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Date ranges

Choose a useful period and check that the exported conversation covers the dates you need.

Set From and To

When date controls are available in your activated extension, use From for the first date and To for the last date. The selected period applies to the conversation you chose; it is not a search across every WhatsApp chat.

Use the calendar controls to change month, select a day, jump to Today or Clear a date. Before starting a date-based export, provide a complete, valid range and check that the end is not earlier than the start.

  1. Choose the conversation.
  2. Set the first day in From.
  3. Set the last day in To.
  4. Review the displayed dates together.
  5. Select the format and download the backup.

Understand the day boundaries

ChatVault interprets the first day from its beginning and the last day through its end, using the browser computer’s local date handling. For example, a range from October 1 to October 31 is intended to cover that whole period, rather than stopping at the beginning of October 31.

Message timestamps and the dates rendered by WhatsApp Web are part of the available evidence. If a message cannot be assigned a usable timestamp, check the outcome carefully rather than assuming it belongs inside the selected range.

Let older history load

A date selector cannot recreate a message that the web session cannot access. Open the conversation and check that the older period is available. ChatVault works through the history WhatsApp Web exposes while the export runs.

For a long conversation, start with one period whose contents you can verify. Avoid refreshing the tab, switching conversations or closing the popup while the collection is running.

Verify each period

After extracting the archive, check messages near both boundaries and a distinctive message in the middle. Use the displayed sender and text as well as the date, especially when several participants were active around midnight.

For a collection of monthly or project archives, keep a short index listing each period and its export date. Record gaps or unavailable attachments beside the affected archive so a future reader can understand its coverage.