FAQ

Find answers to common questions about TextExhibit.

General Questions link

What is TextExhibit? link

TextExhibit is a desktop and Android application that converts text messages from Android and iPhone devices into professionally formatted, court-ready PDF documents. It’s used by attorneys, paralegals, and anyone who needs to convert text message evidence into professional PDF documents.

Do I have to be a paralegal to use TextExhibit? link

No, you do not need any legal training to use TextExhibit. If you are a client and your attorney has requested that you provide text messages, you can download our free trial and send them the output to evaluate. Even if your attorney/paralegal are not ready to purchase new software, you can still buy a license on your own as using it to convert your text messages into court-ready PDFs will likely save far more in time billed for your case than what we charge for our software.

What platforms does TextExhibit support? link

TextExhibit runs on:

• Android phones
• Windows 10 and Windows 11
• macOS 10.15 (Catalina) and later

Is my data sent to any servers? link

No. TextExhibit processes all data locally on your computer or phone. Your text messages never leave your machine. See our Privacy Policy for more details.

Backup Format Questions link

What Android backup format does TextExhibit support? link

Our Android App runs directly on your phone and completely eliminates the need to create a backup and transfer it to a desktop computer.

TextExhibit’s desktop app supports XML backups created by the SMS Backup & Restore app, available free on the Google Play Store. The backup files are typically named sms-YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.xml and mms-YYYYMMDDHHMMSS.xml.

What iPhone backup format does TextExhibit support? link

TextExhibit supports two iPhone formats:

1. Full Apple Devices/Finder backups - Standard backup directories created on Windows (via Apple Devices) or Mac (via Finder). Both encrypted and unencrypted backups are supported.
2. .textexhibit files - Created by your client using TextExhibit Extractor. This packages only the selected conversations into a single, easy-to-transfer file.

Can TextExhibit read encrypted iPhone backups? link

Yes, but you will need the backup password. TextExhibit will prompt you to enter the password when you select an encrypted backup. If you don’t know the password, ask your client or create a new unencrypted backup.

Does TextExhibit support WhatsApp or other messaging apps? link

Currently, TextExhibit only supports native SMS/MMS messages. WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and other third-party messaging apps are not supported at this time.

Output & Features Questions link

What is Bates numbering? link

Bates numbering is a method of indexing legal documents for easy identification and retrieval. Each page receives a unique sequential identifier (e.g., DOC-000001, DOC-000002). TextExhibit can automatically add Bates numbers to every page of your output PDFs.

What is the hash verification report? link

The verification report documents the integrity of your source files and output PDFs using cryptographic hashes (SHA256 and MD5). This provides chain of custody documentation showing that the files have not been tampered with.

How are large conversations handled? link

Conversations with more than 100 messages are automatically split into monthly PDFs for easier navigation. Each PDF covers one calendar month of messages.

Can I filter messages by date? link

Yes. TextExhibit includes date range filters so you can include only messages from a specific time period relevant to your case.

What happens to images and videos in messages? link

MMS attachments (images, videos, audio) are extracted and saved to a media folder. The PDFs reference these files so you can view them alongside the message content.

The blue link to view the full-size photo isn’t working in my exported PDFs. Is this a trial limitation? link

No — this is unrelated to the trial. It’s a limitation of the PDF viewer you’re using. The exported PDFs link to image files saved next to the PDF (in an images subfolder), and not every PDF viewer follows clickable links to local files.

Viewers that handle these links well:

• Google Chrome (Windows and Mac)
• Foxit PDF Reader (Windows and Mac)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader (Windows and Mac)

Viewers that commonly don’t follow the link:

• macOS Preview — the built-in Mac viewer does not open links to external local files
• Microsoft Edge’s built-in PDF viewer — blocks local file links for security
• Mobile PDF viewers on iPhone and Android (Files / Books / Quick Look on iOS, Google Drive viewer and most default Android viewers) — they generally cannot open links to other local files

You can always view the full-size images directly: open the folder containing your exported PDFs. You’ll see an images subfolder with every extracted photo and video at full resolution. This works under the free trial as well.

