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How to turn text messages into a court exhibit

Updated November 8, 2026

People often bring screenshots. Screenshots tend to leave out dates, phone numbers and the messages around the ones that matter, and they are easy to dispute. A complete, dated, page-numbered copy of the conversation, plus a record of where it came from, is easier for everyone to read and check.

This page is general information, not legal advice. Courts set their own rules for exhibits, redaction and authentication, and they differ from place to place. Check your court's local rules or ask the clerk or an attorney.

1. Preserve the original

Do not delete the conversation, and do not reset or trade in the phone. Export the messages to a file (see below) and keep that file unchanged. Write down when and how you made it. Keep a record of the file’s SHA-256 hash; our PDF prints it on the last page.

2. Export the whole conversation

3. Choose what is relevant, but keep the context

Narrow the exhibit to the conversations and dates that matter, but be careful about leaving out messages in between: the other side may say the selection is misleading. Including both sides of the conversation is usually wise. Our source log lists every filter you used and how many messages each one left out, so the selection is transparent.

4. Make it readable and checkable

  • Messages in chronological order, with the date and time of each, and the time zone where it is known.
  • Who sent each message, with names and phone numbers listed once in a participants index.
  • Numbered messages (#1, #2…) so a witness or the judge can point to one quickly.
  • Attachments named where the photo or file itself is not shown.

5. Label it

Courts and lawyers identify exhibits by a label such as “Exhibit A” or “Exhibit 12”. Some courts have conventions (for example, letters for one side and numbers for the other), and some require a specific exhibit cover sheet or sticker. Check before you print. A cover sheet with the court, case caption, case number and exhibit label makes the document easy to identify.

6. Number the pages

Use “page x of y” so a missing page is obvious, and consider Bates numbers, unique page IDs such as DOE000001, if documents are being exchanged with the other side or the case already uses them.

7. Redact what the rules require

Filings often must not show full Social Security numbers, financial account numbers, birth dates or minors’ names. In US federal courts, Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 5.2 limits these to the last four digits, the birth year and a minor’s initials, unless the court orders otherwise; state courts have their own rules. Removing other people’s phone numbers is also common courtesy. See how to redact text message exhibits.

8. Be ready to explain where it came from

Evidence generally has to be shown to be what it claims to be. In US federal courts that is Federal Rule of Evidence 901, often met by testimony from someone who knows how the messages were saved. Rule 902(14) also allows data copied from a device to be authenticated with a process of digital identification, such as matching hash values, backed by a certification from a qualified person. Our PDF is a formatted copy, not that certification. Keep the phone and the original export available in case they are requested.

9. Follow the filing and service rules

How many copies, whether exhibits are filed or only brought to the hearing, file-size limits for e-filing, and deadlines for exchanging exhibits with the other side all vary. The clerk’s office or the court’s self-help center can tell you what applies.

Quick checklist

  • Original kept unchanged, with its SHA-256 hash recorded
  • Whole conversation exported; selection explained
  • Chronological, dated, with senders identified
  • Cover sheet and exhibit label
  • Page x of y and, if used in the case, Bates numbers
  • Required redactions made and checked
  • Court’s exhibit and filing rules confirmed

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

Make an exhibit PDF