How do I turn a Telegram chat into a PDF?
Last reviewed 1 November 2026
Use Telegram Desktop, not the phone app. Open the chat, choose Export chat history, pick the machine-readable JSON format, and export. Then drop the result.json file into VaultXT's pack maker to get a dated PDF.
It runs on your device, so the chat isn't uploaded.
How do I export one chat from Telegram Desktop?
- Install the latest Telegram Desktop on a computer and log in.
- Open the chat you want.
- Click the three-dot menu in that chat, then Export chat history. Menu names can change between versions.
- Choose the format: Machine-readable JSON.
- Tick Voice messages if you want them. Photos and other media are optional and make the folder bigger.
- Click Export and wait for it to finish.
You'll get a folder with a file called result.json. Don't use Settings, then Export Telegram data. That exports the whole account, and VaultXT reads one chat.
How do I make the PDF?
- Open the export folder.
- Drop result.json into VaultXT, or zip the whole folder and drop that.
- Check the messages, then make your pack.
Choose JSON, not HTML. HTML is made for reading in a browser. JSON is the file VaultXT reads.
What does the PDF show?
- Date, time and sender on every message, down to the second.
- Edited messages are marked.
- Calls appear with their length in seconds.
- Voice notes and files show by file name when they were exported. If media was left out, the PDF says it was not included.
- Replies and forwards are not laid out as threads.
Voice notes can be written out as text, labelled as a machine's best guess. See turn voice notes into a transcript for how that works.
If the file won't open, try the chat export checker. To test a finished pack, use check.
What next?
Printing for a hearing? Read print text messages for court. On an iPhone as well? See iMessage to PDF.
Questions people ask
Can I export from my phone?
Use Telegram Desktop. We haven't tested the phone apps.
Does a group chat work?
Export it the same way, from its menu. We haven't tested groups, so check the result.
General information only, not legal advice. VaultXT can't promise any court or body will accept a document.