Teams to PDF

How to save Microsoft Teams chat as PDF — step by step (+ easier way)

Microsoft Teams is the default communication tool for millions of organizations, but it has no built-in way to save a conversation as a PDF. Here is how to save Teams chats using the web app and browser print — and a method that captures just the messages without the Teams interface.

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Step by step

How to save Microsoft Teams chats as PDF

Three methods — all with significant limitations.

Method 1: Teams web app — browser print

  1. Open Microsoft Teams in your browser at teams.microsoft.com.
  2. Navigate to the chat or channel conversation you want to save.
  3. Scroll through the conversation to load all messages. Teams lazy-loads older messages, so scroll up until all desired messages are visible.
  4. Press Ctrl+P (Cmd+P on Mac) to open the browser print dialog.
  5. Set the Destination to "Save as PDF."
  6. Expand "More settings" and uncheck "Headers and footers" to remove URL and date stamps.
  7. Click Save. Note: This captures the full Teams web UI including the left sidebar, chat list, header bar, message compose box, and all interface elements.

Method 2: Open in browser from desktop app

  1. If you use the Teams desktop app, note that it has no built-in print or export function at all.
  2. Open the conversation you want in the desktop app.
  3. Click the three-dot menu (...) on a message, then look for "Open in browser" or navigate to teams.microsoft.com directly.
  4. Once in the browser, follow Method 1 above (Ctrl+P > Save as PDF).
  5. The desktop app is intentionally designed without print capabilities — Microsoft assumes you will use other tools for document archival.

Method 3: Compliance export (admin only)

  1. You must be a Microsoft 365 administrator with access to the Compliance Center.
  2. Go to compliance.microsoft.com > eDiscovery or Content Search.
  3. Create a new search targeting Teams chat messages, specifying users and date ranges.
  4. Run the search and export the results.
  5. The export produces HTML or EML files, not formatted PDFs. You would need to convert these separately.
  6. This method is designed for legal and compliance use cases, not for everyday document archival.
Limitations

Why saving Teams chats as PDF is so frustrating

Microsoft Teams was not designed with PDF export in mind.

No native PDF export

Microsoft Teams has no built-in option to save any conversation — 1:1 chat, group chat, or channel message — as a PDF. There is no export menu, no print function in the desktop app, and no document generation capability.

Desktop app has no print function

The Teams desktop app has no print capability whatsoever. You cannot press Ctrl+P, there is no print option in any menu, and there is no export function. To print anything, you must open the conversation in a web browser.

Browser print captures the full interface

Using Ctrl+P on the Teams web app captures the entire interface — left navigation panel, chat list, conversation header, message compose box, reaction buttons, and read receipts — alongside the actual messages.

Compliance export is admin-only

The only official Microsoft-supported export method requires Microsoft 365 admin access, the Compliance Center, and eDiscovery tools. Regular users have no export capability, and the output is HTML/EML, not PDF.

Threaded replies add visual noise

Teams conversations include threaded replies, emoji reactions, read receipts, and meeting join/leave notifications. Browser print captures all of this visual noise, making the PDF harder to read than the actual conversation.

The easier way

Save Teams conversations as clean PDFs

Just the messages. No sidebar. No compose box. No UI clutter.

1

Open the conversation in Teams web

Navigate to the chat or channel you want to save at teams.microsoft.com. Make sure all the messages you want are loaded by scrolling up.

2

Click the Pretty PDF extension icon

The extension extracts just the message content from the Teams web view — removing the sidebar, chat list, compose box, and all interface elements.

3

Choose a template and generate

Pick from five professional templates and click Generate PDF. Your Teams conversation becomes a clean, readable document.

Teams Export vs Pretty PDF

Feature Microsoft Teams Pretty PDF
PDF export None built-in One-click PDF
Desktop app print Not available Use Teams web + extension
Content extraction Full UI in print Messages only
Admin required Compliance export: yes Any user
Templates None 5 professional templates

Frequently asked questions

Teams does not have a native PDF export. Open the conversation in Teams web (teams.microsoft.com), then use browser print or Pretty PDF. Pretty PDF extracts just the messages without the Teams interface.
The Teams desktop app has no print function. Open the conversation in the Teams web app instead (teams.microsoft.com in your browser), then use Ctrl+P or Pretty PDF.
Yes. Microsoft 365 admins can use eDiscovery or Content Search to export Teams messages. However, this produces HTML or JSON files, not formatted PDFs, and requires admin permissions.
Yes. Pretty PDF captures whatever is visible in the Teams web app — 1:1 chats, group chats, and channel conversations. Open the conversation you want, then use the extension.

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Save Teams conversations as clean PDFs

Free — 3 PDFs per month. No credit card required.

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