Why your Snapchat export came as several ZIP files, and how to open them

A large Snapchat export arrives as several ZIP files because the whole thing would be too big for one download. Each part holds a share of the same export: the first part, mydata~<id>.zip, and then mydata~<id>-2.zip, mydata~<id>-3.zip and so on. You need all of them for a complete archive. On a computer the usual advice is to unzip every part and merge the memories and chat_media folders into the first one. On an iPhone you can skip that: Lidly opens all the parts together, without unzipping or merging anything.

How the parts are named

Every part of one export shares the same <id>. Only the suffix changes.

A Memories-only request and a full data request produce the same kind of file. A smaller request simply tends to come as fewer parts, often just one. If you have files with two different IDs, they are two separate exports.

What's in each part

The data files and the photos and videos are spread across the parts, and nothing guarantees a chat's media sits in the same part as the message that describes it. That's why opening only one part can make the export look nearly empty, or show chats without their media.

Captions follow the same rule. Nothing guarantees a photo and its caption overlay land in the same part, so Lidly pairs captions across all the parts of an export together, never one part at a time. Why export photos have no captions explains the overlay files.

Option 1: merge them on a computer

The approach third-party guides such as Redact's describe:

1. Download every part into one folder.
2. Unzip each one.
3. Copy the contents of each later part's memories/ and chat_media/ folders into the matching folders from part 1.
4. Open index.html from part 1.

This needs enough free space for the ZIPs plus a full unzipped copy, and some care not to overwrite files.

Option 2: open every part at once on iPhone

Steps checked October 2026:

1. Download every part to the same place in the Files app, ideally On My iPhone, then Downloads.
2. Open Lidly and choose to import.
3. In the file picker, select all the parts together.
4. Lidly works out which file is which part from its name and indexes them in order.

You don't unzip anything, and by default nothing is copied: Lidly reads each part where it sits and keeps a small index. That is how it handles exports of 15 GB or more on a phone. Keep the parts where they are afterwards; if one is moved or deleted, Lidly shows which part is missing until you point it at the file again.

What if a part is missing or failed to download?

Lidly imports the parts you have and tells you which part numbers are missing, for example "Part 3 of 8". Everything in the parts you have still opens. When you've downloaded the missing part, add it and the gaps fill in.

To get a missing part, go back to Snapchat's My Data page, select See exports, then Download, as Snapchat's help page describes. If the link no longer works, see download not arriving or link expired.

Common questions

Can I import just one part?

Yes, but you'll only see what's in it. Because the data files and the media are spread across parts, a single part on its own may show conversations with few snaps, or snaps Lidly can't place, which go to the Unsorted view by date.

Do I need to rename the files?

No. Keep Snapchat's names. The -2, -3 suffixes are how the parts are put back in order.

How big do these get?

It depends on how much you've saved. Years of saved snaps can run to many gigabytes; the largest export we test with is 15 GB across eight parts. See how long it takes and how big it is.

Is opening a big export on a phone private?

With Lidly, yes. There is no account, no upload and no network access at all. See /privacy.

Next: what's inside each folder.