Export Google Chat to PDF and Download All Conversations

Approved By Anuraag Singh

Published On February 20th, 2025

Reading Time 9 Minutes Reading

Category Google, PDF

If you or your organization uses the Google Chat application there is always a chance that you have to Export Google Chat to PDF format. Or it is is equally likely that like many other users you are also searching for ways to download Google Chat conversations for offline access or record-keeping.

Table of Contents

Export to PDF via Gmail
Copy-Paste in Doc
Take Screenshot & Save
Download via Google Takeout
Google Chat API
Get Chat History from Vault
Post-Export Steps
Conclusion
Frequently Asked Questions

If you have to backup Google Chat messages for an upcoming compliance audit or legal purpose (like a divorce case) you might be surprised to see that there isn’t any direct export mechanism. This limitation can lead to lots of confusion. However, not to worry we have a number of ways. Let’s get straight into the methods starting with the one involving Gmail.

Export Google Chat to PDF by Sending it to Gmail and Print

Open Google Chat.
Take your cursor to a message and click on three vertical dots (More actions) in the popup.
Then, select “Forward to Inbox” in the fly-out menu.
Go to your Gmail Inbox and open the mail with the subject “Fwd: Chat with recipient…”.
Then, click on the Printer icon at the top right corner.
This opens a new tab with a print preview screen on top.
In the destination tab, choose Save as PDF and hit Print.
Finally, use the Save window to browse for a location, name the file, and hit Save.

Copy-Paste Messages in Doc

Select All Chats.
Copy the conversations (Ctrl/Cmd + C).
Then, open Google Docs and paste the content (Ctrl/Cmd + V).
Click on File > Hover over Download > Select PDF document (.pdf).
Finally, browse for a location on your device, type a suitable name, and hit Save.

Take a Screenshot and Save Google Chat as a PDF

Take a Screenshot (On Windows): Use the Snipping Tool.
Open it and click on New.
Hold your cursor and select Google Chat.
Then, release the cursor.
In the image preview, go to File and select Print…
Then, inside the Printer options, choose Microsoft Print to PDF, and hit Print.
Inside the Save Print Output As window, enter a suitable name and click on Save.

This method allows you to easily print Google Chat messages so you can make hard copies of the conversations.

Use Google Takeout to Get Chat Data Out

Go to (https://takeout.google.com/) and deselect all default selections.
Then, scroll till you see the Chat option and mark the checkbox next to it.
Scroll down again and click on Next Step.
Choose the Destination, Frequency, File type & size.
There is also an option to break the export into multiple splits or 1, 2, 4, 10, or 50 GB size.
Then, click on Create Export.
Once the export finishes, it will appear in the preset destination; go there and download the Google Chat data. If you need to move this data to a different Google account, you can learn how to import Google Takeout data to a new account.

Download Google Chat Conversation History with Google Chat API + Python Script

Follow these steps:

Enable Google Chat API in the GCC.
Create a new Google Cloud project.
Then, configure App name, user support email, developer contact email) in the OAuth screen. Set the Google Chat export conversation consent as internal .
Create a service account within your project. Grant it a Chat API role with read-only permissions (e.g., roles/chat.viewer)
Make a JSON key for the service account and download it.

Then, install the necessary Python libraries:

pip install google-api-python-client google-auth google-auth-httplib2 google-auth-oauthlib

Set the GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS environment variable to the full path of your downloaded JSON key file.
Finally, use the provided Python script.

import google.auth
from googleapiclient.discovery import build
import json
import os
from datetime import datetime
# --- Configuration ---
os.environ["GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS"] = r"PATH/TO/YOUR/SERVICE_ACCOUNT_KEY.json"
START_DATE = "2025-01-20"
END_DATE = "2025-02-19"
OUTPUT_FILE = "chat_history.json"
# -----------------------
def download_chat_history(start_date_str, end_date_str, output_file):
    try:
        creds, _ = google.auth.default(scopes=['https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.messages.readonly','https://www.googleapis.com/auth/chat.spaces.readonly'])
        service = build('chat', 'v1', credentials=creds)
        start_date = datetime.strptime(start_date_str, "%Y-%m-%d")
        end_date = datetime.strptime(end_date_str, "%Y-%m-%d")
        all_messages = []
        next_page_token = None
        while True:
            spaces_response = service.spaces().list(pageSize=100, pageToken=next_page_token).execute()
            spaces = spaces_response.get('spaces', [])
            next_page_token = spaces_response.get('nextPageToken')
            if not spaces: break
            for space in spaces:
                space_name = space['name']
                space_next_page_token = None
                while True:
                    messages_response = service.spaces().messages().list(parent=space_name,pageSize=100,pageToken=space_next_page_token,filter=f'createTime >= "{start_date.isoformat()}Z" AND createTime <= "{end_date.isoformat()}Z"').execute()
                    messages = messages_response.get('messages', [])
                    space_next_page_token = messages_response.get('nextPageToken')
                    if messages:
                        for message in messages:
                            message['space'] = {'name': space_name, 'displayName': space.get('displayName', "No display name")}
                            all_messages.append(message)
                    if not space_next_page_token: break
            if not next_page_token: break
        with open(output_file, 'w', encoding='utf-8') as f:
            json.dump(all_messages, f, indent=4)
        print(f"Chat history saved to {output_file}")
    except Exception as e:
        print(f"An error occurred: {e}")
if __name__ == '__main__':
    download_chat_history(START_DATE, END_DATE, OUTPUT_FILE)

