Export WA Group Chats

Your Goal

The objective is to export the text-only history from several WhatsApp chat groups and compile all of it into a single shared document. This compiled text will later be used for analysis.

📋 Step-by-Step Instructions

Here is the process to follow for each chat group:

1. Go to WhatsApp
   • Identify the first chat group you need to archive (e.g., "ordering operations").
2. Export the Chat Text
   • Right-click (or control-click) on the chat group in your chat list.
   • Select "Export chat" from the menu.
   • You will be given two options: "Attach Media" and "Without Media."
   • Important: Select "Without Media." This will export a single .txt file (or a .zip file containing a .txt file) to your 'Downloads' folder.
3. Open the Compilation Document
   • Open the shared document that has been prepared for this task.
   • Create a new tab or page within that document.
   • Name this new tab to match the chat group you just exported (e.g., "Ordering Operations").
4. Copy the Chat Data
   • Go to your 'Downloads' folder.
   • Find the text file you just downloaded (e.g., WhatsApp Chat - ordering operations.txt).
   • Open the file. It will be a plain text file.
   • Select all the text (Shortcut: Ctrl+A on Windows or Cmd+A on Mac).
   • Copy all the text (Shortcut: Ctrl+C on Windows or Cmd+C on Mac).
5. Paste the Chat Data
   • Go back to the shared compilation document.
   • Click inside the new tab/page you created in Step 3.
   • Paste the text (Shortcut: Ctrl+V on Windows or Cmd+V on Mac).
6. Repeat for All Groups
   • Go back to WhatsApp and select the next chat group (e.g., "Wolfpack").
   • Repeat steps 2-5 for this new group.
   • Do this one chat group at a time to avoid confusing the downloaded files.

📌 Key Reminders

• Text Only: You only need to use the "Without Media" export option. Do not worry about exporting images or other media files at this time.
• Ignore "Omitted" Messages: The pasted text will contain lines like [image omitted] or [video omitted]. This is expected. Do not delete or change them.
• File Cleanup: Once you have successfully copied and pasted the text from a .txt file into the main document, you can delete that individual .txt file from your 'Downloads' folder to avoid clutter.