iMessage & WhatsApp: What Format Do Courts Actually Accept?

You are diligent. You want to save your evidence. So, you go into WhatsApp settings, hit "Export Chat," and email yourself the ZIP file. You open it up, expecting a clean record of your conversation.

Instead, you get a `.txt` file.

It looks like this:

12/18/25, 10:00 PM - John: Where are you?

12/18/25, 10:01 PM - Jane: I’m at home.

12/18/25, 10:02 PM - John: <Media omitted>

It is ugly. It is hard to read. But worst of all? It is completely editable. You could open that text file in Notepad, change "Where are you?" to "I love you," and save it.

Because it is so easily altered, Family Courts often reject raw text exports.

If you are relying on the built-in export features of iMessage or WhatsApp, you are bringing a knife to a gunfight. You need a format that is locked, visual, and universally accepted.

The Problem with "Native" Exports

Each platform makes it difficult to get your data out in a way that stands up in court.

1. The WhatsApp ".txt" Trap

As mentioned, WhatsApp gives you a raw text file. It separates the photos from the text, meaning the context is lost. If the text says "Look at this!" and the photo is in a separate folder, the Judge doesn't know what you are looking at.

2. The iMessage Nightmare

Apple provides no native way to export a full conversation to a printable format. None. Your options are:

**Screenshots:** Taking 5,000 screenshots and stapling them together (A logistical disaster).

**Copy-Paste:** Copying bubbles into Word (Loses all metadata and formatting).

The Gold Standard: PDF with Visual Context

Courts prefer PDF (Portable Document Format) for a reason: It is a "fixed layout" format. Once created, it is difficult to accidentally alter.

But not just any PDF. To be persuasive, your evidence needs to look like the original conversation.

ScanMyChat converts your raw database data into a Visual PDF Transcript.

**Speech Bubbles:** We recreate the visual layout (Left/Right alignment) so the Judge can intuitively see who is talking.

**Embedded Images:** Photos are placed *inline*, exactly where they occurred in the conversation.

**Readability:** We use clear fonts and layouts that are easy on the eyes during long review sessions.

""Presentation is persuasion. If the Judge has to struggle to read your evidence, they are less likely to understand your argument. Make it impossible to misunderstand.""

Why "Universal Format" Matters

You might have an iPhone, but your lawyer might use a PC. The Judge might use an iPad. The court clerk might use an ancient desktop.

If you send a proprietary file format, half of them won't be able to open it.

ScanMyChat generates universal PDFs.

Opens on any device.

Prints exactly as it looks on screen.

Can be uploaded to any e-filing system (like Pacer or state-specific portals).

Privacy: Don't Upload Your Life to a Converter Website

There are free websites online that promise to "Convert WhatsApp to PDF."

STOP.

To use them, you have to upload your entire chat history—your intimate photos, your financial discussions, your kids' data—to a server in an unknown country.

ScanMyChat is Local-First.

We bring the conversion engine to you.

The software runs on your desktop.

The conversion from Database -> PDF happens on your CPU.

No one (including us) ever sees the file.

Visual PDF vs Text File

Give the Court What They Want

The Judge wants clarity. They want a document they can trust, read easily, and file away without technical headaches.

Don't let a bad file format distract from the truth of your story.

Convert Your Chats into Professional Legal Documents.

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Disclaimer: This article explains technical file standards. While PDF is the industry standard for document submission, local court rules regarding electronic filing (e-filing) requirements may vary.