WhatsApp to PDF: every way to save a chat, compared

Updated November 9, 2026

WhatsApp has no PDF button and no print button. Almost every way to get a PDF starts with Export chat, which gives you the messages as a text file, or a .zip with the photos too (on iPhone it is always a .zip). What changes is what turns that file into pages. Screenshots are enough for a few messages, and the text file is free if you only need the words. For a whole chat with photos and dates you need a converter, and converters differ on price, on what ends up in the PDF and on whether your chat is uploaded to someone else's server.

The ways at a glance

Amberword is our product. We read the prices and features of the other tools on their own websites and store pages on November 9, 2026. They can change, so check before you buy.

Free ways, with WhatsApp alone

Export chat and print the text file. Exporting is the official way to take a chat out of WhatsApp (steps for iPhone and Android). The .txt opens on any computer and its print window can save it as a PDF, for free. You get a long run of lines with no bubbles and no page numbers, and photos appear only as file names. It is enough when only the words matter.

Screenshots. Quick and faithful to what you see, but only for a handful of messages: a long chat becomes hundreds of images with no dates between them.

WhatsApp Web and Ctrl+P. It looks like the obvious shortcut on a computer, but when we tried it in Chrome on a Mac we got one page with the whole WhatsApp layout and only part of the conversation (what happens and what to do instead). WhatsApp Web can export a chat, but without photos.

Converters that work on your device

These tools read the export file on your phone or computer, so your messages stay with you. PrintChat is a website that makes a PDF with the images, for $1.99 per export after a preview of the first 25 messages. Chat Exporter is an Android app: the text PDF is free with a watermark, and photos need the Pro version. iMazing is desktop software for Mac and PC that reads chats straight from an iPhone, with photos and attachments; it costs €49.99 a year (the price shown in Italy, VAT included) and is worth it mostly if you also use its other iPhone tools.

Amberword works the same way, in the browser of any phone or computer: you see a free preview of the whole chat before you pay, the text PDF is free for chats of up to 500 messages, and the complete PDF with photos costs $9 per chat, paid once. It has four styles: Classic (chat bubbles), Clean (compact lines), Book (chapters by month, large photos) and Records (numbered messages and the time zone, for a lawyer or HR). You can check that nothing is uploaded: once your preview has appeared, turn on airplane mode and download your PDF.

Converters that upload your chat

Some services do more than a PDF, and for that they work on their own servers. ThreadRecap and ChatToPDF transcribe voice messages, which the tools above don't offer on their websites; ThreadRecap also writes a summary of the conversation. Zapptales prints and ships a real book. In exchange, a copy of your messages sits on their servers for a while: ChatToPDF says it deletes files within 7 days, Zapptales keeps chats for 4 weeks after your last visit, and ThreadRecap keeps the chat in your account. Read their privacy page first if the chat is personal.

Which way to choose

• A few messages: screenshots.
• Only the words, for free: the exported text file, printed or saved as a PDF.
• A whole chat with photos, kept private: a converter that works on your device, such as Amberword, PrintChat or, on Android, Chat Exporter.
• A chat to keep or give as a gift: a book-style PDF you print where you like (how to make one), or a printed book from Zapptales.
• Voice messages turned into text: ThreadRecap or ChatToPDF, knowing that the chat is uploaded.
• Many chats from an iPhone, often: desktop software such as iMazing.

Can WhatsApp export a chat as a PDF?

No. WhatsApp exports a chat as a text file, or as a .zip with the text file and the photos, videos and voice messages as separate files. On iPhone the export is always a .zip, even without media. WhatsApp calls it a text file, not a backup: you can't import it back, but you can keep it, open it or turn it into a PDF. Here is what's inside the .zip.

Is there a free way to turn a WhatsApp chat into a PDF?

Yes. Open the exported .txt file and save it as a PDF from the print window: it's free, but text only and hard to read. Amberword makes the text PDF for free for chats of up to 500 messages, and shows a free preview of any chat. Chat Exporter on Android makes a free text PDF with a watermark.

Is it safe to use an online WhatsApp to PDF converter?

It depends on where the chat is processed. Look for a clear sentence on the tool's privacy page: "processed on your device" means the messages never leave your phone or computer, while "uploaded" or "stored on our servers" means a copy is kept somewhere else, even if only for a few days. "Runs in your browser" can simply mean that there's nothing to install, so check the details.

Can I turn a WhatsApp chat into a PDF on my iPhone?

Yes. Export the chat, tap Save to Files, then open Amberword in Safari and choose the file. The PDF is made on the iPhone itself and you can save it to Files or share it. See how to print it afterwards.

Why are some photos missing from my PDF?

The PDF can only include the photos that are in the export. Export with With all media on iPhone or Include media on Android; WhatsApp's Help Center says that on Android the most recent media are added. A chat exported from WhatsApp Web, or without media, has no photos at all. If the export option is missing altogether, the chat may have Advanced chat privacy turned on.

See your whole chat as a PDF before you pay: the preview is free.