How to Export Google Chat to PDF & Download Full History
People use Google Chat for everything from casual conversations with their friends to deep discussions with colleagues. So when a request like how to export Google Chat to PDF comes around, it must be taken seriously.
To address those same user issues, I have made this practical guide that anyone can follow. Here, I have compiled a comprehensive list of self-tested methods that can be used to save Google Chat history offline. Moreover, you will also find the pros and cons of all methods. Let us start our discussion with the series of steps that involve Gmail’s print feature.
Save Google Chats as PDF By Forwarding to Gmail
Step 1. Open Google Chat. Hover over any message.
Step 2. A bubble appears on top; click on the 3 vertical dots to reveal more actions.
Step 3. This launches a flyout menu; there, click on Forward to inbox.
Step 4. Wait for a few seconds; a small black bubble will appear at the bottom left corner, indicating that the process is complete.
Step 5. Log in to Gmail, check your inbox, and open the latest mail with the subject “Fwd: Chat with…”
Step 6. Once the message opens, click on the small printer (print all) icon (don’t press Ctrl + P here; this triggers the single-page browser print screen we don’t want that).
Step 7. A new tab opens on your browser: Adjust main settings, destination pages, layout, and more settings like paper size, pages per sheet, margins, and scale options.
Step 8. Once you are satisfied with what you see, press Save.
Pros:
- Export Google Chat to PDF using only Google apps.
- High customizability for the PDF.
- Attachments will be forwarded.
Cons:
- Only the last 5 messages will get forwarded regardless of who sends them.
- So if you want to print the entire conversation, you will have to repeat the process many times over.
- The strict 5-message limit is independent of the individual message size, so you will only forward five messages, whether it is 1 character or 11999 characters long (the maximum number of characters allowed in a single Google Chat message).
Copy and Paste the Google Chat Text in Docs and Save as a PDF
Step 1. Log in to your account & open the Google Chat history of the conversation you want to download as a PDF.
Step 2. Select the first message.
Step 3. Scroll to top. (Pro tip: Use the Up arrow key to scroll instead of the mouse wheel.)
Step 3.1 If you are about to export a Google Chat to PDF that is particularly large (i.e., years long), scrolling may not be viable. What you can do instead is press Ctrl + A. This will select all the text that is on the page, which includes unwanted non-chat data like side menu names. So remember to remove them.
Step 4. Press Ctrl + C.
Step 5. Open a new Google Doc.
Step 6. Press Ctrl + V.
Step 7. Press Ctrl + P.
Step 8. In the print window, choose destination Save as PDF/Microsoft Print as PDF > Press Save.
Step 9. Choose a destination > Rename the file > Save.
Pros:
- Can get the entire chat history.
- No tools or training required.
- Can be done entirely within the free tier of Google Workspace apps.
Cons:
- Loses Meta Data.
- Only one chat at a time.
- Chance of human errors for longer texts.
- Does not include attachments or events.
See How I Save Google Chat as a PDF by Taking a Screenshot
I used the Windows Snipping Tool; you can use any other screenshot tool or built-in method; the process remains largely the same.
Step 1. Launch Windows Snipping Tool > Click New > Hold the cursor and select the chat area > Release the cursor.
Step 2. A new window with the image you just took appears on the screen. > Press Ctrl + P.
Step 3. On the print window, under Select Printer, choose Microsoft Print to PDF > Print.
Step 4. Use the Save Print Output As window to browse for a location, type a suitable name, and press Save to export Google Chat to PDF.
With this screenshot method, you can save multiple chat histories together. Let’s see how.
Step 1. Load any conversation.
Step 2. Take your cursor towards the top part of your screen and click on the “Open in a pop-up” button.
Step 3. Take your cursor to the top boundary of this pop-up and stretch it to the maximum height.
Step 4. Repeat for different chats, then continue with the same screenshot method.
Pros:
- Quick and universally applicable.
- One of the few methods that can download more than one chat at the same time.
Cons:
- Only a fraction of the entire chat gets exported to PDF at a time.
- All metadata is lost.
- No attachments are saved.
Browser Print Option to Export Google Chat Data as PDF
Step 1. Click on the hamburger menu icon to hide the main menu and the bottom right arrow to hide the side panel.
Step 2. Zoom out a bit to cover more chat messages > right-click anywhere on the screen > choose Print.
