Reads the real export format
Works directly with the JSON structure Facebook's Download your information tool produces, including its mojibake text encoding for accented characters and emoji.
Private · runs in your browser
View your Messenger chat like the real app
Drop your Messenger export here
or click to choose a file — .json or .zip, any size
Drop the zip or message_1.json from Facebook's Download your information — read every message and photo in a familiar view, search it, then export a PDF.
Nothing is uploaded. Your chat is parsed entirely in your browser — it never touches a server.
Three steps, under a minute
- 1
Request your data
In Accounts Center, go to Your information and permissions → Download your information → Download or transfer information, select Facebook, choose "Some of your information" → Messages, and set format to JSON — HTML is not supported for Messenger.
- 2
Open the file here
Facebook emails you a zip. Drop the whole zip, or just the
message_1.jsonfor one conversation, into ChatViewer. Nothing leaves your device. - 3
Read, search, export
Browse the conversation, search every word, check the statistics, then export a PDF — free, unlimited, or court-ready with integrity hashes.
What you get
Photos inline
Photos saved in your export's media folders appear right inside the conversation, in the order they were sent.
Search that finds everything
Full-text search with highlighting, plus filtering by sender — useful for Messenger group chats.
Unlimited PDF
The $9 one-time Unlimited PDF exports every message with embedded photos and no watermark, however long the conversation.
Court-ready PDF
The $19 Court-ready PDF adds a cover page, sequential message numbers, Bates stamps, a SHA-256 hash of your export file and of the PDF, a verification page, and a prefilled certificate template for your jurisdiction.
Private by architecture
No account, no upload, no tracking of your messages. Once loaded, the page keeps working even offline.
Simple one-time pricing
Free
$0
- View any export with media, search and statistics
- PDF of the first 500 messages, small watermark
- No account, nothing uploaded
Unlimited PDF
$9 one-time
- Every message, no watermark
- Embedded photos
- Use on every export, forever
Court-ready PDF
$19 one-time
- Everything in Unlimited
- Cover page, message numbering, Bates stamps
- SHA-256 integrity hashes and verification page
- Prefilled certificate template for your country
Unlock keys are issued instantly after payment and work in any browser. Prices in USD; local currency shown at checkout.
What's inside a Messenger export
Facebook Messenger exports come from the same Accounts Center flow as Instagram: request Download your information, select Facebook, choose Messages, and pick JSON. Note that HTML format is not supported for Messenger — JSON is the only option, unlike some other Facebook data categories.
Inside the delivered zip, each conversation lives at your_facebook_activity/messages/inbox/<thread>/message_1.json, with longer threads split across message_2.json and beyond, plus a photos subfolder holding the actual media files.
Because Messenger and Instagram share the same export pipeline at Meta, the JSON has the same well-known quirk: text is stored in a double-encoded, mojibake-looking form, so accented letters, emoji and non-Latin scripts look broken if you open the raw file. The viewer decodes this automatically.
When you need the court-ready version
Messenger threads show up often in employment disputes, harassment complaints and family matters, and a handful of screenshots rarely satisfies a skeptical reader that nothing was left out. The Court-ready PDF produces the complete conversation with sequential numbering, Bates stamps, and a SHA-256 hash of both your original export and the finished PDF.
To be clear about the limits: this tool cannot certify that a court will accept the export — that depends on your jurisdiction's evidence rules and the rest of your case, and none of this is legal advice. The included certificate template still needs to be completed and signed by whoever actually downloaded the data.
Questions people ask
Is it private?
Yes. Your Messenger export is parsed entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded. You can disconnect from the internet after the page loads and it keeps working; close the tab and the file is gone.
How do I download my Messenger conversations?
Go to Accounts Center → Your information and permissions → Download your information → Download or transfer information, select Facebook, choose "Some of your information" → Messages, and set the format to JSON — HTML is not available for Messenger.
Why does my export text look garbled?
Facebook's JSON stores non-ASCII text in a double-encoded form that looks like mojibake if you open it raw — the same quirk as Instagram exports, since they share the same pipeline. The viewer decodes it automatically.
Can I upload the whole zip Facebook emailed me?
Yes, drop the zip and the viewer finds the message_1.json (and message_2.json, etc.) and media folders inside it automatically.
Does this work for Messenger group chats?
Yes, group threads work the same way, with per-sender filtering so you can isolate one participant's messages.
Can I export Messenger chats to PDF?
Yes — open your export here, click Export PDF, and choose a tier. See the Messenger chat to PDF page for the full comparison of Free, Unlimited and Court-ready.