Handrolled Apps · 2doc · Guide

WhatsApp chat to PDF on Android

WhatsApp exports a chat as a text file, and most guides then send you to a computer or an online converter. 2doc does the conversion on the phone: share the export to it and get a structured PDF transcript, with the photos if you want them. Nothing is uploaded.

What the PDF contains

The chat under its name, with the number of participants for a group.
A date line for every day, and the time on every message.
Each participant's messages labeled with their name, and yours on your own side.
Photos from the export in place, when you export with media. Without media, each attachment is marked as not included in the export, so a gap is never silent.
Link previews and tappable links, both optional.
Page numbers on every page. The free version adds a "Created with 2doc" line in the page footer.

WhatsApp group chat exported to PDF with 2doc: 4 participants, every speaker named, your messages on the right, dated and timed — Page one of a WhatsApp group export as a PDF, from a made-up test chat: the header notes what the export omits, and every speaker is named.

Export a WhatsApp chat to PDF

Open WhatsApp and go to the chat you want to export.
Tap the menu (⋮) in the top right, then More, then Export chat.
Choose Without media or With media. WhatsApp itself caps how many messages an export holds, and the cap is lower with media, so for a long chat try without media first.
Select 2doc in the share sheet that appears. If you already have the export file, open 2doc, add a WhatsApp section and tap Pick file instead.
Choose the import options: Media attachments, link previews and tappable links. Tap Import transcript.
Tell 2doc who you are in the chat, so your messages are labeled correctly.
Pick the period. 2doc shows how many messages fall inside it and warns when a period has none. Tap Generate Document, then Share or Print.

The export is read on the phone. 2doc has no access to your WhatsApp account and no connection to WhatsApp's servers; it only reads the file WhatsApp gave you.

2doc's Import WhatsApp Chat screen on Android, listing the four export steps, with Cancel and Pick file buttons — The import screen inside 2doc repeats the four export steps. Pick file is for an export you already have.

Android share sheet for a WhatsApp export ZIP with 2doc first among the targets, next to Bluetooth, Drive and Gmail — Step 4: the share sheet Android shows for the export. 2doc is one of the targets.

2doc asks who you are in the WhatsApp chat so your messages sit on your side: Alex Rivera, Jordan Blake, Chris Park, Sam Osei — Step 6: pick your own name, so your messages go on the right.

2doc import options for a WhatsApp export: media attachments on, link previews off, tappable links on — Step 5: the import options. Media on, link previews off unless you want them, tappable links on.

Print a WhatsApp chat

Open the finished document and tap Print. Android's print dialog opens with your printer, or Save as PDF, as the target. 2doc hands the file only to the print service you pick there. If the phone answers "Printing is not available", it has no print service installed: share the PDF to your email or Google Drive and print from a computer.

What is free

Everything on this page. Pro is a single one-time purchase, with no subscription and no ads in either version. It unlocks longer date ranges, several conversations in one document, extra image layouts, and removes the "Created with 2doc" page footer.

What can be missing

2doc needs the export WhatsApp itself produces. A screenshot or a copied text is not enough.
Exported without media, photos, voice notes and documents appear as "not included in this export" lines, in their place in the conversation.
With media, photos appear in place. Voice notes, videos and documents are shown as labeled attachments, since a PDF cannot play them.
Messages deleted before the export are gone from the file. Where WhatsApp left a "message was deleted" marker, the PDF shows it.
WhatsApp's own export cap can cut off the oldest part of a very long chat. Compare the first date in the PDF with the chat if the history matters.

Questions

Does a .txt export work, or only the ZIP?

Both. WhatsApp produces a ZIP when you export with media and a text file without. Either imports; only the ZIP carries photos.

Can the other people in the chat see that I exported it?

No. Exporting is a local action in WhatsApp. Nobody is notified.

Does it read exports in other languages, or with AM/PM times?

Yes. 2doc reads the export as WhatsApp writes it for your phone's language, 12-hour times included. If a file does not import, write to support with your phone's language and WhatsApp version. You do not need to send the chat.

Group chats?

Yes. Every participant's messages carry their name, and you pick your own name so your messages sit on your side.

Can I export only part of the chat?

Yes. Pick a period and the PDF covers only those days. The rest of the export is not used.