WhatsApp has become one of the most popular messaging apps, with over 2 billion users worldwide. It allows you to easily communicate with friends, family, coworkers, and more through instant messaging, voice and video calls. One great feature is the ability to save your WhatsApp conversations as PDF files on your smartphone.
Why Save WhatsApp Conversations as PDFs?
There are a few key reasons you may want to save your WhatsApp chats as PDF files:
- Preserve important conversations – By saving chats as PDFs, you have a record of conversations you want to keep for reference.
- Share conversations offline – PDFs allow you to share conversations without an internet connection.
- Print conversations – PDFs can be easily printed if you want a physical copy of a chat.
- Store in other apps – PDFs can be stored and accessed from various other document apps.
- Organize and archive – Save PDFs of chats into organized folders for future reference.
How to Save Individual WhatsApp Chats as PDFs
Saving individual chats is easy and only takes a few taps. Here are the steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to save as a PDF.
- Tap on the contact name at the top of the screen.
- Scroll down and tap “Export chat”.
- Select “Export without media” or “Export with media” depending on if you want attached media exported too.
- Tap the share button in the top right and select “Print”.
- In the print preview screen, tap the download icon in the top right corner.
- The chat will download as a PDF file to your device.
And that’s all there is to it! The PDF will contain the entire chat history with the contact. You can now share or store the PDF anywhere you like.
How to Save All WhatsApp Chats as PDFs
You can also save your entire WhatsApp message history with all your contacts as a single PDF file. Here’s how:
- Open WhatsApp Settings.
- Tap Chats > Chat History.
- Tap Export Chat.
- Select whether to include media.
- Tap the share button at the top right.
- Select Print.
- In the print preview, tap the download icon to save as a PDF.
This PDF will contain your full WhatsApp messaging history with timestamps and contact names. It’s a great way to backup and archive your full WhatsApp use.
How to Save WhatsApp Conversations as PDFs on iPhone
The process is very similar on iPhones, just with slightly different steps:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to save.
- Tap on the contact name at the top.
- Scroll down and tap “Export Chat”.
- Choose to include or exclude media.
- Tap the share button in the top right corner.
- Scroll down and tap “Print”.
- In the print preview, tap the PDF icon to save as a PDF file.
To save your full chat history on iPhone:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat Backup.
- Tap “Export Chat Backup”.
- Choose whether to include videos.
- Email the backup file to yourself.
- Open the email on your iPhone and tap the attachment.
- Tap the share button and select “Print”.
- In the print preview, tap the PDF icon to save the file.
How to Save WhatsApp Conversations as PDFs on Android
On Android, the process is very similar:
- Open the WhatsApp chat you want to save.
- Tap the contact name at the top.
- Tap the 3 dots menu icon.
- Select “More” > “Print chat”.
- Tap the download icon in the top right corner.
To export your full chat history on Android:
- Go to WhatsApp Settings > Chats > Chat backup.
- Tap “Back Up Chats”.
- Navigate to your device’s Files app.
- Go to WhatsApp > Databases and find the latest backup file.
- Long press the file and select “Print”.
- In the print preview, tap the PDF icon to save.
Third-Party Apps to Save WhatsApp Chats as PDFs
There are also various third-party apps you can use to save WhatsApp conversations as PDFs:
- WAMR (iOS, Android) – Lets you export chats as PDFs or other formats.
- Backuptrans (iOS, Android) – Backs up and exports chats to PDF.
- iMyFone iTransor (iOS) – Exports WhatsApp chats from iPhone backups.
- Dr.Fone (Android) – Backs up and exports chats to PDF.
These apps provide more advanced chat export and backup features compared to the built-in WhatsApp tools.
Tips for Saving WhatsApp Chats as PDFs
Here are some useful tips when exporting your WhatsApp conversations as PDF files:
- Save important chats regularly as you have them.
- Include media for a complete record, or exclude to save space.
- Back up your full chat history periodically for archiving.
- Store the PDFs in cloud storage or emails for extra backup.
- Use descriptive filenames like “Chat with John Doe – August 2020”.
- Save chats before uninstalling or switching phones.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a limit to how far back I can export WhatsApp chats?
Typically you can only export your full chat history for the last 40 days on Android, or last year on iPhone. Third party apps may allow saving further back.
Do the WhatsApp PDFs save images, videos, and files shared?
When exporting chats, you have the option to include or exclude media like images, videos, and files. Including them makes for a more complete record but results in a larger file size.
Can I password protect or encrypt the WhatsApp PDFs?
The native WhatsApp tools don’t allow you to password protect or encrypt PDF exports. However, you can use third party PDF editing apps to add password protection after saving chats as PDFs.
Will exporting chats delete them from WhatsApp?
No, exporting WhatsApp chats as PDFs will not delete or clear the conversations from your WhatsApp account. It simply saves a copy as a PDF file.
Is there a way to automate WhatsApp chat backups as PDFs?
There’s no built-in way to automatically backup WhatsApp chats as PDFs daily or weekly. However, some third party apps like WAMR have options to automate periodic chat backups.
Conclusion
Saving important WhatsApp conversations as PDF files can be invaluable for record keeping, reference, sharing and archiving purposes. It only takes a few taps to export individual chats or full message histories on both iOS and Android devices.
While native WhatsApp tools have limited capabilities, third party apps provide more advanced chat export options. Following best practices for filenames, storage and frequency of backups helps keep your WhatsApp PDF archive organized.
So if you have important WhatsApp messages you want to preserve and access outside of the app, saving them as PDFs is the way to go.