There are various reasons you may want to transfer WhatsApp messages and attachments from iPhone to your PC or Mac. For instance, you may want to back up WhatsApp data from iPhone to computer before you clear WhatsApp files and documents on iPhone. You may like to back up some important WhatsApp chat history and media files when you plan to switch to a new iPhone, Android phone, etc. You may have received some files through WhatsApp that you like to transfer and edit them on computer, like photos, videos, audios, Word, Excel, PPT, and other documents. Some files and documents are so important that you want to save them from WhatsApp or your iPhone to an external storage, such as your laptop, desktop, portable hard drive, USB stick, etc. No matter what’s the reason you get, you can follow below easy instructions to back up WhatsApp messages and files from iPhone to a PC or Mac.
Back up WhatsApp messages and attachments from iPhone to computer
WhatsApp iCloud backup is built-in the WhatsApp for iOS. You can back up WhatsApp data from iPhone to Apple iCloud. However iCloud backup is very slow for media files backup and what’s worse it does not provide users easy ways or tools to download the WhatsApp backups. For example, you can’t access them from your computer. iCloud backup is designed for data safety when you lose your iPhone or switch to a new iPhone. Apple allows you to restore your WhatsApp chat history and media files when you reinstall WhatsApp on another iPhone.
To extract WhatsApp chat history and attached files and documents from iPhone to a PC or Mac, you can use this iPhone toolkit. It has the data recovery for iPhone/iPad/iPod along with several other useful tools.
When you deleted important data from iOS device without backup, you can use it to retrieve those deleted data. When you want to view iTunes backup, iCloud backup and optionally extract data from them.
To back up iPhone data to computer, you can use this program too. In an recent update, the iPhone WhatsApp backup and transfer tool was added. It is now an iPhone backup tool as well. You can use it to transfer WhatsApp messages and documents from iPhone to computer, other iPhone or Android phones.
Run this software on your computer, click “Backup & Restore” >> WhatsApp Backup & Restore.
Connect your iPhone to computer via USB. Choose Transfer WhatsApp Messages.
Then click Backup button to start backing up WhatsApp conversations and files from your iPhone to computer. Do not disconnect your iPhone when the WhatsApp backup is backing up your data. It may take several minutes to back up all your WhatsApp chats to computer.
Backup WhatsApp data to computer – video demo
Export WhatsApp chats & attachments to computer
Once the WhatsApp backup was created and saved on your computer, you can open and view it from the home screen of the iPhone backup and restore. On the Transfer WhatsApp Messages screen, Click To View Previous Backup File. Select and backup file, open to view it. You can then preview the WhatsApp conversations, sent and received files through WhatsApp on iPhone. Your WhatsApp chat history including some media files can be viewed at the right column. By default all chats and files in the conversation will be checked and selected, you can however optionally click to select any chat messages, sent or received files here.
Click Export to PC button in the lower-right corner, a dialogue will pop up asking you where you like to save the iPhone WhatsApp data on your computer. Choose a location and folder there and click Export button, your selected WhatsApp messages will be extracted from iPhone to computer. They will be saved as two copies on your computer, a CSV copy and an HTML copy. The WhatsApp backup saved in CSV file format saves your WhatsApp chat history. You can open and view it using s spreadsheet program, such as Microsoft Excel, Apple Numbers, etc. All media files can be found in the HTML copy. If you open the subfolder of the HTML copy, you can find a “media” subfolder and an HTML file. The media folder has all your WhatsApp files saved, such as music files, audios, pictures, voice recordings, contact vCard files, videos and so on.
Extra WhatsApp backup, transfer tips
This software provides a unique way you can retrieve deleted data from iOS device when no backups were created before. For example, you can refer to this guide to retrieve deleted WhatsApp chat history from iPhone without backups.
The software developer has been developing more built-in tools as side benefits. The WhatsApp data backup ability is just some of these cool features you may find helpful. Other than that, you can find the iOS system repair tool, the WhatsApp transfer, backup and restore tool. The WhatsApp transfer, backup & restore tool can help iPhone users transfer WhatsApp messages from iOS device to iOS device, transfer WhatsApp data from iPhone to Android phones; back up WhatsApp messages to computers and export photos, videos and more; restore WhatsApp messages to iOS device; restore WhatsApp messages to Android devices, etc.
Update: the article was originally published in 2016 and has been updated in 2017 with the new WhatsApp Transfer, Backup and Restore tool, a new solution to back up WhatsApp chats from iPhone to computer or transfer WhatsApp chats.
Update May 2018: updated all the software screenshots, removed outdated content.