How to print text messages and chat history
The simplest way to print text messages or a chat conversation is to screenshot it, then add the screenshots to the chat printing tool. Regular screenshots are laid out in order; long scrolling screenshots are cut into sections and set in columns on Letter paper, so the text doesn’t shrink to an unreadable size. Click Export to print or save a PDF.
This works for iMessage, WhatsApp, Messenger, Slack or any other app you can screenshot, with no export feature or extra software needed.
Step 1: take screenshots
- Phone: take screenshots of the conversation. Many Android phones offer a “scrolling screenshot” or “capture more” option that turns a long thread into one tall image; otherwise, one screenful at a time is fine.
- Computer: in the desktop or web version of the app, press Win+Shift+S on Windows, or Cmd+Ctrl+Shift+4 on a Mac to copy a screenshot to the clipboard. There’s no need to save it. Come back to the page and press Ctrl+V (Cmd+V on a Mac). Take one, paste it, take the next.
Note that the standard Mac shortcut Cmd+Shift+4 saves a file to your desktop rather than copying to the clipboard, so add Ctrl.
Step 2: let it lay out
There’s no mode to choose once the screenshots are in:
- Anything more than three times as tall as it is wide is treated as a long screenshot and cut into sections set in two or three columns, like a newspaper. The cuts fall in the gaps between lines, so text is never sliced in half.
- Each column is at least about 65 mm wide on paper. Typical phone chat text then prints at roughly 8–9 pt, close to newspaper body text.
- Regular screenshots go left to right, top to bottom, in the order you added them.
- Pages are added automatically when one isn’t enough.
Want it all on one page?
Select the long screenshot and choose Fit to one page. The tool shows the estimated printed text size and warns you if it gets too small, for example around 5 pt. Whether to print it that way is up to you.
Step 3: print or save
Click Export. On a computer you can print directly or download a PDF or images; on a phone, use Share / Print to send it to a printer app or another person. Before exporting, the tool checks for text that would print too small.
Privacy and evidence
Screenshots are processed only on your device, so your messages are never uploaded. If you’re printing messages for a court, a landlord or an employer, ask them or a legal adviser what format and detail they need, such as visible dates and phone numbers; this tool only handles the printing.
For more on how splitting works, see how to print a long screenshot so you can read it. When you’re ready, open the text message printing page.