Chat Backup Viewer: your exported chats, laid out like a phone
Drop the txt, zip or json file a messenger gave you, or an iPhone backup folder, and the viewer works out which app it came from and lays the conversation out in chat bubbles. Scroll through hundreds of thousands of messages without a stutter, search for a word, jump to a date, see just the photos and files, and find out who talks most and when. You can keep any period of a chat as a single HTML or PDF file. It is read only: you can't edit or write messages, and your backup is read inside this browser and nowhere else.
How to open a chat backup
- 1
Export the chat from the app
Follow "How to export from each app" below to get the chat file. If you want to see photos too, choose the option that includes media (usually a zip).
- 2
Drop the file in
Drag a file or folder onto the page, or press Open files. Leave zip files zipped. No backup to hand? Pick an app under "Try a sample" and look around with a made up chat first.
- 3
Look around
Pick a chat on the left and use the Search, Media and Stats tabs or Go to date. Use the controls at the top to switch the look, or to choose who "Me" is so your bubbles sit on the right.
- 4
Save a copy if you need one
Save as HTML gives you one web page in the same look; Save as PDF gives you a paged document. You choose the chats and the period, and every file ends with a note that it is a copy converted by this viewer, with the date it was made.
What the viewer does
How to export from each app
These steps follow each app's official help pages. Apps change, so menu names and order may differ on your version; if you can't find a menu, check that app's help.
| App | Where to export | What to drop in |
|---|---|---|
| Open the chat, then the ⋮ menu (Android) or the contact's name (iPhone) > More > Export chat, and choose with or without media | The txt, or the zip with _chat.txt and the media | |
| Telegram | Telegram Desktop: in a chat, ⋯ > Export chat history (one chat), or Settings > Advanced > Export Telegram data (many). Choose JSON or HTML | The folder with result.json or messages.html (zipped is fine) |
| LINE | Phone: in a chat, the ≡ menu > Settings > Export chat history. Windows or Mac: in a chat, ⋮ > Save chat | The txt |
| KakaoTalk | Phone: in a chat, the ≡ menu > Settings (gear) > Export chats. PC: the menu at the top right of a chat > Chat history > Export | The txt, the zip with photos, or the Mac csv |
| Slack | Workspace owners and admins: Admin > Workspace settings > Security > Import & export data > Export. On Free and Pro plans only public channels are included | The export zip |
| Facebook Messenger | Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Download your information, pick Messages and the JSON format (HTML also works) | The zip you get |
| Instagram DMs | Settings > Accounts Center > Your information and permissions > Download your information, pick Messages and JSON | The zip you get |
| iPhone Messages (iMessage, SMS) | Make an unencrypted backup on a computer: in Finder on a Mac, or the Apple Devices app or iTunes on Windows, select the iPhone, leave "Encrypt local backup" off and back up now | The whole backup folder, or just sms.db |
| Android SMS | Back up texts (and call logs) to XML with the SMS Backup & Restore app | sms-date.xml, calls-date.xml |
What you see
Each app gets colours and a bubble layout with a similar feel. The look is picked from the app that made the backup, and you can switch it. On a computer the chat sits inside a phone shaped frame in the middle of the screen; on a phone it fills the screen. Slack opens as a wide list.
Reply quotes, forwarded labels, reactions, edited and deleted messages, notices such as people joining or leaving (centred grey text), stickers, photos, videos, voice messages (play them right there), files (download them), links, bold and italic text, calls, locations, contacts and polls all show up. Photos that aren't in the backup show as a placeholder.
The Stats tab shows message counts per person, charts by hour and weekday, the words used most, and the dates of the first and last message. If the backup doesn't say which time zone it's in, a notice appears and you can choose the zone it was made in to put the times right.
Your chats stay on your device
A chat backup holds words, photos and phone numbers that aren't meant for anyone else. The viewer brings the code that reads backups into your browser and runs it on this device. Neither messages nor photos are sent to a server, and once you close the tab what was on screen is gone.
Big zips are never loaded into memory in one go: the viewer reads only the parts it needs, and pulls out photos and videos only when they come into view. The code that reads each app's backup was written by this site.
What it can't do
It's read only. There is no way to edit, delete or add messages, and there never will be. Saved HTML and PDF files are marked as copies converted from the original backup.
Discord and WeChat chats can't be opened yet. Google Messages keeps its backup inside your Google account with no file you can download, so it can't be opened either; for Android texts, use the XML from SMS Backup & Restore. Encrypted iPhone backups can't be read, so make a new backup with encryption turned off.
What goes into an export depends on the app. KakaoTalk and LINE txt files have no photos, and a Slack export has links to files rather than the files themselves.
Frequently asked questions
Which backups can it open?+
WhatsApp (txt and zip), Telegram (JSON and HTML), LINE (txt), KakaoTalk (txt, zip and csv), Slack export zips, the Download your information zips from Facebook Messenger and Instagram, unencrypted iPhone backups or an sms.db file, and Android XML from SMS Backup & Restore. The app is recognised from what's inside the file.
Are my chats sent anywhere?+
No. Reading the backup and drawing the chat both happen inside this browser. Nothing from your chats or photos is kept on the site's servers.
Can I edit a chat or add messages?+
No. The viewer only shows chats, so it can't be used to fake a conversation. Saved files also say they were converted from the original backup with nothing changed.
My bubbles are on the left.+
Choose your name in the "Me" menu at the top. When the backup says who you are, it's set for you, but in group chats or backups where names repeat you'll need to pick it yourself.
Will it cope with hundreds of thousands of messages?+
Yes. Only the part on screen is drawn, so even 500,000 messages scroll smoothly. A backup of several GB takes a while to read, and a computer is more comfortable than a phone. A PDF can hold up to 20,000 messages, so split longer chats by period.
The times are a few hours off.+
Backups without a time zone (some Telegram HTML exports, Facebook HTML and so on) are read in this device's time zone. Choose the zone the backup was made in from the notice bar and the times are worked out again.
Photos are missing.+
A backup exported without media only has placeholders. Export again with media included: the zip option in WhatsApp or KakaoTalk, or with photos ticked in Telegram.
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WhatsApp, Telegram, LINE, KakaoTalk, Slack, Facebook, Messenger, Instagram, iPhone, iMessage, Finder, iTunes, Mac, Windows, Android, SMS Backup & Restore, Discord, WeChat and Google Messages are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners. EZPZ File is not affiliated with any of them, and the viewer's looks only borrow the general feel of colours and layout.