Print text messages from your iPhone as a dated PDF: free preview
Turn a computer backup of your iPhone into a clean PDF of the first 20 messages of a conversation, with the sender, date and time on every message the tool could read.
Use this only with a backup or file of your own, or one you have the right to use. Do not use it to read anyone's messages without their permission. Rules about reading another person's messages vary by place and situation.
A conversation contains other people's words, names and numbers. You are responsible for how you use the PDF. Use it only where you have the right to, and respect the privacy of the people in it.
Three ways to print iPhone text messages
Screenshots
Free and fast for a few messages, but long conversations take many images.
A computer backup plus this tool
Make a backup on your computer, then preview the first 20 messages of a conversation here.
Paid desktop software
Installed on your computer, and usually paid.
How to make the backup this tool reads
- On Windows: connect your iPhone and make a backup in the Apple Devices app, with Encrypt local backup off.
- On a Mac: connect your iPhone and make a backup in Finder, with Encrypt local backup off.
What the PDF contains
Sender, date and time on every message the tool could read, in the order they appear in the backup, with the contact name or number, page numbers, the date the PDF was made and the time zone.
Full conversation as a PDF: not available yet
Full export is not available yet. Click the button to tell us you would want it at this planned price. Nothing is charged.
Thank you. Full export is not available yet. Nothing has been charged and nothing was saved. We are counting how many people want this before deciding whether to build it.
Save iPhone voicemails to your computer
This tool does not read voicemails yet.
Voicemails are private to the people on them. Do not share or publish a recording without permission where the law requires it.
Worked example
Two friends, Dana and Sam, plan a dinner.
Example with invented people and messages. Not real.
- DanaMar 3, 2026, 6:12 PMAre we still on for dinner Saturday?
- SamMar 3, 2026, 6:15 PMYes. Thinking 7. Does that work?
- DanaMar 3, 2026, 6:16 PMWorks for me. I can bring dessert.
- SamMar 3, 2026, 6:20 PMPerfect. I will make the soup.
- DanaMar 3, 2026, 6:21 PMShould I invite Lee?
- SamMar 3, 2026, 6:24 PMPlease do.
Questions
Will this be accepted by a court, my employer or a landlord?
We can't say. This PDF is a printout of what is in the backup you chose. Whether anyone accepts it depends on who they are and on their rules. Ask the court clerk, the organization or a lawyer what they require before you rely on it. We are not a law firm, and this page is not legal advice.
My backup is encrypted. Will this work?
No. This preview reads unencrypted backups only.
Are deleted messages included?
No. This tool does not recover deleted messages.
Do I need to install anything?
No. The tool runs in your web browser. You need a backup of your iPhone on your computer, made in the Apple Devices app on Windows or in Finder on a Mac, with Encrypt local backup off.
Does the PDF show the date and time of each message?
It shows the sender, date and time on every message the tool could read, with the time zone and the date the PDF was made. The PDF is not a certified or complete record.
Are photos and attachments included?
Not in the preview.
What happens to my messages?
The tool reads your files on your own computer. The part that reads them is built with no connection to the internet, so it cannot send anything from your files to us or to anyone else. A PDF you save is yours and stays on your computer.
Whose messages can I print?
Use this only with a backup or file of your own, or one you have the right to use. Do not use it to read anyone's messages without their permission. Rules about reading another person's messages vary by place and situation.
Is there a file size limit?
We tested the messages file in an iPhone backup up to 550 MB. Larger backup files may be slow or may not work.
How did it go?
These buttons only count answers. We can't reply. To ask for help, email contact@datedfolio.com.
Have email files instead? Convert EML and MSG to PDF.