Check an export
Check whether the files are the same as when the check file was made. Nothing is uploaded; it runs in your browser.
Check an export
Choose the check file (manifest.json) and the export files you want to check.
| File | Fingerprint in check file | File fingerprint | Status |
|---|
Make a fingerprint
Make a fingerprint for any file. Nothing is uploaded.
Private by construction
Your file never leaves this device.
- No upload. The tool reads your file with JavaScript in this tab. There is no server that receives it.
- Enforced, not promised. This page’s Content-Security-Policy only allows connections back to textexporter.com, and the tool never sends your file there. Open your browser’s developer tools, go to Network, and watch.
- Nothing kept. Close the tab and it’s gone. No cookies, no analytics, no account.
What a fingerprint is
A fingerprint is a code worked out from a file’s contents. If the file changes, even by one letter, the fingerprint changes. It does not reveal what is in the file.
A Text Exporter check file lists every file in the export and its fingerprint. It also includes details such as when the export was made and how many messages it contains. Keep the check file with the export so you can spot later changes.
How to check an export
- Choose the original check file. Its file name is manifest.json. Also choose the export files you want to check.
- Wait while your browser works out each fingerprint. Large files take longer because the browser must read the whole file.
- Review every row. “Matches” means the fingerprints are the same. “Different” means the file has changed. “Not provided” means you did not choose a file listed in the check file. “Not in check file” means the check file does not list the file you chose.
- If a matching file has a new name, the tool tells you that it was renamed.
If you include a Text Exporter data file, the tool also checks its message list. This is a separate check from the PDF, spreadsheet, or plain text file.
What a mismatch means
A mismatch means the file is not the same as when the check file was made. Editing text, adding a note to a PDF, changing file details, converting the file, or saving it again in some apps may change its fingerprint. A mismatch does not prove that someone meant to change the file. Keep both copies, note where each came from, and look into the difference.
Share the check file with the export
Another person can use the files and the check file to repeat the check. Agree on which check file is the original. You can also make a fingerprint for any file. A fingerprint kept separately from the file gives you a better reference than one sent in the same editable message.
What a match does not show
A matching fingerprint shows that a file is the same as when the check file was made. It cannot show that the original chat was genuine, that the people used the claimed accounts, or that every message was included. Those questions need other information.
Technical note: Fingerprints are SHA-256 hashes.
Limits worth knowing
- A match shows the files have not changed since the check file was made. It does not show that a chat is genuine or complete.
- Files around 1 GB may be slow and can use a lot of memory.
- The tool supports Text Exporter check files made in format version 1.
- Changing a file name does not change its fingerprint. Changing its contents does.
Straight answers
Questions
What does a matching fingerprint show?
It shows the file is the same as when the check file was made.
Does a match show that a chat is genuine or complete?
No. A check file cannot show what happened before it was made or whether every message was included.
Why did a small edit cause a mismatch?
Any change to a file, including saving it again or changing its details, can change its fingerprint.
Can a renamed file still match?
Yes. The tool compares fingerprints and tells you when the same file has a different name.
Are files uploaded?
No. Nothing is uploaded. The check runs in your browser.