Turn your Messenger history into a keepsake you read together.
Messenger's end-to-end encrypted chats keep their history in a "message storage" download rather than a simple export button — a little more involved than WhatsApp, but it gets you the same thing: the full record of a conversation, ready to turn into a keepsake. Story of Us reads that file in your browser and builds a short story from your own pet names, rituals, and rhythms.
What you'll need
On a computer, open Messenger and sign in to the account that owns the conversation. Go to your profile menu → Privacy & safety → End-to-end encrypted chats → Message storage → Download message storage data. Leave Messages selected, uncheck Media, pick the timeframe you want, and click Download file — keep the tab open, it can take a few minutes to prepare. Unzip what you get and find the relevant conversation's .json file. The import screen shows each of these screens — or read the full Messenger export guide first.
What you get
A short, private keepsake built only from your own history — pet names and inside jokes it noticed on its own, your year-by-year rhythm, your busiest hour, the words you reach for without thinking. You read it on your screen, then you can download it as a PDF to keep or print yourself, no subscription and nothing shipped. It's ready in about a minute.
Privacy, plainly
The export itself never leaves your device — it's read right there in your browser, the same way a photo opens on your computer. To write the handful of captions that need real words (your busiest year, your first exchange, the phrase you didn't know you repeated), we send a much smaller slice to our server: your most-used words and phrases, counts and rhythms (who texts more, your streaks, your busiest hour), and a very small handful of sample messages — your first few texts and your most recent. Not the export file, not your full conversation. Read exactly what we send →
Where this doesn't work
- The message storage download is a computer-only flow — there's no equivalent one-tap export in the mobile app.
- Built for one-on-one conversations; only drop in the single conversation's
.json, not a whole export folder. - Facebook can take several minutes (sometimes longer) to prepare the download — that wait is on their end, not something the import screen can speed up.
Make our Messenger keepsake $5 · one time · stays on your laptop
Talk on iMessage instead? Make a iMessage keepsake →
Questions
Why isn't there a simple "export chat" button like WhatsApp?
Messenger's end-to-end encrypted chats store history differently, so Meta only offers it as a "message storage" download from account settings rather than a per-chat export.
How long does the Messenger download take to prepare?
It varies — often a few minutes, sometimes longer for a long history. Keep the Messenger tab open until the download is ready; that wait happens entirely on Meta's side.
Which file do I actually upload?
Unzip the download and find the .json file for your conversation with your partner — that single file, not the whole unzipped folder.
Can I do the Messenger export from my phone?
The message storage download is only available from a computer today, though the .json file it produces can be uploaded from any browser afterward.
Is the .json file uploaded to your servers?
No — it's read in your browser. Only phrases, counts, and a small handful of sample messages are sent for the captions — read exactly what we send on the privacy page.