Getting Started - Snap Data Explorer

1

Request your data from Snapchat

Snapchat lets you download a copy of your data, including chat history, media, memories, and account info.

Go to accounts.snapchat.com and sign in with your Snapchat credentials.
Click My Data in the sidebar.
Scroll down and click Submit Request.
Important: Make sure the "Include Media / Attachments" checkbox is enabled. Without this, you'll get chat text but no photos or videos.
Wait for Snapchat to prepare your data. This usually takes a few hours, but can take up to a couple of days for large accounts.
You'll receive an email when your download is ready. Click the link to download a .zip file.

Tip: The download link expires after a few days. Download it promptly and save the zip file somewhere safe.

2

What you'll get

Your Snapchat export is a zip file containing several folders and files. Here's what Snap Data Explorer uses:

mydata_1234567890/

html/

chat_history.html — your conversations

memories_history.html — saved memories

json/

chat_history.json — structured chat data with Media IDs

snap_history.json — snap send/receive events

chat_media/ — photos & videos from chats

The app parses both HTML and JSON files and merges them together to give you the most complete picture possible. Media files are linked to their corresponding messages via Media IDs in the JSON data.

3

Import into Snap Data Explorer

You have two options for importing:

Zip Import

Select the .zip file directly. The app will extract and process it automatically. This is the easiest option.

Folder Import

Unzip the file first, then select the extracted folder. Useful if you want to inspect the files beforehand.

What happens during import:

The app detects HTML and JSON files in your export
Chat history is parsed, deduplicated, and indexed for search
Media files are scanned and linked to their corresponding messages
Memories and snap history are imported
Everything is stored in a local SQLite database on your machine

Import typically takes a few seconds for small exports and up to a minute for very large ones.

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Troubleshooting

Import seems to hang or take forever

Very large exports (10,000+ messages with media) may take a minute. The progress bar in the app shows the current stage. If it's truly stuck, check the log file for errors.

Some media isn't showing up

About 5% of media referenced in chat history is typically missing from Snapchat exports. This is a limitation of Snapchat's export process, not the app. Media from snap_history.json events (sent/received snaps) cannot be linked because Snapchat doesn't include Media IDs for those events.

"App is damaged" on macOS

Apple blocks unnotarized apps. Run this in Terminal to fix it:

xattr -cr /Applications/"Snap Data Explorer.app"

Where are the log files?

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.kody.snap-data-explorer-app/

Windows: %APPDATA%/com.kody.snap-data-explorer-app/

Linux: ~/.local/share/com.kody.snap-data-explorer-app/

Want to start fresh?

Delete the index.db file from the app data directory listed above, then re-import your data.