How to export a whole text conversation with photos
On the iPhone you can save all the photos from a conversation by tapping the name at the top and opening Photos, but they arrive in your library without the messages around them or the time they were sent. To keep each photo in place, export the conversation on a Mac: the PDF shows every picture where it was sent, with its time and sender, and the original files are copied into the same folder.
Saving a thread’s photos on the iPhone
This keeps the pictures but not the context: which message they answered, who sent them and exactly when.
- Open the conversation and tap the name or picture at the top.
- Scroll to Photos and tap See All.
- Tap Select, choose the photos and tap Save.
Exporting the conversation with photos in place
TextExhibit places each image in the PDF at the point in the conversation where it was sent, with the file name, size and SHA-256 hash under it. Videos, voice messages and documents are listed the same way. Every original file is copied into the export folder, and manifest.txt lists them all with their hashes.
If an attachment is missing from the source, for example because the iPhone had offloaded it to iCloud to save space, the PDF says that the file is missing instead of quietly leaving it out.
What to keep in mind
- Live Photos and videos cannot play in a PDF; the PDF shows a still or a listing, and the file is in the folder.
- Very long threads with thousands of photos make large PDFs. Export a date range if you only need part of it. See exporting a date range.
Questions
Are the photos in the export full resolution?
The PDF shows them at a size that fits the page. The full original files are in the export folder next to the PDF.
Why are some photos missing from my export?
The source did not have them. With Optimize Storage or iCloud settings, older attachments may live only in iCloud until you open them on the iPhone. The PDF lists each missing file so you know.
Can I leave the photos out?
Yes. You can export the text only and still get a list of the attachments that were sent.
Export the whole conversation
TextExhibit turns a conversation into one PDF with exact times, names and numbers, photos in place and page numbers, on your Mac. Free to preview; $24.99 once to export.