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Export a WhatsApp chat to PDF on iPhone

iPhone gives you a ZIP file, not a PDF. Here is how to get it out of WhatsApp and into a proper document, all from your phone.

Leave this on auto. It only matters for a chat where no date is past the 12th, and the preview tells you when that has happened. Change it and the preview updates.

The finished PDF, made from an invented example

This is the real output of this tool, made from an invented example by the same code that makes yours. The people and details in it are fictional.

Messages 30People 2From 13 Jan 2026To 26 Jan 2026Pages ~2Price $7
Page 1 of the sample PDFPage 2 of the sample PDF
Open the whole sample PDF (2 pages)
From $7 · one payment, no account
Free preview first · files deleted within 7 days

How it works.

WhatsApp does not give you a document. On iPhone the export is a ZIP file, and on Android it is a text file with any media sent alongside it. Getting that out of the app is the part most people get stuck on, so that is step one.

Step 1

Export from WhatsApp

On iPhone, open the chat, tap the contact or group name, then Export Chat. On Android, open the chat and tap More options, More, Export chat. Choose Attach Media on iPhone or Include media on Android if you want the photos, or Without Media for a much smaller file. Send it to yourself.

Step 2

Drop the file in

Upload the ZIP as WhatsApp made it. Do not unzip it first. If Android gave you a .txt with the photos as separate files, put them in one zip together, because this takes one file. You will see the participants, the message count and the real formatting straight away, for free.

Step 3

Check it, then pay

If the names, dates and layout look right, pay once and download the full PDF. If something looks wrong, close the tab and nothing is charged.

Four ways to print it.

Every sample below is page one of a real PDF, made from the same sample as the one above by the same code that makes your file. Pick a style when you preview, and change it as often as you like.

A page of the sample transcript in the WhatsApp look style
WhatsApp lookPale green bubbles on WhatsApp’s paper, the way the chat looked on the phone.
A page of the sample transcript in the Clean document style
Clean documentPlain and readable, made for paper. The safe choice if you are not sure.
A page of the sample transcript in the Formal / legal style
Formal / legalNumbered entries and full timestamps, for a hearing or a claim. No colour, so it photocopies.
A page of the sample transcript in the Book style
BookSet like a printed book, for binding or keeping. Warm paper, wide margins.

On your iPhone, step by step

  1. Open WhatsApp and the chat you want.
  2. Tap the contact or group name at the top of the chat.
  3. Scroll down and tap Export Chat.
  4. Choose Attach Media to keep photos, or Without Media for a small file with just the words.
  5. In the share sheet, tap Save to Files and pick a folder you will find again, like Downloads.
  6. Come back to this page in Safari, tap the upload box, choose Browse, and pick the ZIP you just saved. Do not unzip it.

What you will see

The preview shows the chat straight away, with the participant names, the number of messages and the date range, before you pay anything. If whose messages sit on the right is the wrong way round, change it in the preview. Pay once and the PDF downloads to your phone, and the link is emailed to you too.

People also use this for

Export a WhatsApp chat on PCWhatsApp chat to PDF on AndroidPrint a WhatsApp chatSave a WhatsApp chat before deletingKeep a loved one's WhatsApp messagesWhatsApp Business chat to PDFWhatsApp chat bookWhatsApp to PDF free optionsWhatsApp chat with photos to PDFWhatsApp evidence in South AfricaWhatsApp group chat to PDFWhatsApp messages for courtWhatsApp messages for divorce and custodyWhatsApp messages for a work disputeWhatsApp voice notes to text

WhatsApp chat to PDF, the full tool page

Trust, with receipts.

No invented review scores, no badges, no “trusted by thousands”. Here is what is actually true, and you can check every line of it.

  • You see the result before you payUpload, look at your own parsed file, then decide. No account, no card, no email required to get that far.
  • Files are deleted within 7 daysYour upload, anything extracted from it, and the finished download. Automatically, on a schedule.
  • A person answers the emailOne Time Tool is a small independent studio in Johannesburg, South Africa. Questions go to hello@onetimetool.com and a person replies, not a bot.
  • Your card never touches this siteCheckout is hosted by Dodo Payments. We never see your card number.
  • One payment, for this one jobThere is no subscription, no plan and nothing to cancel. Depending on where you are, checkout may show the price in your currency and add local VAT or sales tax.
  • 7-day money backIf the output is not what you needed, email us and we refund it. No form to fill in.

Questions, answered.

Why is my iPhone export a ZIP?
That is how iPhone WhatsApp packages an export. The ZIP holds a _chat.txt file and, if you chose Attach Media, the photos. Upload it as it is.
The export is stuck on "Preparing".
Large chats with media take a while. Try Without Media, which is much faster, if you only need the text.
Can I do it on a computer instead?
Yes. AirDrop or email the ZIP to your computer and upload it from there.
Will view-once photos be included?
No. WhatsApp leaves view-once messages out of exports.

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