How to download text messages from iPhone: Expert guide

 Since important conversations often live in SMS and iMessage, knowing how to download messages from iPhone matters more than ever.

The problem is that iOS still doesn’t offer a simple built-in way to export full conversations. That’s why users keep searching for how to download texts from iPhone safely. The good news is that there are reliable workarounds, including screenshots, email, iCloud sync, and trusted third-party tools.

This updated 2026 guide explains how to download text messages from iPhone and save entire conversations without losing data.

How to screenshot your texts

When 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 downloading iPhone text messages using email instead.

Note for iOS 17 and later users: After taking screenshots, you can quickly save them to Notes or Files using the Share sheet. 

How to export iMessage from iPhone using email 

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:

1. Go to Messages on your iPhone and open the conversation you’d like to save.
2. Press and hold any text bubble in the thread, then choose “More…” from the pop-up.
3. Select all the replies you’d like to save.
4. Tap on the arrow in the lower right to forward your text selection as a new message.
5. Enter your email in the address box at the top of the screen and send your message.

Now you have your entire conversation saved as an attachment in your email.

Tip for newer iOS versions: Instead of copying text manually, you can tap Share from the Share Sheet and send the selected messages directly to Mail, Notes, or Files.

Another way to email messages is to copy and paste them somewhere else first: 

1. Go to Messages on your iPhone and open the conversation you’d like to save.
2. Press and hold any text bubble in the thread, then choose “More…” from the pop-up.
3. Select all the replies you’d like to save.
4. Tap on the forwarding arrow in the lower right to show your whole conversation as a single text ➙ Copy.

From here, figuring out how to save text messages using email is easy:

• Copy your text to Notes and email it to yourself.
• Open Mail, paste the text selection into a new message, and send.

This way, you’ll have your entire conversation saved as an email in one of your mailboxes.

How to stay on top of multiple email accounts

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:

• Mark emails as done and snooze them
• Block unwanted senders
• Group messages by sender and generate secure links to individual emails or discussion threads
• Pin important messages to the top or set something aside to process later
• Collaborate on composing emails with others
• Use AI assistant to proofread, rephrase, expand, or shorten your text

How to download text messages from iPhone to Mac manually

Another way to download iPhone text messages to your Mac is to transfer them manually with iCloud — it's a great tool for the job.

To transfer text messages from an iPhone to a computer with iCloud:

1. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apple Account> iCloud.

2. Tap Messages and turn on Use on this iPhone (Messages in iCloud).

3. On your Mac, make sure you’re signed in with the same Apple Account.

4. Go to System Settings > Apple Account > iCloud and turn on Messages.

5. Open the Messages app on your Mac and wait for the sync to complete.

Once you turn it on, all your messages from your iPhone will show up in the Messages app on your Mac.

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.

Export iPhone text messages as PDF

If you want a clean, shareable way to save your conversations, exporting them as a PDF is a great option.

How to do it:

1. Using Notes or Mail:

• Copy your text conversation or forward it to yourself via email.

• Open it in Notes or Mail on your Mac.

• Choose File > Print, then select Save as PDF.

2. Using third-party tools:

• Apps like iMazing or AnyTrans for iOS allow you to export messages directly as PDFs.

• These tools can handle long conversations more efficiently than manual copy-paste.

PDFs provide a tidy, shareable format, making it easy to archive your messages for reference, record-keeping, or legal purposes.

Bonus tip: clear your iPhone storage with ease

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.

Final thoughts: Download text messages from iPhone

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.

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