Note that this script gives you the chat data in raw JSON format. However, you can modify the script to change the file format, but it will add more complexity and complementary troubleshooting steps.
So once you have the JSON data and still want to save Google Chat as PDF, convert it in the required format with the help of a professional solution like SysTools Document Converter, you may also be intersted in way to save Gmail emails to PDF.

Use Google Vault to Export Google Chat History

Search for Chat Messages:

Login vault.google.com
Click on Matters > Create.
After the Search tab opens in your Matter select Chat under the Service option.
Then, choose your data scope:
- All data or Held data
Select the entity to search:
- Specific accounts: Enter email addresses (up to 5,000).
- Organizational unit: Choose a specific child organizational unit.
- Chat spaces: Search specific spaces by entering member email addresses, clicking Find, selecting spaces, and Add.
- (Optional) To include space messages when searching accounts or org units, check Include messages in Chat spaces.
- (Optional) Set a Date sent range.
- (Optional) In Terms, add search keywords or phrases. Use is:dm for direct messages or is:room for spaces.
Then, click Search to preview results or Export directly.

In the Export Box

Enter Name
Choose a specific data region or continue with default.
Pick a format: PST or MBOX (Note PDF is not available).
Then, click Export.

Download the Exported Google Chat History for Offline Access:

Switch to the Exports tab.
The green checkmark is an indication of a complete export, if you see it click Download.
Download the Google Chat data within 15 days of export completion.

Like in the Google API export here too you are not getting the desired end format. Therefore, if you ultimately need a PDF, you can later convert MBOX to PDF or convert PST to PDF without Outlook after the export.

What to do After you Export Google Chat as PDF?

Try out every method described in this text and use the one you find the most easy and convenient. Moreover, if you are an admin exporting out messages in bulk for all employees in your organization it is possible you may have to document other workloads too. Fortunately,
you need not repeat the manual maneuver rest of the data like Emails, contacts, calendars, etc as the SysTools G Suite Export tool can handle bulk export easily.

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This tool can export Google Workspace Email to PST as well all you have to do is follow these simple steps. Just get a copy, open, select endpoints, mark workloads, apply date filter, validate source and destination, map users, preview, select, prioritize, and validate start Export. You might also be interested in general strategies to backup Google Workspace emails.

Conclusion

So now users have a complete idea of how to export Google Chat to PDF in any situation, we gave them 4 distinct ways to make this task possible. In an organization, it is not just the chats that need to be saved and documented. Moreover, the methods outlined here work perfectly for Google Chats for other major workspace workloads you can use the professional export tool suggested in the content.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How to Add Google Chat in Gmail UI to Make the Export Process Easier?

A. Follow these steps:

Login to Gmail and click on the cog icon at the top right corner.
Click on See all settings
Then, go to the Chat and Meet tab
Finally, use the Chat section select Google Chat and Save Changes.

Your Browser should reload on its own after which you will see that a new chat icon is present at the leftmost bar.
There is also a green dot with the text “Active” next to the Gmail search bar indicating that you are online on Google Chat.

Q. Do Google Chat conversations count towards my Google Cloud storage Quota?
A. Yes, like every other Google app every bit of text, and files you share/keep on chat occupy some space in your overall Google Account storage. Therefore, you can reduce some of it by backing up the chats and deleting them from the cloud. If you’re experiencing storage issues even after deleting content, you may find this helpful: Gmail storage still full after deleting everything.

Q. Is Google Chat the same as the Google Messages app on my phone?
A. No, Google Chat and Google Messages are two entirely different applications.

Chat is for one-to-one/group conversations between people with Gmail accounts.
While, Messages make use of your mobile number to send and receive text, images, etc.

Q. Can I download a PDF directly from Google Chat?
A. Google Chat doesn’t offer a direct PDF download. However, this article outlines several methods to export your chats and convert them to PDF format.

Q. How do I print a Google Chat conversation ?
A. You can print a Google Chat conversation by forwarding it to your Gmail inbox and using the print function.