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Saying your final farewell to WhatsApp and moving to Telegram? Wouldn't it be great if you could take all your chat messages and media with you? Well, it's possible to import individual WhatsApp chats right into Telegram!

WhatsApp's backup and restore feature is very limited. It doesn't even work between Android and iPhone without a third-party tool. But Telegram has an import feature that lets you transfer conversations from other messaging apps like WhatsApp, Line, and KaKaoTalk on a per-chat basis. While this sounds tedious, it gets the job done. In this guide, we will be focussing on WhatsApp.

Once the chat is imported, the messages will show up for both parties. The imported messages will be added to the bottom of the chat, but they will carry their original timestamp.

All you have to do is export the chat from WhatsApp and import it into Telegram. Here's how it works on Android and iPhone.

Import WhatsApp Chat History in Telegram for Android

Open the WhatsApp app and go to the conversation you want to export to Telegram.

Select Contact from WhatsApp

Here, tap the three-dot menu icon found in the top-right corner.

Tap Menu from WhatsApp

Now, select the "More" button.

Tap More in WhatsApp

From here, choose the "Export Chat" option.

Tap Export Chat in WhatsApp

WhatsApp will now ask you if you want to export the chat with or without media. The export with media can be a couple of hundred MBs, depending on your chat. If you want to keep it lightweight, go with the "Without Media" option.

That Without Media in WhatsApp

From the share sheet, tap the "Telegram" app shortcut.

Select Telegram From Share Sheet

You'll now see all your conversations in the Telegram app. Here, choose the conversation where you want to import the messages.

Select Contact from Telegram

From the pop-up message, tap the "Import" button.

Select Import from Telegram Popup

The Telegram app will start importing your chat. Once it's done, you'll see the completion prompt. Here, tap the "Done" button.

Tap Done from Telegram Popup

The Telegram conversation will be updated with all the WhatsApp data. It will show you the original timestamps from WhatsApp as well.

WhatsApp Chat Imported in Telegram for Android

Import WhatsApp Chat History in Telegram for iPhone

The steps are slightly different when it comes to the iPhone. Open the WhatsApp app on your iPhone and navigate to the chat you want to export to Telegram.

Select Contact from WhatsApp

Here, tap the contact's profile name found at the top of the screen.

Tap Profile From Top of WhatsApp Conversation

Scroll down and tap the "Export Chat" option.

Tap Export Chat from WhatsApp Profile

WhatsApp will ask you if you want to export the chat with or without media. To keep the export light, choose the "Without Media" option.

Tap Without Media from WhatsApp

From the share sheet, choose the "Telegram" app.

Tap Telegram from Share Sheet

Search and choose the contact that you want to import the chat into.

Select Telegram Contact to Import

From the pop-up message, confirm the action by selecting the "Import" option.

Tap Import from Popup

Telegram will now import the chat. Once the process is complete, tap the "Done" button.

Tap Done to Finish Telegram Import

You will find the WhatsApp messages in the Telegram chat, with their old timestamps.

WhatsApp Chat Imported to Telegram

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Related: How to Start an Encrypted Secret Chat in Telegram