A lot of important conversations happen over SMS and iMessage these days. No wonder that we often look for ways to download text messages from iPhone for our records.
Unfortunately, iOS doesn’t offer any built-in features that would allow for easy export of iPhone messages. In this article, we will share the best tips on how to save text messages, transfer text messages from iPhone to computer, and create backups of your data. We will also discuss methods that best answer the “How do I copy an entire text conversation on iPhone?” question because saving lengthy text exchanges can be tricky.
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Security-testedWhen deciding how to save text messages on iPhone, taking a screenshot of your conversation is probably the first idea that comes to mind. It’s fast, easy, and involves no additional apps. All you need to do is simultaneously press the volume up and the side button on your iPhone and quickly release them.
This method works great with short exchanges that can fit on your screen, but taking multiple screenshots to record the whole conversation feels a bit messy. If that’s your case, try to download iPhone text messages using email instead.
Did you know that you can simply send your texts to yourself as emails as a way to export text messages from iPhone? In fact, this method is probably the easiest answer to the “How do I copy an entire text conversation on iPhone?” question.
Here’s how to save text messages on iPhone:
Now you have your entire conversation saved as an attachment in your mail.
Another way to email messages is to copy and paste them somewhere else first:
From here figuring out how to save text messages using email is easy:
This way you’ll have your entire conversation saved as an email in one of your mailboxes.
If keeping track of important emails on multiple accounts is overwhelming at times, you’ll be happy to know there’s a way to manage emails from all of your accounts (including Gmail, AOL, iCloud, IMAP, Hotmail, Yahoo, and GMX) — from a single inbox.
Spark Mail can bring all of your mail into one inbox and help you keep it organized by separating priority senders and real people from the rest of the mail that pours into your accounts daily.
To help you stay focused, Spark Mail makes it easy to:
Another way to download iPhone text messages to your Mac is to transfer them manually with AirDrop. Note that you’ll have to send one message at a time, but if you only need to save a few conversations, AirDrop is a great tool for the job.
To transfer text messages from iPhone to computer with AirDrop:
Tip: Always backup your iPhone. Backing up your phone to a Mac is like keeping a safe copy of everything important – your photos, messages, and more – just in case something goes wrong with your smartphone. It's a quick and easy way to make sure you can always get your stuff back, whether you're moving to a new iPhone or fixing any issues with your current one. Plus, it gives you peace of mind, knowing all your memories and essential info are safe.
If the reason you’re looking to export text messages from iPhone is the lack of free space, consider combing through your camera roll. Photos tend to take up lots of space, and we often keep numerous versions of the same picture for years. An intelligent duplicate finder, like CleanMy®Phone, could work wonders in this situation.
CleanMy®Phone can scan your iPhone photos for identical and similar images, pre-select them for your approval, and then help you clear gigabytes of junk from your camera roll with a single tap. Without you having to ever sort through hundreds of images yourself.
You can also get a macOS version of CleanMy®Phone that’s even more powerful. It looks for duplicate and similar files not only in Photos, but also in iTunes, and all other folders and libraries on your Mac, effortlessly saving you space on your hard drive.
Despite the fact that there’s no special iOS feature designed to help you download text messages from iPhone, there are several methods you can use to complete the task. The most obvious thing to do, of course, is to take a screenshot of your message — if it fits on the screen and you don’t mind saving your text as image, you’re all set.
You can also export text messages from iPhone manually using AirDrop, Notes, and emails. But whatever method you go for, be sure to try CleanMy®Phone and Spark Mail for free with the seven-day trial of Setapp, a platform of best-in-class iOS and macOS productivity apps. Learn how to download text messages from iPhone and check out more than 240 other options to boost your performance.
Yes, you can download iPhone text messages to your Mac by forwarding them via email, taking screenshots, or sending with the help of AirDrop.
To export text messages from iPhone, copy all the messages in your conversation to Notes, then email yourself the text.
You can always back up your iPhone text messages as part of your routine full phone backup, which we wholeheartedly recommend you do on a regular basis. You can also try third-party apps that allow users to backup text messages on iPhone without backing up everything else.