---
title: "Move WhatsApp Chats from WATI or respond.io to Karobar | Karobar"
url: https://karobar.io/help/import-whatsapp-chats-from-wati-or-respond-io
language: en
description: "Bring your old WhatsApp conversations into Karobar from WATI or respond.io, preview the import first, and export your own chat history any time."
---

[Help center](https://karobar.io/support) · WhatsApp

# Move your WhatsApp chats from WATI or respond.io

Import past conversations from WATI or respond.io, and export your history from Karobar.

Updated 14 October 2026

Moving to Karobar from another WhatsApp tool does not mean starting with an empty inbox. You can import past conversations from WATI or respond.io into a WhatsApp number in Karobar, see what will come across before anything changes, and export your own history whenever you want.

## Before you start

- Connect the WhatsApp number in Karobar first. See [Connect WhatsApp](https://karobar.io/help/connect-whatsapp).
- Export your chats from the old tool. Karobar needs these files:

| Coming from | Files to bring |
| --- | --- |
| respond.io | The **Messages** CSV file, and the **Contacts** CSV file if you have it, so customers keep their names |
| WATI | A **ZIP** of text files, one per contact |
| Another Karobar number | A **Karobar JSON** export (see below) |

Each file can be up to 100 MB.

## Import your chats

1. Open **Settings → Channels** and find the **WhatsApp Business** card.
2. Select the one number the chats belong to.
3. Click **Import chat history**.
4. Choose the **Source** (respond.io, WATI or Karobar JSON) and add the files.
5. Click **Preview**. Karobar reads the files and tells you how many messages it found and how many it would import. Nothing is saved yet.
6. If the numbers look right, click **Import**. It runs in the background, and the chats then appear in the inbox.

## What comes across

- Messages from the last year. Anything older is skipped.
- Messages Karobar already has are skipped, so running the same import twice does not create copies.
- Imported chats arrive already read, so your unread count only shows new messages.
- From WATI, the text of each message comes across.

## Export your chat history

1. On the same **WhatsApp Business** card, select one number and click **Export chat history**.
2. Choose the dates, up to one year.
3. Pick a format: **CSV** of messages, **Karobar JSON** to import into Karobar again later, or a **ZIP** of text files with one per contact.
4. Click **Start export**. When it is ready, download it; the link works for 7 days.

## Background reading

- [WhatsApp Business API explained: how it works, what it costs, how to choose a provider](https://karobar.io/guides/whatsapp-business-api-explained)
- [What is a WhatsApp CRM, and how do you choose one?](https://karobar.io/guides/what-is-a-whatsapp-crm)

FAQ

## Questions? Answers.

Any other questions? [Ask support](https://karobar.io/support).

### I linked my WhatsApp Business app number. Do I need to import anything?

No. Linking the app imports up to six months of past chats and your phone contacts once, by itself. See Connect WhatsApp.

### Can I import into several numbers at once?

No. Select one number at a time, so every chat lands on the number it belongs to.

### What if the preview finds fewer messages than I expected?

Check that the file is the right export and covers the last year; messages older than a year are skipped. Then run the preview again.

## More help: WhatsApp

- [Create a WhatsApp message template Write a template, add placeholders and buttons, and send it to Meta for approval. Read](https://karobar.io/help/create-a-whatsapp-template)
- [WhatsApp broadcast not sending: what each status means What Queued, Daily limit reached, Blocked and the other statuses mean, and how to fix them. Read](https://karobar.io/help/whatsapp-broadcast-not-sending)

Keep going

## What to look at next

[One social media inbox for every customer message Instagram, TikTok, Messenger and WhatsApp in one list. Every thread becomes a lead, save a phone number and ad… Learn more](https://karobar.io/features/unified-inbox)[WhatsApp broadcasts that bring cold leads back Meta-approved broadcasts: template campaigns from a CSV upload or your CRM leads. Reach past the 24-hour windo… Learn more](https://karobar.io/features/whatsapp-marketing)