How to extract a chat from a WhatsApp archive on Android?

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admin · Accepted Answer

How to extract a chat from a WhatsApp archive on Android - briefly?
To extract a chat from a WhatsApp archive on Android, follow these steps:

Locate the WhatsApp backup folder in your file manager, typically found at /sdcard/WhatsApp/Databases.
Rename the desired chat backup file by changing its extension from .db or .crypt to .txt, then open it with a text editor to view the conversation.

How to extract a chat from a WhatsApp archive on Android - in detail?
To extract a chat from a WhatsApp archive on an Android device, you need to follow a detailed process that involves several steps. This procedure allows you to recover important conversations that may have been lost or accidentally deleted. Here’s how you can do it:
Firstly, ensure that you have a backup of your WhatsApp data. WhatsApp automatically creates backups on Google Drive if you have enabled this feature. To check if there is an available backup, go to the Google Drive app and look for any recent WhatsApp backup files.
If you do not have an automatic backup, you may need to use a file manager or a specialized recovery tool to locate and extract the chat from your device’s internal storage. Here are the detailed steps:

Locate the WhatsApp Backup Folder:

Open the File Manager app on your Android device.
Navigate to the Internal Storage folder.
Look for a folder named ‘WhatsApp’. If you have multiple backups, they will be listed with dates in their filenames (e.g., WhatsApp-2023-10-05).

Copy the Backup Folder:

Select the backup folder that corresponds to the date when the chat was last saved.
Copy this folder to a location where you can easily access it, such as your device’s Downloads folder or an external SD card.

Restore the Chat Using WhatsApp:

Uninstall WhatsApp from your Android device.
Reinstall WhatsApp from the Google Play Store.
During the setup process, WhatsApp will prompt you to restore chats from a backup.
Select the option to restore from a local backup and choose the folder you copied earlier.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the restoration process.

Extract Specific Chats:

Once the restoration is complete, open WhatsApp and go to the chat list.
Locate the specific chat you want to extract.
To save this chat, tap and hold the conversation until a menu appears.
Select ‘More’ from the menu options.
Choose ‘Export Chat’. This will create a text file of the conversation which can be saved to your device or shared via email or another messaging platform.

By following these steps, you can effectively extract and save important WhatsApp chats from an archive on your Android device. It is crucial to regularly back up your data to avoid loss of valuable conversations in the future.