How do you Bates number text messages and produce iMessages in discovery from a Mac?

By Kayabyte · Last updated 11 November 2026

Short answer: export the conversation to a PDF that shows date, time and sender on every message, stamp every page with a unique Bates number (a prefix plus a running number, such as SMITH-000045), keep the original source and a record of what you produced, and use whatever form your lawyer or the requesting party specifies. A Bates number only identifies pages; it does not show that messages are genuine or admissible. This is general information, not legal advice. Rules differ by country and court, so ask a lawyer.

What the rule says about form (US federal)

Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 says a request may specify the form for producing electronically stored information. If it does not, a party must produce it in a form in which it is ordinarily maintained or in a reasonably usable form, and need not produce the same information in more than one form (law.cornell.edu, Rule 34(b)(1)(C) and (b)(2)(E), checked 11 November 2026). Documents must be produced as kept in the usual course of business or organised and labelled to match the categories in the request. State courts and other countries have their own rules. If the other side asks for a specific format, follow that and ask your lawyer, because a numbered PDF may not be what they want.

What a Bates number is for

It gives every page a unique reference that stays the same when documents are combined, so everyone can say “SMITH-000045” and mean the same page. Lawyers usually choose the prefix and the start number, and numbering continues from one document to the next.

Free ways to do it

Get the messages out. The iPhone cannot print a conversation. Back up the iPhone in Finder, or print the Messages app on your Mac to PDF, which prints only what is loaded. See how to print text messages from iPhone for court.
Check the PDF. Date, time and sender on every message, page numbers, photos in place.
Stamp the numbers. Your lawyer or a PDF editor with Bates stamping can add them. Do it on a copy and keep the unstamped file.
Keep a log. Note the prefix, the first and last number and the source of each document.

Screenshots work for a few messages, but they hide context and are easy to edit.

Where Exhibitly adds something

Exhibitly is a Mac app we make. It reads an iPhone backup made in Finder (encrypted ones too, with your own backup password), the Messages app on the Mac, or WhatsApp export files, and writes a PDF with date, time and sender on every message, page numbers (“Page 3 of 41”), an Excel file with one row per message and the original attachments with SHA-256 fingerprints. There is a verification page that says which source was read, and a SHA256SUMS.txt for every exported file.

The Evidence Bundle edition (USD 69 one time) adds Bates numbers with your own prefix, continuing from one exhibit to the next, an exhibit cover page with the label, the people, the dates and the number of messages, and merging of iPhone and Mac messages. Personal (USD 39 one time) does not have Bates numbers. If you bought Personal first, the upgrade is USD 30. Both have one year of updates, up to 3 Macs, a 30-day refund and no subscription. Redaction of text, attachments or a word is available, kept on the Mac.

Limits, stated plainly: Exhibitly does not read Android SMS or Android backups (only WhatsApp export files from Android), cannot recover deleted messages, and cannot tell whether a WhatsApp export file was edited before import (it records the file’s SHA-256 when it reads it). It does not decide admissibility and does not prove messages are genuine. It produces a PDF, an Excel file and attachments; we do not describe load files or other e-discovery formats, so if the request needs one, ask your lawyer.

Steps with Exhibitly

Make a Finder backup of the iPhone, or choose the Messages on your Mac.
Open Exhibitly, pick the conversation, then the whole thread, a date range or excerpts with context. Redact what should not be shared.
In Evidence Bundle, set your Bates prefix and starting number and the exhibit label.
Export. Check the cover page, a few Bates numbers and the verification page.
Keep the phone, the backup and the export folder.

The free preview has every feature but exports the first 15 messages and watermarks the PDF “PREVIEW, NOT FOR FILING”. Download Exhibitly (free preview). macOS 15 or later.

Questions

What is a Bates number on a text message printout? A unique page reference, usually a prefix and a number, stamped on each page.

Do I have to use Bates numbers? Not always. Your lawyer, the request or the court’s rules decide. Page numbers may be enough for a small case.

Can I produce iMessages as a PDF? Often a PDF is an accepted, readable form, but the requesting party may specify another. Ask your lawyer.

Does stamping change the evidence? Stamp a copy and keep the original untouched.