Alongside spreadsheet exports, you can download any Report as a PDF. The PDF is a tidy, print-ready list of the Time Entries in your Report, and you choose which columns it includes — so you can hand a client a timesheet showing dates, descriptions and totals without sharing your internal rates or Task breakdown.
PDF exports are useful when the file is going to be read rather than analysed: attaching a timesheet to an invoice, sending a summary to a client, printing a signed copy, or submitting hours to a payroll or HR team.
Export a Report as a PDF
Go to the Reports screen
Set up your Report — choose your time period and any User, Contact, Project, Task, or Options filters
Scroll to the bottom of the Report and click Export Report
In the Export Time Report window, tick the columns you want to include
Click Generate
When the confirmation appears, click Download
Your PDF downloads to your computer, ready to print, email, or attach to an invoice.
PDF exports are available on every MinuteDock plan. Reports are only available in the MinuteDock web app, so you'll need to export from a browser rather than the mobile apps.
💡 Tip: Only the Time Entries matching your current filters are included, so filter the Report down to exactly what you want the reader to see before you export. If you send the same timesheet every month, pin the Report first — see Saving Frequent Reports.
ℹ️ Note: The other button, Export Time, downloads a spreadsheet containing every field for every individual Time Entry in the Report you're currently viewing. Both buttons export the Report on screen — neither exports your whole Account. For a PDF, use Export Report. See Export a Report as a spreadsheet (CSV).
Choosing which columns to include
The Export Time Report window lists nine columns. Tick or untick each one to control what appears in the PDF.
Column | What it shows |
Date | The date the time was logged against |
User | The team member who logged the entry |
Contact | The Contact the entry is assigned to |
Project | The Project the entry is assigned to |
Tasks | Any Tasks assigned to the entry |
Description | The note recorded on the Time Entry |
Hours | The duration of the entry, shown as hours and minutes |
Rate | The hourly rate applied to the entry |
Amount | The billable value of the entry |
After your first export, MinuteDock remembers the columns you ticked and starts your next export with the same selection.
If an entry has no value for a column you've included — no Contact assigned, or an empty description — the PDF shows a dash rather than leaving the cell blank.
⚠️ Important: Because your column selection carries over from your last export, check the ticked columns before you generate a PDF for someone outside your firm. If you included Rate and Amount for an internal export, those columns will still be ticked next time.
ℹ️ Note: Rate and Amount data only appears for Users who have permission to see and edit billing rates — the same rule that applies to spreadsheet exports. If you can't see dollar values on the Reports screen, they won't appear in your PDF either. See Manage User Permissions.
What's in the finished PDF
Every PDF export includes:
Your Account name at the top of the first page
The Report title, taken from the time period you selected — for example, Time logged last month (July). Running the Report from a pinned Report doesn't change this: the PDF uses the time period, not the name you saved the pinned Report under
A row for each Time Entry, listed in date order, with the columns you selected. Entries are always listed chronologically — the PDF doesn't group them or add subtotals by Contact, Project, User, or Task
A totals row at the end, showing total time and, if you included Amount, the total billable value. Where a Report covers more than one currency, the totals row shows a separate amount for each currency
A footer on every page with the Report name, page number, and the date and time the PDF was generated
Longer Reports run across multiple pages, with the column headings repeated at the top of each page.
If your Report covers Contacts billed in different currencies, each row shows its own currency and the totals row gives a separate total per currency. MinuteDock doesn't convert between currencies in the PDF, so there's no single combined amount — the total time, however, is a single figure covering every entry.
Long Project and Task names are shortened to fit the column width. Descriptions wrap onto a second line rather than being cut off.
Charts aren't included in the PDF — it's a list of Time Entries. If you need the chart data, export the chart as a CSV instead. See Export a Report as a spreadsheet (CSV).
When to use a PDF instead of a spreadsheet
Both formats export the same filtered Time Entries. The difference is what you can do with the file.
| Spreadsheet (CSV) | |
Best for | Sending, printing, attaching to invoices | Analysis, payroll workings, reformatting |
Columns | You choose from nine | Every available field is included |
Charts | Not included | Chart data can be exported separately |
Extra detail | Time Entry detail only | Also includes invoice references, integration tracking, Time Entry IDs and timestamps |
If the recipient is going to read the file, choose PDF. If they're going to work with the numbers, choose CSV.
Common uses for PDF timesheets
Attaching a timesheet to an invoice. Run a Report filtered to one Contact for the billing period, untick any columns the client doesn't need, and attach the PDF to the invoice you send from your accounting software. Clients who query a bill can see exactly what the time was spent on.
Sending a client a progress update. Filter to the Contact and date range, include Date, Description and Hours, and leave Rate and Amount unticked if the work is on a fixed fee or retainer.
Submitting hours for payroll. Filter to a User (or a Role) and the pay period, include Date, User, Hours and Description, and send the PDF to whoever runs payroll.
Keeping a printed or signed record. The PDF is formatted to print cleanly on A4, so it works as a physical file copy where a client or regulator needs one.