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Convert an SMS Backup & Restore XML file to PDF

Updated November 8, 2026

An SMS Backup & Restore file is built for restoring messages to a phone, not for reading. Opened in a text editor it is a wall of markup; opened in a browser it may show raw code or an error. Here is how to turn it into a readable PDF, and which option fits which job.

Three ways to read the backup

Option	Good for	Limits
The app’s own print feature (Menu › Print from backups, in recent versions)	A quick printout or PDF straight from the phone	No cover sheet, Bates numbers or file hash
SyncTech’s online viewer	Browsing a backup on a computer; it also works inside the browser	SyncTech notes it can struggle with very large backups full of pictures
This tool	An exhibit: chosen conversations and dates, participants index, message numbers, Bates numbers, page x of y, redaction and a SHA-256 source log	Pictures are listed by name, type and size rather than shown

Steps

Open the tool. Go to the exhibit tool in a desktop or mobile browser.
Choose the backup. Choose or drop your sms-….xml file. The tool reads it on your device and shows its size, message count and SHA-256 hash.
Pick conversations and dates. Tick the conversations you need, set the date range, and pick the time zone the messages should be shown in.
Name people. Type the phone owner’s name so sent messages show it instead of “Device owner”. You can relabel unknown numbers; the index keeps the original.
Redact if needed. Optionally mask phone numbers, remove email addresses or list words to redact.
Fill in the cover sheet. Add the court, case caption, case number, exhibit label, Bates prefix and start number.
Create and check the PDF. Create the PDF, open it, and read it through before you use it.

How times and time zones work

The backup stores each message time as an exact moment in UTC. That is good news: nothing is lost, and the same message can be shown correctly in any time zone. The tool uses your computer’s time zone by default; if the messages were sent somewhere else, pick that zone. Each time in the PDF carries the zone abbreviation, so a reader can tell 9:15 PM EST from 9:15 PM EDT around daylight-saving changes.

Group texts, pictures and drafts

Group messages appear as their own conversation listing everyone in it. Each message shows who sent it.
Picture and video messages keep their text; the attachments are listed by file name, type and approximate size. If the backup was made without media, the PDF says so.
Drafts and unsent messages are left out by default because they were never delivered. If you include them, each one is labeled (for example “Draft (not sent)”), and the source log records the choice.

Very large backups

Backups with years of picture messages can be several gigabytes. The tool reads the file in small pieces and skips the picture data as it goes, so memory use stays low, and it computes the SHA-256 hash in the same pass. A desktop browser handles large files best.

If the file will not load

Make sure it is the messages file (sms-….xml), not calls-….xml.
Wait until copying has finished; a partly copied file ends in the middle of a message, and the tool will warn you.
If the backup was zipped, unzip it first and choose the .xml inside.

Haven’t made the backup yet? Export your Android texts first.

Turn your export into a dated, Bates-numbered PDF in your browser. Free; your files are not uploaded.

Make an exhibit PDF