How to save the WhatsApp messages of someone who has died
Open the conversation, tap ⋮ → More → Export chat, and choose Include media so the photos and voice notes come too. Email the file to yourself so it exists somewhere other than your phone. If you want it on paper, convert it to a PDF and print or bind it. Doing the export part soon is worth it — accounts close and phones change.
We are sorry you are looking for this. What follows is short and practical, because that is usually what helps at this point.
Do the export first, decide what to do with it later
The important step is getting the conversation off the phone and into a file you control. You do not have to decide today whether you want it printed, bound, or simply kept — but the export is time-sensitive in a way the rest is not.
- Open the conversation.
- Tap the ⋮ menu, then More, then Export chat.
- Choose Include media. It makes a bigger file, but it brings the photos and voice notes with it, and for this you will want them.
- Email it to yourself, or save it to cloud storage. The point is that it now exists somewhere other than one handset.
Why sooner is better
Accounts can be closed by family or deactivated after long inactivity. Phones get replaced, damaged, or wiped when they are passed on. Voice notes and photos in particular are easy to lose in a device change. None of this is urgent in the way other things are right now, but it is the kind of thing people wish they had done.
Making something you can hold
Some people find a file is enough. Others want it as an object. If that is you, converting the export into a PDF gives you something you can print at a copy shop or send to a print-on-demand service to be bound as a small book. Chat Exporter will produce that PDF on your phone, with dates on every message, and without uploading anything anywhere.
A few things people have found worth doing:
- Export the whole conversation rather than choosing favourite parts. The ordinary messages tend to matter more later than the significant ones.
- If you want a shorter keepsake, make the full export first and the shorter version second.
- Voice notes come out as separate audio files in the media export — keep the folder together with the transcript.
If you cannot access the phone
If the conversation is on their device rather than yours, you may not be able to reach it. Meta has a process for reporting a deceased person's account, but it does not release message content to family members. What is on your phone is what you can save — which is a reason to export your own copy.
Common questions
Will exporting notify anyone?
No. Exporting a chat is a local action on your phone. Nobody is notified, and nothing changes in the conversation.
Can I get messages from their phone or account?
Generally not through WhatsApp. Meta does not release message content of a deceased user to family. Your own copy of the conversation is what you can preserve.
How do I turn it into a printed book?
Export with media, convert to PDF, then use any print shop or print-on-demand service that accepts a PDF. Ask for a smaller page size if you want something book-shaped rather than A4.