How to print WhatsApp chats for court
Screenshots are the default, and they are the slowest and least complete way to put a chat before a court.
To print a WhatsApp chat for court, export it from the phone with WhatsApp's own "Export chat" option (iPhone or Android, with or without media), then turn the exported .zip or .txt into a PDF that shows every message with its date, time and sender. Nispach does that in your browser: you choose the date range and participants, set the appendix label, and download a numbered PDF with a cover page carrying the SHA-256 hash of the original export. The result can be printed, attached to a pleading or uploaded to Net HaMishpat.
Why screenshots are a poor way to present a chat
Screenshots are what most people reach for, and they work for three messages. For anything longer they cause problems:
- They are slow. A month of messages is dozens of screenshots, each cropped, pasted, numbered and captioned by hand.
- They look selective. Gaps between screenshots invite the question of what was left out, even when nothing was.
- Dates go missing. WhatsApp shows the date once per day, at the top of the day's messages. A screenshot from the middle of a day often has times but no date.
- They are heavy. Each screenshot is an image, so a long chat quickly passes Net HaMishpat's 30MB limit per file.
Step 1: export the chat from the phone
WhatsApp has a built-in export. On iPhone open the chat, tap the contact or group name, then Export Chat. On Android open the chat, tap the three dots, then More and Export chat. Choose with or without media, and send the file to yourself by email or save it to your files. Our guide to exporting on iPhone and Android covers the details and the message limits.
Step 2: keep only what the case needs
A chat between spouses or between an employee and a manager can run for years. The pleading usually needs a period and the people involved. Filter by date range and by sender, and decide whether system lines ("Messages are end-to-end encrypted", "X added Y") and media belong in the document. The cover page then states exactly which range and participants the appendix covers, so the filtering is transparent rather than hidden.
Step 3: produce a numbered, labelled PDF
The document a court receives should be easy to cite. Every page carries the appendix label and a running page number, so a pleading can point to "Appendix A, page 14". Each message shows the date, time and sender. Hebrew and Arabic are laid out right to left, with English words and numbers kept in order.
Print it, attach it to the pleading or affidavit, or upload it to Net HaMishpat. If it would pass 30MB, it is split into numbered parts.
What printing does not decide
A clean printout makes a chat easier to read and to verify. It does not decide whether the chat is admitted or how much weight it carries. That depends on the case, on who presents the chat and how, and on the court. Our page on WhatsApp as evidence in Israel covers the general questions to discuss with your lawyer.
Turn the export into an appendix
Drop in the WhatsApp export and preview the first three pages for free. The chat stays on your computer.
Start with your email
Email only. We send the link to start and nothing else.
FAQ
Can I print a WhatsApp chat directly from the phone?
WhatsApp has no print option. It can export a chat as a .txt or .zip file, which then needs to be turned into a readable document.
Do I need to include the whole chat?
Not necessarily. Many appendices cover only the relevant period and participants. The cover page states the range used, so it is clear what was included. Discuss what to include with your lawyer.
Will the printout show dates on every message?
Yes. Every message carries its date, time and sender, unlike screenshots, where the date often appears only once per day.