Android-Specific Questions link

Some text messages are missing from my Android export. Why? link

The most common cause is RCS messages — Google’s “chat features,” the upgraded protocol used by default in Google Messages and Samsung Messages. RCS messages are stored inside your messaging app’s own private storage, not in the shared SMS/MMS database that Android makes available to other apps. For privacy and security reasons, Android does not allow any third-party app to read RCS messages, so this affects every SMS export and backup tool — not just TextExhibit.

This usually shows up in one of two ways:

• A single recent message is missing — often one that was just a link or had a link preview, which are frequently sent as RCS.
• A large chunk of older history is missing — for example, the export only goes back to a certain date even though the conversation in your messaging app goes back further. This typically happens after getting a new phone, reinstalling your messaging app, or switching messaging apps: your older chats are restored inside the messaging app, but were never written back into the shared database that export tools read.

In both cases the messages are still visible inside your messaging app (which reads its own private storage), but they are invisible to TextExhibit and every other third-party tool.

What you can do:

• For a few missing messages: take a screenshot of each one in your messaging app and include the screenshots alongside your exported PDFs as supplemental exhibits.
• For large amounts of missing history: unfortunately there is no reliable way to extract older RCS messages from a messaging app’s private storage. This is an Android limitation that no export tool can work around.
• Turning off RCS / “chat features” will not bring back past messages — it only changes how future messages are sent.

If you’re not sure whether RCS is the cause, contact support and we can help you confirm.

I tried to open an exported video on Android and got a “Problem with this file” message. How do I play the video? link

This is an issue with Android, not our app. We recommend downloading the VLC app which does not have any problems playing all exported video formats.

How do I get the device serial number for Android? link

Android apps cannot access the device serial number for security reasons. If you need this information in your PDF footer, ask your client to:

1. Open Settings > About Phone
2. Find and copy the Device name and Serial number
3. If they are using our Android app, they can paste this into the Serial number box. Otherwise, they may send this information to you via email

My client’s backup file is very large. What should I do? link

Large backup files (over 25MB) may be difficult to email. Ask your client to upload the file to a private client upload folder via SharePoint or to a cloud storage service like Google Drive or Dropbox and share the link with you.

iPhone-Specific Questions link

What is TextExhibit Extractor? link

TextExhibit Extractor is a free companion tool that your clients can use to create .textexhibit files. It extracts only the specific conversations they choose from their iPhone backup, packaging them into a single file that’s easy to transfer to you. See the iPhone Backup Instructions for details.

Where are full iPhone backups stored? link

If working with full iPhone backups (instead of .textexhibit files):

• Windows: C:\Users\[Username]\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\
• Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/

My client forgot their backup password. What can they do? link

If your client doesn’t remember their backup password, they can create a new unencrypted backup. In the Apple Devices app (Windows) or Finder (Mac), uncheck the “Encrypt local backup” option before creating a new backup.

Can I read a backup from iCloud? link

No. TextExhibit only supports local backups. iCloud backups cannot be accessed directly. Ask your client to create a local backup on their computer and use TextExhibit Extractor to create a .textexhibit file.

Licensing Questions link

Is there a trial? link

Yes. TextExhibit runs in trial mode with watermarks on output PDFs and some text messages redacted. This allows you to fully evaluate the software before purchasing.

How do I activate my license? link

After purchasing, go to Help > Activate License in TextExhibit, enter your license key, and click Activate. See the Purchase page for detailed instructions.

Can I use my license on multiple computers? link

No. Each license is valid for a single computer. You may deactivate your license on one computer and then reactivate on another. Contact support if you need help to transfer your license to a different computer or inquire about volume licensing.

Are the desktop and Android licenses the same? link

No. The desktop app (Windows & Mac) and the Android app have separate licenses. Purchasing a desktop license does not unlock the Android app, and unlocking the Android app via in-app purchase does not grant you a desktop license. Each must be purchased independently.

Still Have Questions? link

If you didn’t find your answer here, please contact support.