How to Export Telegram Chat on Phone (Android and iPhone)

You can't export a Telegram chat from the Android or iPhone app. The "Export chat history" option only exists in Telegram Desktop for Windows, macOS and Linux. Install it on any computer, log in by scanning a QR code with your phone, open the chat, choose ⋮ → Export chat history, pick JSON, and convert result.json into a readable PDF.

This is the most common Telegram question I see, usually phrased as "why can't I see Export chat history?" The menu really isn't there on mobile: not in the Android app, not on iPhone. So below are the options that actually work when you start from a phone, including a borrowed computer, with an honest note on what each one gives you.

Your options when you only have a phone

The only route that gives you the whole conversation as a file is Telegram Desktop. Everything else is a workaround for a few messages.

Option 1: use Telegram Desktop on any computer

You don't need your own computer for long. A family member's laptop, a work PC or a library machine will do, as long as you can install an app or use a portable copy.

1. 1

   Install Telegram Desktop

   Download it from desktop.telegram.org. On a Mac, make sure you have the app called Telegram Desktop. The separate native macOS app named just "Telegram" may not show the export option. If you can't find it there, install Telegram Desktop instead.

2. 2

   Log in with your phone

   Telegram Desktop shows a QR code. On your phone, open Settings → Devices → Link Desktop Device and scan it. You don't need to type a password unless you've set up two-step verification.

3. 3

   Open the chat and choose Export chat history

   Open the conversation, click the ⋮ menu at the top right and choose Export chat history. The same option exists for private chats and groups.

4. 4

   Pick what to include and the format

   Tick the media you want (photos, videos, voice messages, files and so on) and set a size limit if the chat is media-heavy. For Format, choose Machine-readable JSON. HTML also works, but JSON converts more reliably. You can also set a date range.

5. 5

   Export and find the folder

   Click Export. Telegram saves a folder named like ChatExport_2026-10-09, by default under Downloads → Telegram Desktop. It contains result.json plus folders such as photos and voice_messages if you included them.

6. 6

   Log the computer out if it isn't yours

   When you're done, go to Settings → Devices on your phone and terminate that session. Delete the export folder from the borrowed computer after you've copied it somewhere safe.

Option 2: Telegram Web and browser extensions

Telegram Web (web.telegram.org) runs on a computer or a phone browser, but it has no Export chat history option. You'll find browser extensions that claim to export from Telegram Web. They're third-party tools that work inside your logged-in Telegram session, which means they can see your chats. I'd only use one after checking who makes it, what it collects, and its recent reviews. Telegram Desktop is free, official and does the job better, so I'd always try that first.

Option 3: stay on the phone (short chats only)

If you only need a few messages and have no computer at all:

• Copy text: long-press a message, tap Select (or select several), then Copy, and paste into a notes app or email. You get the text, without names or dates in a reliable format.
• Screenshots: quick and faithful to what you saw, but impractical past a screen or two, and easy to crop out the date.
• Forward to Saved Messages: keeps the messages in your Telegram cloud, which helps if the other person deletes the chat, but it's still inside Telegram rather than a file you own. I explain the difference in my Telegram chat backup guide.

Turn the export into a readable PDF

result.json is complete but not something you'd want to read: it's raw data. To get a document:

1. For text only, upload result.json on its own.
2. For photos and voice notes, zip the whole ChatExport folder and upload the ZIP. The media is placed with the messages it belongs to.
3. Check the free preview, pick a style (chat bubbles, Clean Document, Formal / Legal with numbered entries, or Book), and download.

If you exported HTML instead, upload the zipped folder. Telegram splits HTML exports into pages of 1,000 messages (messages.html, messages2.html…), and a single messages.html only covers its own page.

The Telegram chat to PDF converter explains what ends up in the PDF: senders, dates, replies, forwards, edits, and every page numbered "Page X of Y". Pricing is the same as for WhatsApp: $7 for text-only chats up to 5,000 messages, $14 up to 25,000 with photos, $29 with no message cap, and $49 if you want voice messages transcribed. Each paid plan includes Excel and CSV, uploads are deleted within 7 days, and there's a 7-day money-back guarantee.

What can't be exported

• Secret chats. They exist only on the devices where they were started and aren't available in Telegram Desktop, so there's nothing to export.
• Chats with saving restricted. Some groups and channels turn on content protection, and Telegram may refuse to export them.
• Deleted messages. If a message was deleted for everyone, it's gone from the export too.
• One conversation per upload. If you export your whole account, ChatToPDF converts the largest chat and tells you how to get a different one. Export the single chat you need instead.

Related guides

• Telegram chat backup: what Telegram's cloud keeps and why an offline copy still matters.
• Moving on from Instagram too? Here's how to download Instagram messages.
• Exporting text messages instead? See how to print text messages from Android.

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