How to export WhatsApp contacts to CSV in Chrome
With WhatsApp Web open, choose Contactos (Contacts) and CSV in WA Exporter Pro, click EXPORTAR TODO (Export all), then download the result. The free plan allows up to 10 contacts in CSV. Use this guide to understand the columns and test an import with a fictional sample file.
By BKR LINE · Published
1. Export the contact list
The extension’s controls use the Spanish labels shown below.
- Install from the official WA Exporter Pro listing and check the currently available version.
- Open WhatsApp Web in Chrome and wait for your session to load.
- Open the extension. Under EXPORTAR (Export), select Contactos (Contacts) and the CSV format.
- Click EXPORTAR TODO (Export all) and wait for the result. Use the CSV download button that appears.
- Review the file before importing it into another tool, especially names and phone numbers.
Extraction depends on the information WhatsApp Web can load. The export contains list records, not a full conversation backup or a list of group members. Chats and JSON/TXT formats require a paid plan.
License activation requires version 5.3 or later. Before buying, check the version on the Chrome Web Store listing and the activation requirements. Release availability can change; the activation guide is in Spanish.
2. Understand the 14 columns
The headers are fixed. An empty field means the data was unavailable; the indicators below depend on what the extractor detects.
| Column | Meaning and limits |
|---|---|
| country code | Phone prefix inferred from the number, when recognized. |
| country name | Country associated with the prefix; it does not identify the person’s current location. |
| phone number | Number digits without the recognized prefix. This field may be empty. |
| formatted phone | Full number with +, when available. Import this column as text. |
| my contact | yes/no inferred from whether the displayed name looks like a phone number; it does not verify your address book. |
| saved name | Name displayed in the list; it is not proof of a name saved in your address book. |
| public name | Name read from the list. It may match saved name. |
| is business | yes/no based on the detected business icon; it does not verify the business. |
| is blocked | The current extractor writes no; this column does not establish the actual blocking status. |
| labels | Detected visible labels, separated by semicolons. |
| last msg text | Message preview available in the list; it is not the complete chat history. |
| last msg date | Visible date or time text, which may be relative, such as Hoy (Today). |
| last msg type | Type estimated from the preview or icon, such as text or audio. |
| last msg unread status | read/unread based on the detected visible unread counter. |
3. Download a fictional sample CSV
This file has the same 14 headers and two invented rows. The phones are text placeholders without real numbers. Accented characters, a comma and quotation marks let you check the import.
Download the CSV sample with two fictional contacts
The file uses UTF-8 with a byte order mark and comma separators. Actual exports are generated in your browser; test this sample before working with your own contacts.
4. Import without changing phone numbers
Microsoft Excel
Use Data → From Text/CSV and select the file. Check UTF-8 and the comma delimiter in the preview. Choose Transform Data, review the phone columns and keep their data type as Text before loading. Opening a CSV directly can apply automatic conversions.
Microsoft’s import instructions
Google Sheets
From a spreadsheet, use File → Import and select the CSV. Check the delimiter and first test the result with the fictional sample. Review whether phone numbers remain text. Uploading a contacts file to Google Sheets sends those data to that service.
5. Troubleshoot common problems
- Everything appears in one column
- Import again with comma selected as the delimiter, even if your regional settings normally use a semicolon.
- An apostrophe appears before + or some text
- The extension adds it to values that could be interpreted as formulas. Keep the original and review the text data type before transforming those fields.
- Phone numbers, names or dates are missing
- Check the information available in WhatsApp Web and review the result again. Do not automatically fill in personal information you do not know.
- Only 10 contacts are exported
- This is the free plan’s limit. Check your plan and license status in the activation guide (Spanish).
- The full chat history is missing
- The file contains list data and the available last-message preview. It does not reconstruct a complete conversation.
6. Handle the exported data with care
Exports can contain personal information and message previews. Review what is in the file before sharing it or uploading it to another service, and store it where only the intended people can access it. Read the privacy policy (Spanish) for the product’s privacy information.