WhatsApp CSV vs TXT Export: What's the Difference?

WhatsApp’s built-in export creates a .txt file. Memora Keep can export the same chat as .csv, with the message details in separate columns.

Use TXT for a quick read or CSV for sorting, filtering and counting messages in a spreadsheet.

CSV vs TXT at a glance

	CSV (Memora Keep)	TXT (WhatsApp app)
Structure	Header row; one row per message	Plain lines of text
Sender	Separate column	Before the message text
Date & time	Separate column for sorting	Part of each line
Open in Excel	Columns ready to filter, sort and summarize	Text in a single column
Media	File name and local path per row	"" or separate files
Date filter	Set a range before exporting	Whole chat only
Multiple chats	Export several at once	One chat at a time
Good for	Analysis, records and spreadsheets	Quickly reading the chat

What a WhatsApp TXT export looks like

Export from the app (open a chat → top-right menu → More → Export chat) and you get lines like:

28/09/26, 13:04 - +92 319 6233293: Hi, how are you
28/09/26, 13:05 - +92 319 6233293: <Media omitted>

This works for a quick read. Questions such as “how many messages did each person send in May?” are harder to answer because dates and senders are part of the text, rather than separate fields. Media may appear as a placeholder.

What a WhatsApp CSV export includes

Memora Keep’s CSV puts each message on its own row, with these columns:

• date — the message timestamp
• is_from_me — 1 if you sent the message, 0 if someone else did
• sender — who sent the message
• text — the message text
• media — the file name, if the message had one
• media_available — whether the file was downloaded
• media_path — the file’s location on your computer

You can sort by date, filter to one sender or count messages per month using spreadsheet tools.

Can you convert a TXT to CSV yourself?

Yes. Split each line at the date and colon, manually, with a script or using an AI tool. Check the result carefully: messages may span several lines, dates can use different formats, and group names may contain colons.

If the chat is already in Memora Keep, you can export it directly to CSV. See the CSV export guide.

Good to know

• If Excel shows your CSV in one column, import it using Data → From Text/CSV and set the encoding to UTF-8.
• For a chat layout suited to reading or printing, compare PDF vs HTML.
• Both exports create copies and leave your chat and phone unchanged.