Facebook Messenger chat archive — search, photos, export

Your Facebook export ZIP is hard to read. FbZip Chat Archive turns Messenger and WhatsApp exports into a searchable offline archive — SQLite database, photos, and a browser viewer on PC, Mac, Linux, or Android phone. The software is free to download; you pay for the full converted archive (all chats and media).

What you get

Search

Find conversations and messages across years of chats.

Photos & video

Load media on demand; copy, print, or export selections.

Offline viewer

Runs locally — data stays on your device after download.

Export

HTML, text, WhatsApp format, email bundles (paid full archive).

Free software vs paid data

  • Free — download the desktop app for Windows or Linux (or from Download Tools → Chat Archive in /webv/). Create a preview (1 chat, 500 messages) on the web and use the full offline viewer.
  • Paid — purchase the full converted archive: every conversation, all media, bulk export. Build and download the ZIP at /webv/ after checkout.

The offline viewer is never paywalled — it ships inside every archive you download. Current plans: see pricing.

How it works (web + desktop)

  1. Download your Facebook export — see how to download your Facebook export (or export a WhatsApp chat from the mobile app).
  2. Sign in at /webv/ → Import + Convert. Optionally open Download Tools → Chat Archive for the free desktop app link and licence UI — that screen is not a second upload path.
  3. On Import + Convert, click Upload export once with your Facebook or WhatsApp ZIP(s). If you also want posts, use that same upload — then Convert posts when ready.
  4. Still on Import + Convert, click Build chat archive ZIP (preview without license; full archive with a Chat Archive or Complete-style license).
  5. When status is Ready, click Download ZIP.
  6. Open the ZIP in FbZip Chat Archive or run Open-Viewer.bat on Windows — see System requirements below for Mac, Linux, or Android.

You can return to an existing conversion with /webv/?session=YOUR_UPLOAD_ID or /webv/chat-archive?session=YOUR_UPLOAD_ID if you already uploaded for posts (deep-link to the same session — still not a second upload).

System requirements

The offline viewer runs in a desktop or mobile browser with a local web server (do not double-click index.html from the file manager).

Windows SmartScreen or antivirus

Download the desktop app only from this official link. The app is free offline software — it does not send your chats to our servers after install.

Because the installer is not code-signed yet, Windows may show “Windows protected your PC” or your antivirus may flag FbZipChatArchive.exe. This is a common false positive for new, unsigned desktop apps.

If you downloaded from fbzip2blue.com:

  1. SmartScreen — click More info, then Run anyway.
  2. Windows Security — Virus & threat protection → Protection history → allow or restore FbZipChatArchive.exe if quarantined.
  3. Other antivirus — restore from quarantine and add an exclusion for %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\FbZip Chat Archive\ (after install).

After install, use File → Import downloaded archive… to open your chat ZIP from Downloads. We are working on code signing to reduce these prompts.

Viewing the archive

  • Windows 10/11 — recommended. Download the app, or extract a web-built archive and double-click Open-Viewer.bat. Browsers: Chrome, Edge, or Firefox.
  • Linux (x86_64) — Download the app, unzip, chmod +x FbZipChatArchive, then ./FbZipChatArchive. Needs a desktop session (X11/Wayland) and a browser for the viewer.
  • macOS — extract a web-built archive, start any static server in the archive folder (e.g. npx serve -p 8765), open http://127.0.0.1:8765/viewer/ in Chrome or Firefox. Desktop build coming soon.
  • Android — copy the extracted archive to the phone, run a local HTTP server app (Play Store) pointed at the archive folder, open http://127.0.0.1:<port>/viewer/ in Chrome for Android. WhatsApp per-chat exports work well on mobile.
  • iPhone / iPad — same pattern as Android (Safari + local server app) for small archives; not our primary test target.

Import sources (what you can extract)

  • Facebook Messenger — Meta “Download your information” ZIP (best on PC / Wi‑Fi for large exports).
  • WhatsApp on Android / iPhone — in-app Export chat (per chat, `.zip` or `.txt`, with or without media).
  • Not supported — encrypted Android msgstore.db backups without export; use WhatsApp’s export feature instead.

Privacy

  • Server copies of message content are deleted after download or within 72 hours.
  • The viewer works offline; no account required after download.
  • Do not paste your full export into support chat — use in-app help only.

Invite your Messenger group to Bluesky

Leaving a Facebook group chat? In the offline viewer, open a conversation and click Invite to Bluesky. You map archive names to @handles, then send invite DMs and/or create a Bluesky group — private chat history is not republished.

  • Requires a paid Bluesky licence that includes invites (Standard, Agency, or Complete-style) — Chat Archive alone does not include invites.
  • For full chats plus group invites and multi-account post migration, see pricing.

Full walkthrough: Invite your Messenger group to Bluesky.

Also migrating posts to Bluesky?

FbZip2Blue handles Facebook posts → Bluesky in the browser. Chat Archive is for Messenger / WhatsApp history. See Facebook to Bluesky workflow or compare plans on pricing.

Launch Web App Download desktop app (Windows / Linux) Download Facebook export first