How to print text messages for court from screenshots
- Take screenshots of the whole conversation on your phone. Scroll from the oldest message to the newest and let each screenshot overlap the previous one a little, so nothing is skipped. On iPhone, drag any bubble to the left to reveal the exact time of each message before you screenshot.
- Upload them here, all at once, in order. Enter your name and the other person's name, and the date you took the screenshots so relative dates like "Yesterday" resolve correctly.
- Review the transcript. Every message is listed with who sent it, the date and the time. Tap any line to see the screenshot it came from and fix anything the reader got wrong. Lines that were partially visible are flagged for you to check.
- Build the PDF. You get a cover sheet, a numbered chronological transcript, every original screenshot as a labelled exhibit, and a method statement describing how the document was prepared. Save it or send it straight to your lawyer.
Can screenshots of text messages be used in court?
In most family, small-claims and civil matters, yes. Screenshots are the most common form of text-message evidence for people representing themselves. What the court needs is a way to be satisfied that the messages are what you say they are, which usually means you testify that you took the screenshots from your own phone and that they have not been altered. A clean, numbered transcript with the original screenshots attached makes that far easier for a judge to follow than a stack of loose images. Read our guide on whether screenshots hold up in court.
Court Texts organises and presents the screenshots you supply. It does not verify their origin or integrity and it is not a forensic extraction from a device. If your case turns on proving a message was not altered, ask your lawyer about a device export or a forensic report.
What you get for $19
- Cover sheet with the parties, date range, message count and preparation date.
- Numbered transcript in chronological order, each line referencing its source exhibit.
- Every original screenshot reproduced as a labelled exhibit (A-1, A-2, …).
- Method statement explaining how the transcript was prepared.
- Page numbers and a footer on every page. Letter size, ready to print or file.
The first six screenshots are read free so you can see the quality before paying. Larger conversations, up to 200 screenshots per transcript, unlock with the export. Files are deleted from our servers within 24 hours and are never used to train anything.