Step 3. A new tab opens on your browser: Adjust main settings, destination pages, layout, and more settings like paper size, pages per sheet, margins, and scale options > Hit Save.
Pros:
- Don’t need to leave the Google Chat platform
- Straightforward and nontechnical.
- Can get multiple chat data exported as PDF
Cons:
- Large chats require multiple attempts to get the full data
- Chance of missing data due to human error
- Attachments must be downloaded separately.
Google Chat Desktop App
Step 1. Open Google Chat in a browser.
Step 2. In the URL field, you should see a download app button. Use it to install Google Chat on your PC.
Step 3. Then use screenshots or press ctrl + P to get the chat data in PDF.
Pros:
- Provides a quicker way to launch the Google Chat app for the next time you require it.
Cons:
- Must have Google Chrome installed on your PC.
- Does not transform the entire chat at once.
Mobile Users can Transform Google Chat to PDF in This Way
Step 1. Open Google Chat conversation > Take SS
Step 2. Open Google Photos.
Step 3. Tap on 3 dots at the top right.
Step 4. Side scroll till you see the print option and tap on it.
Step 5. Choose the Save as PDF option from the dropdown.
Step 7. Tap Print
Step 8. Browse for a location and Save.
For iOS users, the Steps are largely the same.
Pros:
- Works on handheld devices
Cons:
- Slow for large chats.
For some reason, neither a short tap nor a long press could select the text for copy-pasting. (I have an Android, so I could not test for iOS.)
Use Google Takeout to Save Chat Data As a PDF File
Step 1. Go to https://takeout.google.com/.
Step 2. Deselect All.
Step 3. Press Ctrl + F, type Chat, and press Enter.
Step 4. Mark the box next to Google Chat.
Step 5. Scroll to the bottom and click on Next Step.
Step 6. Choose the Destination > Frequency > File type & size > Click on Create export.
Step 7. Once the export is ready, you will receive an email; you can go and check the destination you selected; there, you should find a zip file.
Step 8. Download > Unzip
Step 9. Use the best document conversion software to convert the JSON files to PDF. (Repeat Steps 8 and 9 for every other zip file.)
Pros:
- Gets the complete chat data at once, including the attachments.
- Official process to get data out of Google apps like Google Chat.
- Free to use.
Cons:
- It may take a long time, depending on how much data is in your chats.
- No option to filter which chat data you download; it’s all or nothing.
- May fail in between without warning.
- You can only attempt 2 takeouts per day and not more than 7 per week.
- Google Chat data is not exported in PDF; you must convert it.
Admin-Level Options to Export Google Chat Data in PDF
Use Google’s Data Export option to extract the chat data. Think of it as an enterprise-level takeout. So you also face the same issues, i.e., the chat data won’t be in the PDF format but you will need to convert it.
If your organization has purchased a Google Vault license, then you can study this guide to get Google Vault data in PDF.
Both these admin-only methods have similar positive and negative aspects.
Pros:
- Gets the entire chat data of every user in your organization.
- Has extensive search/pre-export filtration facilities for getting precise Google Chat data.
Cons:
- No direct PDF export in Vault; you must convert MBOX to PDF or PST to PDF.
- The export must be downloaded within 15 days; otherwise, the download link expires.
- You must have admin privileges.
Do this After You Export Google Chat to PDF
If you are an organization, it is rare that you only export data inside one Google application. For the chat, you may use any of the methods we have described here. However, for the rest of the workloads, like emails, contacts, calendars, and Google Drive, use the SysTools Google Workspace Export software.
This is entirely GUI-based and can transform the user data on the cloud in multiple formats, including PDF. Try the demo today.
Conclusion
Here, I taught you the various means you can use to export Google Chat to PDF, and that too on different platforms. You can forward your chats to Gmail and print, right-click, and use the browser’s print function, or take a screenshot and print that image. Moreover, you can also copy the entire conversation and paste it into a Google Doc to save as a PDF.
There is also Google Takeout, which allows the export, although you will have to convert the resultant file to PDF. Admins can use the Data Export tool/enable Takeout for all users in the entire organization or use the Google Vault app. All these methods work perfectly for obtaining a copy of Google Chats, but for other workloads, such as email, contacts, calendar, and documents, use the professional utility instead.