Print iPhone text messages (SMS, RCS, iMessage) and WhatsApp chats
The messages on our iPhones can contain anything from cherished memories to crucial information a lawyer might need to present to a court judge during a legal dispute. Thanks to iMazing, you can print entire conversations or chats from your computer: threads from the iPhone Messages app (including photo attachments), or group chats from WhatsApp, all are very easy to print from your Mac or PC.
Tip: if you are preparing for a court case and need to present text conversations as evidence, we've got you covered as well. Read our guide on how to print WhatsApp chats for court. The same principles apply for Messages!
Here's how to print your iPhone messages
Select Messages or WhatsApp
Once your device is selected, at the top of the device's Overview screen, click Messages.
To work with WhatsApp instead, click WhatsApp. Every following step is identical.
Tip: Once your device is connected and paired, you can access any dataset or tool directly in iMazing:
- Click Data to view all available datasets for that device.
- Click Tools to view all available tools.
Choose how to load your data
iMazing needs to create a backup to extract data from your device. You can choose whether you only need access to your messages and conversations, or whether you want to create a full, restorable backup of the device. A partial backup uses much less storage, but both options take about the same amount of time because all files are streamed from your device to your computer during the process. iMazing cannot control which files are streamed.
Click Start to launch the operation. iMazing prompts you to enter the passcode on the device.
Important: The first time you back up a device with iMazing, the process may take 30 minutes or more, depending on how much data is stored on the device. USB speed (whether your device supports USB 3.1 or 2.0) and the backup location (for example, a NAS or external drive) can also affect the time it takes. Please be patient. Learn more about data access and full backup options.
For more details on backup performance, see: Understanding & fixing slow iPhone or iPad backups
If a backup of the device already exists, iMazing shows the following prompt instead. Choose whether to open the existing backup or run a subsequent backup to refresh the contents.
Tips: Subsequent backups are incremental and much faster. You can request a newer backup at any time with the Refresh button (the circular arrow) in the top toolbar.
Browse your messages
Once iMazing finishes loading the data, it displays your conversations in the main window.
Browse an existing backup
You can browse your messages without connecting your iPhone, as long as iMazing already holds a backup of the device. iMazing can also open backups made with iTunes, Finder, or Apple Devices once you add them to iMazing.
- On the Home Screen, open the Backups section to see every backup iMazing manages.
- Select the backup you want to open. iMazing opens it so you can browse its content, no device connection is required.
- On the backup Overview, click Messages or WhatsApp in the datasets row.
Note: When browsing from a backup, iMazing reads only the stored backup, so no new backup is created. For more on browsing and extracting data, see the Manage your backups with iMazing guide.
Browse from a previous snapshot
Each time iMazing backs up your device, it keeps a timestamped snapshot, so you can open your messages as they existed at an earlier date. This works like macOS Time Machine, applied to your iOS or iPadOS backups.
By default, iMazing shows the current state of your device or the latest backup. To reach an earlier state:
- Select your device or a backup from the Home Screen.
- In the upper toolbar, click the Now button to open the Snapshot List.
- Select an earlier snapshot. iMazing reloads the Messages or WhatsApp view with the messages contained in that snapshot.
A gray checkmark marks the state you are currently viewing. Select Now again to return to the current state.
Tip: For details on snapshot labels and management, see the Backup Snapshot List in iMazing guide.
Select your messages
When you select a conversation in the left column, you'll see it's corresponding messages and attachments displayed. If you only want to save certain messages, select them now. If you need to export multiple conversations in bulk, you can select them now too.
Tips:
- To select all items in the list of chats or messages, simply select one item, then hold the CTRL key (Windows) or Command key (Mac) and press A.
- To select non-contiguous items, hold the CTRL key (Windows) or Command key (Mac), and then click each item.
- To select multiple sequential items, click one item, scroll down, and select another one while holding the Shift key.
You can select as many messages or conversations as you want in this way, and then click the Print button at the bottom right.
Select the messages or conversations you want, then click the Print button at the bottom right.
iCloud Messages
iCloud sync of Messages was introduced in iOS 11.4. When it is enabled, iMazing still displays and extracts your messages as usual, but iOS may keep some older attachments (including shared photos and videos) in iCloud only. Message text is never affected.
Where an attachment has been offloaded, iMazing shows an Attachment stored in iCloud message, and that attachment will be missing from your printout.
To include those attachments, download them back to the device before printing. Open each one in the Messages app on your iPhone or iPad, or turn off iCloud sync for Messages to bring your full history back:
- Open Settings on your iPhone or iPad.
- Tap your Apple Account name at the top.
- Select iCloud.
- Tap See All (or Show All) under the apps using iCloud.
- Tap Messages.
- Turn off Sync this iPhone (labeled Use on this iPhone on older versions of iOS).
- Tap Disable and Download to download your messages onto the device.
Wait a few hours for the download to complete, then click the Refresh button in iMazing on your Mac or PC to reload your messages before printing.
Tip: You can turn iCloud sync for Messages back on afterward. Downloading your messages to the device does not delete anything from iCloud.
Review printing options
This will open the Print Options window. Note that the exact same options are available when printing WhatsApp chats. See below:
The Print Options window offers the following settings:
- Printer lets you choose which printer to use for printing your messages
- Paper size and orientation
- Scale can be used to customize message font size as well as images from a range of 30% to 300%.
- Margins
- Add chat session name in header
- Add page numbers in footer
- Add export metadata in footer can be used to give more legal weight to exported messages. The footer of every page will include the iPhone's name and serial number, the date of the export, and the last modified date of the Messages database from which the data was extracted.
Print your messages
Click Print to confirm. iMazing generates the printout and sends it to the printer.
Going further
iCloud Messages
iCloud sync of Messages was introduced in iOS 11.4. If you have this option enabled, iMazing will still be able to display and extract your messages like before, but some older attachments may be removed by iOS from your device and kept in the cloud. Text content is not affected.