How to Export iPhone Texts/iMessages to PDF with Four Ways

Q: “Hey, guys, I’m interested in exporting my girlfriend’s text messages to a PDF document or any readable format on a computer. All messages between both of us since 2009 are saved on my iPhone, it’s our wish to print them out and keep them for future reference. How do I copy an entire text conversation on iPhone? Any suggestion for a “trusted” 3rd party app?”         

— From Apple Support Communities

Text messages record a lot of sweet memories of our life. Generally, your messages are stored in your iPhone and iCloud safely, but there might come a time when you want the text messages of your device in a printable or readable format.

So what to do if you want to save and print text messages in PDF format on account of circumstances including for general business purposes, court or trial, family mementos, real estate transactions, or even just personal archiving of text messages between friends and loved ones, etc. Although you can screenshot the messages on your iPhone and print them, what if you have a lot of text messages to print, taking screenshots is too time-consuming. Now, you can rely on some tools.

Here in this article, we will show you four ways to download text messages and iMessages from iPhone to PDF with no hassle. Just keep reading and check more details.

Also Read: How to Transfer Messages from Old iPhone to New iPhone >

The Simplest Way to Export iPhone Texts/iMessages to PDF

How do I export an entire text conversation from my iPhone? If you also have such confusion, this method can help you. AnyTrans – iPhone Data Manager is designed for iOS users to fully manage iPhone/iPad files and data. It is an app to download text messages from iPhone and convert text messages to PDF. It also supports users to transfer photos, messages, contacts, call logs, music, etc from iPhone to iPhone and to a computer.

The transferring process is easy and quick, generally, it only takes a few minutes for users to transfer piles of messages or photos. Besides data transferring, it also enables users to back up their iPhones. More importantly, unlike iTunes and iCloud, restoring your iPhone with AnyTrans would not erase the existing data. Now, let’s check its main features.

Now, you may follow the steps below to export iPhone texts/iMessages to PDF.

Step 1. Download AnyTrans and launch it on your computer > Connect your iPhone to the computer via USB cable > Click on Device Manager > Choose Messages. If there is no message, please click the Back Up Now button to make a backup first.

Step 2. Select the messages or iMessages you want to export to PDF and click on the To PC button > Choose Export as .pdf format to start the process. Also, you can tap the Print button to print the messages directly.

When it is done, you can click View Files to check the messages just exported from your iPhone. Or you can go to the folder named AnyTrans-Export on your computer to see the iPhone messages in PDF.

You may like: How to Transfer Music from iPhone to Computer in 3 Ways >

How to Save iMessages to PDF by Screenshot

You can screenshot the text messages/imessages, and convert the pictures to PDF files. However, this method isn’t suited for a large number of messages because it is time-consuming. If you have plenty of time or there are not too many messages to convert, you may try this method. Just follow the steps below.

1. Look through your messages on your phone.
2. Identify which messages you want to save to PDF files.
3. Take a screenshot of the messages.
4. Find the screenshots in your photo gallery and click Share or Export.
5. Choose the PDF file format at the export option and save.

Export iPhone Texts/iMessages to PDF with Pages

There is a tool on your iPhone called Pages tells you how to print imessages to PDF. You can use it to export messages on your phone as PDF files. However, you also need to take screenshots of messages one by one before exporting them in PDF format. That’s why we put this method behind the first one. If you are determined to take this way, do as follows:

1. Take a full or partial screenshot of the messages you want to save.
2. Launch Pages on your phone and start a blank page.
3. Tap the + icon on top of the screen, then browse for a photo or video to insert.
4. Select the screenshots you captured earlier and tap the three dots icon from the Options tab.
5. Select Export and choose to export the screenshots as PDF files.

Export iPhone Texts/iMessages to PDF with iBook

The last method we give you is to save iPhone texts/iMessages to PDF with iBook. Again, this method requires you to take screenshots of the message’s history and then export them as PDF files. And it may take a lot of time to complete the conversion of a long history of messages. Just follow the tutorial below.

1. Take a screenshot of the messages you want to save as a PDF file.
2. Locate and select the screenshots you took, then hit the Share button.
3. Scroll to the left and tap More.
4. From the next list of options, choose Books.
5. Wait for the screenshots to be exported as PDF via Books.

Bonus Tip. Transfer Text Messages from iPhone to Computer with iTunes

If you want to keep a copy of the messages on your computer, iTunes can do this. Using iTunes, you can back up your iPhone’s data on your computer, which will contain messages. But it’s worth noting that you cannot check the exact content and details of the message. Just follow the steps below to transfer text messages from iPhone to a computer with iTunes:

1. Use a USB cable to connect your iPhone to a Windows or Mac computer. If iTunes does not open automatically, please launch iTunes.
2. Trust this computer on your iPhone.
3. Then in iTunes, tap on the iPhone icon.
4. Choose Back up now to back up iPhone to computer.
5. Then, your iPhone backup (including messages and other data) will be stored. It is useful as long as you want to restore messages from iTunes backup.

You may like: Export Text Messages from Android to PDF Free>

The Bottom Line

As you can see, there are four ways to save messages on your phone as PDF. However, the other three methods are quite time-consuming. So, if you want to convert a large number of messages to PDF at once in a short period of time, AnyTrans is your best choice. It also does a great job on transfer photos, music, videos, contacts, and more from iPhone to computer and another iOS device. Have a try on AnyTrans now!