How to send documents (other than PDF) via WhatsApp

WhatsApp recently rolled out its much-requested document sharing feature for Android, but unfortunately, it’s only limited to sharing PDF files. We can definitely expect WhatsApp to support more file types soon, but if you can’t wait, there’s a way. The fact is that WhatsApp already includes code to support files like doc, txt, docx, pptx, xls, etc., but it is not enabled within the app. However, if you have a rooted device , you can go ahead and enable it.

So, if you have a rooted Android smartphone, here’s how you can start sending documents on WhatsA PP .

1. First, you need a good file manager app that includes support for root access. If you have it installed, that’s fine, but you can also download one of the many great file manager apps available for Android.

2. Next, open your file manager and navigate to data->data->com.whatsapp->shared_prefs folder.

Note : Some file managers don’t show system files by default, so you should be able to find them by searching for the ” data ” folder.

3.In the shared_prefs folder, open the com.whatsapp_preferences.xml file in a text editor (most file managers include a text editor).

Note : If you have a root management app such as SuperSU installed, you will be asked to grant root access to open the file. Select Allow to open the file in a text editor.

4. Search for the code <string name=”documents”>pdf</string> in the file. This code is at the bottom.

5. Edit and save the file as <string name=”documents”>pdf,doc,docx,xls,txt,pptx</string> .

6.Next , go to Settings -> Apps -> WhatsApp and ” Force Stop ” the app.

7. Once done, open WhatsApp and try to send the document. You’ll see that you can send different types of document files along with your PDF files.

These steps support sharing a variety of documents, but files such as ZIPs, APKs, etc. are not yet supported. Well, we hope that WhatsApp will include sharing of these file types in the next update.

Related Article: 32 Cool WhatsApp Tricks to Chat Like a Pro

Are you ready to share different documents on WhatsApp?

In summary, if you have a rooted Android smartphone, these steps are very easy to follow, but if you have a non-rooted device, you may need to use a third-party app such as CloudSend. You can send different types of files such as ZIP, APK, and documents. Easy with WhatsApp. Try it out and let us know in the comments if you run into any issues.