chat.

You’ve now successfully backed up your WhatsApp chat on your PC using the WhatsApp Backup Chats extension. The saved file is typically located in the Downloads folder of your PC.

Conclusion

Regardless of your reasons to save and share a chat – be it for legal matters, proof, or simply to resolve a misunderstanding – the chat export feature of WhatsApp is a helpful tool. It is either available for free within the app, or for a nominal fee through the WhatsApp Backup Chats extension for Google Chrome.

Should you need to convert the exported WhatsApp chat into a PDF file, tools such as PDFelement can come in handy.

FAQs

Can I forward an entire WhatsApp conversation?

Yes, by exporting the chat and sending it via WhatsApp or email to the recipient.

What happens if I export a WhatsApp conversation?

The entire conversation is converted into a text document which can then be shared or saved on Google Drive.

How can I get WhatsApp chat history?

By restoring backed up messages either from the cloud (Google Drive or iCloud) or from a local device.

How can I print WhatsApp chat history?

Export the chat you wish to print, email it to yourself, open the email, and send the chat to print.

How can I copy a WhatsApp conversation to Word?

Export the chat, then either convert the .txt file to a Word document or copy the contents into a new Word document.