Free tool · no sign-up
Print text messages for court: see them as a numbered log first. Free, in your browser.
Choose the export file from your phone or messaging app. This page reads it on your device and shows how many messages it holds, the date range, who's in it, and the first 25 messages numbered MSG-00001 onward, laid out like the full log.
- Your texts never leave your device
- No sign-up, no email
- iPhone, Android, WhatsApp, Messenger, Instagram
1. Choose your export file
Use an export of your own conversation, from your own phone or account. Don't have one yet? See how to export, or try the fictional sample.
Leave it on auto-detect unless it's Instagram; otherwise an Instagram file is labeled Facebook.
Your texts never leave your device. Your browser reads the file and builds the preview right here. Nothing is uploaded or saved, and our analytics only counts that the tool was used, never what's in your messages. Once this page has loaded, it works even with Wi-Fi off.
2. What's in your export
- Messages
- Date range
- People in it
- Format
This export lists everyone by name. Pick yours to mark your messages as sent, the same as "Your name" in the app.
| No. | Date | Time | From | Channel | Message |
|---|
Want every message, in a PDF you can print?
The full log numbers every message, adds an index of who's in it with their message-number ranges, lists the source file with its SHA-256 fingerprint, puts a SHA-256 fingerprint on the whole log and ends with a declaration template you complete. It's a PDF with page numbers on every page.
Get the full numbered PDF logImport free · pay $39 once only for the final, unwatermarked log, or use it in the 7-day Full Suite trial. See a sample PDF (fictional data).
This preview isn't saved anywhere, so in the app you'll choose the same file again.
Getting the file
How to export your texts
These are the same steps the app shows under "How to import." Exports from your own phone and accounts only. The full guide, with Instagram and fixes for common problems, is in the Messages docs.
How do I export text messages from an iPhone?
Apple doesn't let any app or website read iMessage or SMS directly, so you export the conversation on a computer with iMazing:
- Install iMazing on a Mac or PC and connect your iPhone with a cable.
- Open Messages in iMazing and select the conversation.
- Click Export and choose Excel / CSV.
- Choose that .csv file above. (iMazing's PDF export works in the app, not in this preview.)
More detail: how to export iPhone text messages for court.
How do I export text messages from an Android phone?
- Install SMS Backup & Restore by SyncTech from the Google Play Store and open it.
- Tap Set up a backup (or Back up now) and turn on Messages. Call logs aren't needed.
- Choose a local backup saved to the phone (not cloud-only), and keep the format as XML.
- Run the backup and note where the .xml file was saved, usually a folder called SMSBackupRestore.
- Choose that .xml file above. Regular texts (SMS) are read; picture and group messages (MMS) aren't included yet.
More detail: how to export Android text messages for court.
How do I export a WhatsApp chat?
- Open the chat you want to keep.
- Android: tap ⋮ → More → Export chat. iPhone: tap the contact or group name → Export Chat.
- Choose Without Media. Text-only exports are much smaller.
- Send the file to yourself (email, Files or AirDrop). If you get a .zip, unzip it.
- Choose the .txt above, then pick which name is you so your messages show as sent. Dates are read as month/day.
More detail: WhatsApp messages as evidence.
How do I export Facebook Messenger messages?
- In Facebook go to Settings & privacy → Settings → Your information → Download your information (in Accounts Center).
- Choose Messages, set Format to JSON and Date range to All time.
- When the download is ready, unzip it and find the conversation's folder.
- Choose message_1.json above (longer chats also have message_2.json and so on).
Instagram works the same way: request a JSON download in Accounts Center, find the chat under messages/inbox, and set "Where is it from?" to Instagram. Steps for both are in the Messages docs.
Common questions
About the free preview
Can I print text messages for court for free?
Yes, you can print them yourself. On an iPhone or Android phone, screenshots of the conversation can be printed for free, but they're slow to make for a long thread and easy to get out of order. This page is a free way to see your whole export as one numbered, dated list first, so you know what's in it and what date range it covers. The preview shows the totals and the first 25 messages. Importing into the app is free too; the final, page-numbered PDF of every message is a one-time $39, or included in a paid plan. Which messages to use, and how, depends on your court's rules: check them, and consult a licensed attorney where you live if you're unsure.
Is my file uploaded anywhere?
No. Your browser reads the file and builds the preview on your device. Nothing from the file is sent to Custody Commander or anyone else, and nothing is saved when you close the page. Our analytics records only that a step of the tool was used (for example, "file read"), never the file name, the names in it or any message text. If you later import the file in the app, that's a separate step you choose.
What's the difference between this preview and the full log?
The preview shows the totals and the first 25 messages, watermarked PREVIEW. The full log in the app numbers every message, adds an index of participants with their message-number ranges, lists each source file with the SHA-256 recorded at import, fingerprints the whole log with SHA-256 and ends with a records declaration template for you to complete. It downloads as a page-numbered PDF. Importing is free; the final, unwatermarked log is a one-time $39, or included in a paid plan.
Why might times look different in the full PDF?
This preview shows times in your device's time zone. The full log lists times in UTC (Coordinated Universal Time), which can be several hours different from your phone's clock. Note that on any copy you hand to someone else.
Can I use messages from someone else's phone or account?
No. Use exports of conversations you sent or received, from your own devices and accounts. Accessing someone else's device or account without permission can be a crime. If you're unsure about a shared device or family account, talk to a licensed attorney before using it.
Will a court accept the message log?
No software can promise that. What a court accepts depends on your court's rules and how the evidence is presented. The log gives you a complete, numbered, dated record and a fingerprint that shows it hasn't changed. Check your court's rules, and consult a licensed attorney where you live about how to use it. See how to authenticate text messages for background.
General information, not legal advice. Custody Commander is self-help software, not a law firm.
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Your texts, every one numbered and dated.
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