WhatsApp has no button that saves a chat as a PDF. You export the chat first, which gives you a text file, and then you turn that file into a PDF. You can do this for free with your phone’s print option or a word processor. Photos and voice notes get left behind, so a free PDF suits a short, text-only chat best.
Step 1: Export the chat
- iPhone: open the chat, tap the contact’s name or the group name, then tap Export chat.
- Android: open the chat, tap the three dots, then More, then Export chat.
For a free PDF, choose Without media. Save the file somewhere you can find it, such as Files on iPhone or your Google Drive. Our guide to exporting a WhatsApp chat has more detail.
Step 2: Turn it into a PDF
| Method | Best for | What you give up |
|---|---|---|
| Phone’s print option | A short chat, with no computer | Photos and voice notes |
| Word or Google Docs | A longer chat you want to tidy up | Photos and voice notes |
| Screenshots | A handful of messages | Slow, and it leaves out everything around them |
| Online converter | A quick result | Your chat goes to someone else’s server |
| A tool built for chats | A long chat, or one with voice notes | It usually costs money |
On iPhone
- In the Files app, tap the ZIP file to unpack it.
- Open
_chat.txt. - Tap the share icon, then Print.
- In the print preview, tap the share icon again and choose Save to Files.
On Android
- Open the text file in a text app or in Google Docs.
- Open the app’s menu and tap Print.
- For the printer, choose Save as PDF.
The menu names change a little between phones and app versions.
On a computer
- Send the file to your computer, and unzip it if it’s a ZIP.
- Open the text file in Word, Pages or Google Docs.
- Save it as a PDF. In Word it’s File, then Save As. In Google Docs it’s File, then Download. In Pages it’s File, then Export To.
A long chat can run to hundreds of pages and may be slow to open. Making the text smaller cuts the page count a lot.
For just a few messages
Take screenshots, select them in your Photos app and print them to a PDF the same way. Our guide to WhatsApp screenshots as evidence shows how to capture them so the date and the sender are clear.
Where a free PDF falls short
A free PDF is fine if you only want the words. It has limits, and these matter most for long chats:
- Voice notes are lost. You see a line such as
<Media omitted>where each one was, with no idea what was said. - Photos are lost. You get a line such as
image omittedor<Media omitted>. - It’s hard to refer to. Nothing is numbered, so you can’t easily point someone to a particular message.
- It may not be the whole chat. Very long chats can be cut off, as our article on the WhatsApp export limit explains.
If you need the words and nothing else, stop here. You’ve got what you need.
For long chats or chats with voice notes
You can open your export on Chatonfile.com and read and search it for free, on your own device, with nothing uploaded. That alone is often enough.
If you want a PDF, export with media first, because voice notes and photos can only go in if they’re in the file. The PDF is laid out as a dated timeline with every message numbered, every voice note written out and the photos in place. It also has a summary with the key highlights and promises. It’s a single payment with no subscription. You can estimate the cost on our pricing page, and you see the exact price before you pay.
To see what you’d get, our page on printing a WhatsApp chat shows a full sample, page by page.
Common questions
Can I save a WhatsApp chat as a PDF for free?
Yes. Export the chat without media, then use your phone's print option or a word processor to save the text file as a PDF. You'll get the words and dates, but no photos and no voice notes.
How do I save a WhatsApp chat as a PDF with photos?
The free methods only keep the text. For photos, you can take screenshots and combine them, or use a tool built for WhatsApp exports that places the photos in the chat.
Is it safe to use an online PDF converter for a WhatsApp chat?
Be careful. Many online converters upload your file to their servers, and your chat holds other people's private messages too. Read their privacy policy first, or use a method that works on your own device.
