ChatVault docs
Your first export
Save one conversation, follow the progress and verify the archive before relying on it.
Choose the conversation
Open WhatsApp Web and select the conversation you intend to preserve. In ChatVault, use the Contacts / chats list to choose that chat. Use Refresh if the list needs updating, and confirm the displayed name before starting.
Begin with a conversation you can recognize easily. Pick a few distinctive messages and one accessible attachment as checkpoints for the downloaded file.
- Keep WhatsApp Web open and signed in.
- Open ChatVault on the toolbar.
- Select the intended contact or group.
- Choose the date range when those controls are available.
- Choose an export format and select Download backup.
Choose a format for your next task
HTML is a useful first choice when you want to read the conversation in a browser. TXT is convenient for simple text searching. CSV and Excel organize messages in rows, while JSON retains structured message and media information.
The chosen format is the main document inside a ZIP archive. Available media are stored alongside it; choosing a spreadsheet format does not turn photos and voice notes into spreadsheet cells.
Follow the backup progress
Keep the popup and WhatsApp Web tab open while ChatVault collects messages and retrieves media. The Creating backup view shows message and media counts and the current operation. Wait for the ready state and the browser download.
Stop cancels the running operation. Treat a stopped or failed run as unfinished and start another export when you are ready. Back to ChatVault returns to the main view after the operation finishes.
Extract, open and check
Find the ZIP in your browser downloads and extract it into a folder. Open the main chat document from that extracted folder. For HTML, keep its media folder in the same relative location so attachment references can continue to work.
Compare the conversation name, a few message texts and the covered dates with WhatsApp Web. Open important attachments and read report.txt if it is present. A completed download is the start of verification, not a guarantee that every historical item was accessible.
- Extract the complete ZIP.
- Open the main chat document.
- Check your reference messages and dates.
- Open a sample of important attachments.
- Store the original ZIP and a verified reading copy.