How to Export a WhatsApp Chat to PDF on iPhone

WhatsApp can't save a chat as a PDF directly. Its built-in Export Chat option gives you a plain text file, with or without the photos and videos as separate files. To get a PDF, you either turn that text file into one yourself, take screenshots and combine them, or send the export to an app that builds the PDF for you.

Here is each way, step by step, with the catch for each one.

Method 1: WhatsApp's own Export Chat (free)

This is built into WhatsApp and costs nothing.

1. Open the chat you want to export. It can be a one-to-one chat or a group.
2. Tap the person's name, or the group name, at the top of the screen.
3. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
4. Choose Attach Media or Without Media.
5. Pick where to send it. You can email it to yourself, save it to Files, or share it another way.

WhatsApp's help centre describes the same steps.

What you get. A plain text file of the messages. Each line shows the date, time, the sender's name and the message. If you chose Attach Media, the photos, videos and voice notes come as separate files alongside it. It may arrive as a zip file. In the Files app, tap a zip file to open it.

The catch. It is not a PDF, and it does not look like the chat. It is one long block of text. Pictures are not shown in place, only noted or attached separately. For a long chat, check the file goes back as far as you need.

Turning the text file into a PDF

Once you have the text file, you can make a PDF from it for free.

• On your iPhone: paste the text into a document app such as Pages, then export that as a PDF. Pages has Export in its menu, with PDF as one of the formats. You can also try opening the text file and using Share, then Print, which can save it as a PDF. The steps vary a little between iOS versions.
• On a computer: open the text file in any word processor and save or print it as a PDF.

You can tidy the layout while you are there. Do not change any of the words, if the PDF might be used as a record. If you need to point something out, do it in a separate note.

Method 2: Screenshots combined into a PDF (free)

If you want the PDF to look like the chat itself, screenshots are the free way.

1. Scroll to the first message you need.
2. Take a screenshot. On most iPhones, press the side button and volume up together. On iPhones with a Home button, press the side button and the Home button.
3. Scroll down one screen and repeat until the end.
4. In Photos, select the screenshots, tap Share and choose Print. From the print screen you can save them as a PDF instead of printing.

The catch. A long chat means a lot of screenshots. It is easy to skip a screen. The iPhone's "Full Page" screenshot only works for web pages, so it will not capture a whole chat.

Method 3: An app that builds the PDF for you

TextProof does this in one go. Try it free on the App Store.

It reads WhatsApp's own export directly. Do Method 1, then tap TextProof in the share menu. It opens with the chat loaded and asks which person is you, so your messages sit on the right. Every message keeps the exact date and time WhatsApp recorded, and nothing is read off the screen. You check the result and fix anything you need to. Then you export a PDF laid out like the conversation. You can also export a spreadsheet (CSV) or plain text.

If you would rather, you can still record your screen while you scroll through your own chat, or import screenshots, and TextProof reads them on the phone.

Nothing is uploaded. It costs £9.99 or $9.99 once, with no subscription. We explain why in One payment, not a subscription.

The trade-offs:

• From the export file there is no scrolling, so nothing can go past unread.
• Photos, videos and deleted messages are marked where they were sent, never printed as words.
• One-to-one chats are the best tested. In a group chat, check the names on the review screen before you export.
• The full version costs £9.99, once. WhatsApp's own export is free, if a plain text file is all you need.

Which way should you choose?

• You just want a copy of the words: WhatsApp's Export Chat.
• You want a PDF and do not mind some work: export the text file and turn it into a PDF, or take screenshots.
• You want a PDF that looks like the chat, in one step: send WhatsApp's export to an app that builds it for you.

If the chat matters for a dispute, read How to Save Text Messages for Court or a Dispute. The same rules apply to WhatsApp: keep the original phone and the whole chat. For iMessage and SMS, see How to Export Text Messages From iPhone to PDF.

Questions

Can WhatsApp export a chat as a PDF?

No. WhatsApp's Export Chat gives you a text file, plus media files if you choose. You can turn that text into a PDF yourself, or use screenshots or an app instead.

How do I export a WhatsApp chat on iPhone?

Open the chat, tap the name at the top, scroll down and tap Export Chat. Choose whether to attach media, then send or save the file.

Is a WhatsApp backup the same as an export?

No. A WhatsApp backup to iCloud is for restoring your chats onto a phone. You cannot open it and read it as a document. An export gives you a file you can read. For help with TextProof, see our support page.

WhatsApp is a trademark of WhatsApp LLC. TextProof is not affiliated with or endorsed by it.