Chat Explorer
View chat export
What it does
WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger
Drop the ZIP you exported, or a WhatsApp .txt, or the .json conversation files of an Instagram or Facebook Messenger (beta) data download. No unzipping: the chats are found inside the archive. They become the same clean chat with date separators, links and media placeholders.
Search and Jump
Search by words, person and date range, then jump straight to any result, a date or a month.
Local Insights
Right after you open a chat, see what the numbers show: its busiest day, longest streak and more, then a full Insights page with the conversation over time, who wrote, its rhythm, milestones, shared media and message patterns. Milestones open the message in the conversation. Every number is counted from the file on your device, and the method is shown.
Kept in Your Browser
Local by default: imports are read, indexed and analysed on your device. Nothing leaves it unless you explicitly use an online feature, and there is none today.
Beautiful Export
Turn any range of messages into PNG images, a PDF or one HTML file, with Modern, Compact or Editorial styling, light or dark, and optional anonymous names. Created on your device.
Frequently asked questions
Is my chat uploaded?
No. The file or ZIP is read in your browser, and the conversation and the insights are produced there too. Nothing leaves your device unless you explicitly use a future online feature such as AI analysis, which does not exist yet. The page does download the code needed to run the tool.
Which files are supported?
A .zip export, a WhatsApp .txt, or Instagram or Facebook Messenger conversation .json files (for example message_1.json), from a group or a one-to-one chat. A ZIP is searched for chats by what is inside it, so you do not unzip it or find the right file; if it holds several conversations, you choose one. Messenger support is in beta: it is checked against realistic samples, not yet real exports. Instagram and Messenger use the same Meta format, so Chat Explorer cannot tell which app a file came from. From a ZIP, photos, stickers, GIFs and voice notes are shown as you scroll, and videos and documents load or save when you ask; whether a voice note or video plays depends on your browser. PNG, PDF and HTML exports do not include media yet. ZIP files inside a ZIP are not opened.
How are the insights calculated, and do they say how people feel?
Insights are plain counts and dates from the file, calculated in your browser by the same steps every time: messages per month, the busiest day, active days in a row, the longest quiet stretch, who wrote how much, what was shared. They do not measure feelings, closeness, interest or intent, and no AI is used. A streak is calendar days in a row with at least one message; a quiet period is the full days between two active days with no messages. AI analysis may come later as an optional, separate feature that asks first.
Why am I asked for a date order?
WhatsApp writes dates in your phone's own order, and 03/04/2026 could be 3 April or 4 March. When the file itself does not settle it, you choose, so dates are never guessed.
Is there AI analysis?
Not in this version. The Insights are plain counts of what was written and when. They do not claim to know feelings or intentions. A future AI mode would ask for explicit permission before any chat content is sent anywhere.
What can I export, and how?
Choose a range of messages or dates, then create PNG images, a PDF or an HTML file. PNG and PDF are pictures, so their text cannot be selected or searched; the HTML file keeps real text. Names typed inside messages are not changed when you anonymize, and nothing is uploaded.
How big a chat can it open?
A WhatsApp .txt up to 40 MB and about 250,000 messages; Meta JSON up to 50 MB per file. A ZIP can be up to 4 GB because only its chat files are read and the media is indexed, not loaded; archives that declare too many files or an unsafe compression pattern are refused. Only the messages on screen are drawn, so long chats stay smooth.