Reads signal-export's format
Works directly with the markdown or plain-text files that the open-source signal-export tool produces from Signal Desktop's local database.
Private · runs in your browser
View your Signal export like the real app
Drop your Signal export here
or click to choose a file — .md, .txt or .zip, any size
Signal has no built-in export, so drop the .md or .txt file produced by signal-export — read every message and attachment 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
Export with signal-export
On the computer running Signal Desktop, install the open-source tool with
pipx install signal-export, then runsigexport ~/signal-chats. It reads Signal Desktop's local database and writes one markdown or text file per conversation, plus a media folder. Android users need signalbackup-tools to decrypt a .backup file first. - 2
Open the file here
Drop the .md or .txt file, or the whole export folder zipped with its media. 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
Attachments inline
Photos and other media saved in your export's media folder 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 Signal 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 Signal export
Signal deliberately has no in-app export feature — its whole design is built around not making conversation history easy to lift off the device. The community tool signal-export (open source, github.com/carderne/signal-export) works around that by reading Signal Desktop's local, decrypted database directly on your own machine: install it with pipx install signal-export, then run sigexport ~/signal-chats to get one markdown (or plain-text) file per conversation, with a matching media folder for attachments.
A quirk worth knowing: timestamps in the markdown file are recorded in the local time of the machine that ran the export, not UTC — worth noting if the export was run on a different computer or timezone than the one where the messages were originally received, since that affects the exact times shown.
Signal on Android stores its chat history in an encrypted .backup file rather than a plain database, so Android users need signalbackup-tools to decrypt it first before signal-export (or a similar tool) can read it.
When you need the court-ready version
Because Signal is often chosen specifically for sensitive conversations, exports from it show up in harassment, whistleblower and family-law matters more than you'd guess. 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, so its integrity can be checked later by anyone.
Being upfront 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 this is not legal advice. The included certificate template still needs to be completed and signed by whoever actually ran the export, and it's worth noting on the record which timezone the export's timestamps use.
Questions people ask
Is it private?
Yes. Your Signal 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 export a Signal conversation? There's no export button.
Signal has no built-in export. Use the open-source tool signal-export: install it with pipx install signal-export, then run sigexport ~/signal-chats on the computer running Signal Desktop. It writes a markdown or text file per conversation.
Can I export Signal chats from Android?
Android stores Signal history in an encrypted .backup file. You first need signalbackup-tools to decrypt it, then a tool like signal-export can read the result. It's more involved than the desktop route.
Why do the timestamps look off by a few hours?
signal-export records timestamps in the local time of the machine that ran the export, not UTC. If the export was run in a different timezone than where the messages were received, times will be shifted accordingly.
Does this work for Signal group chats?
Yes, group threads work the same way, with per-sender filtering so you can isolate one participant's messages.
Can I export Signal chats to PDF?
Yes — open your export here, click Export PDF, and choose a tier. See the Signal chat to PDF page for the full comparison of Free, Unlimited and Court-ready.