How to Export Text Messages from iPhone: 4 Ways
The Messages app on iPhone has no export button, so exporting a text conversation takes one of four routes: screenshots, the Messages app on a Mac, desktop software that reads an iPhone backup, or an iPhone app that turns the conversation into a file. Screenshots are enough for a few messages. For a long conversation you need as a PDF, Excel or Word file, use a Mac or an app.
We make Exportly, one of the iPhone apps covered below. The free methods come first, and each option is described with its real strengths and limits.
The 4 ways to export text messages, compared
Each method suits a different job: screenshots for a few messages, a Mac or desktop software for whole histories, and an iPhone app for a document without a computer.
| Method | What you need | Cost | What you get | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screenshots | Your iPhone | Free | Images | A handful of messages |
| Messages on a Mac | A Mac with Messages in iCloud | Free | PDF or a printout | One long chat, if you own a Mac |
| Desktop software (iMazing, Decipher TextMessage) | A Mac or Windows PC and your iPhone | Paid | PDF, Excel, CSV and more, depending on the app | Full history, many chats at once |
| An iPhone app (Exportly) | Your iPhone | Export needs a subscription | PDF, Excel, Word, CSV, Text or HTML | Long chats, no computer |
1. Take screenshots on your iPhone
Screenshots are the quickest free way to keep a few messages, but the result is a set of images, not one document.
- Open the conversation in Messages and scroll to the first message you need.
- Press and release the side button and the volume up button at the same time. On an iPhone with a Home button, press the Home button and the side button.
- Scroll down one screen and repeat until you reach the last message.
- Share or print the screenshots from Photos. For more on capturing a long thread, see how to screenshot an entire text conversation.
After a screenshot, tapping its thumbnail can show a Full Page option that captures content beyond the screen; Apple’s example is a webpage in Safari (Apple: Take a screenshot on iPhone). For a long chat, expect dozens of images that someone has to keep in order.
2. Print or save a PDF from Messages on a Mac
A Mac can print any Messages conversation or save it as a PDF for free, as long as your messages sync to it through iCloud.
- On your iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud. Tap See All, choose Messages in iCloud and turn on Use on this iPhone.
- On your Mac, open Messages, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage and select Enable Messages in iCloud. Both devices must use the same Apple Account (Apple: Set up iCloud for Messages).
- For green-bubble SMS texts, also turn on your Mac under Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding on the iPhone.
- Wait for the conversation to appear on the Mac. A long history can take a while.
- Open the conversation and choose File > Print. Apple documents this step in its Messages guide for macOS Sequoia; menus can differ on later macOS versions. To get a file instead of paper, open the PDF menu at the bottom of the print dialog and choose Save as PDF (Apple: Print or create a PDF of a conversation, macOS Sequoia guide).
The limits: you need a Mac, Messages in iCloud counts toward your iCloud storage, and the output is a PDF only, with no spreadsheet or Word option. If paper is the goal, the guide to printing text messages from an iPhone covers every route.
3. Use desktop software on a Mac or PC
Desktop apps such as iMazing and Decipher TextMessage read your iPhone’s messages on a computer and export them in bulk.
Their strengths are real: they handle the full history, many conversations at once and attachments, and they run on Windows as well as macOS. iMazing’s guide lists PDF, Excel, CSV and RSMF exports. The trade-offs are that you need a computer and a cable or backup, and both are paid apps. Check their sites for current prices.
4. Use an iPhone app, with no computer
An iPhone app turns the conversation into a document on the phone itself. This is how it works in Exportly:
- Bring the chat in. On iOS 26 or later, add the free Exportly shortcut for Apple’s Shortcuts app, pick the conversation and tap Always Allow when Shortcuts asks. Messages and photos come in. On any iOS version, you can instead record your screen while you scroll through the chat from the oldest message. Exportly reads the text on your iPhone.
- Check it. Preview the whole conversation before you export it.
- Export. Choose PDF (with chat bubbles or as plain text), Excel, Word, CSV, Text or HTML, then share the file, save it to Files or print it. See what each export format looks like.
Importing, previewing and editing are free. Exporting, sharing and printing need Exportly Pro, a weekly or yearly subscription whose price is shown in the app before you buy.
Exportly processes your chats on your iPhone and never uploads their content (how Exportly handles your data). Two limits to know: the screen-recording method currently reads English and Turkish text only, and the Exportly shortcut needs iOS 26 or later.
Which method should you use?
Pick by the result you need, not by the tool.
- A few messages to send to someone: screenshots.
- One long conversation as a PDF, and you own a Mac: Messages on the Mac.
- Every conversation, the full history, or attachments in bulk: desktop software.
- A long conversation as a PDF, spreadsheet or Word file, without a computer: an iPhone app such as Exportly. Not sure which file type? Compare PDF, Excel and Word for chat exports.
- A record for a lawyer or a dispute: ask what format they need first. An export that shows the date, time and sender on every message is easier to follow than a pile of screenshots, but no app can promise that a court will accept it.
Questions people ask
Can you export text messages from an iPhone without a computer?
Yes. Screenshots work for a few messages. For a single document, use an iPhone app such as Exportly, which saves the conversation as a PDF, Excel, Word, CSV, Text or HTML file on the phone.
Can I export an iMessage conversation to PDF?
Yes. On a Mac with Messages in iCloud, choose File > Print and then Save as PDF. On the iPhone, an app such as Exportly exports the conversation to PDF directly.
Does exporting delete the messages from my iPhone?
No. All four methods copy the conversation; the original stays in Messages.
Can I export text messages to Excel?
Yes, with desktop software or an iPhone app. Exportly’s Excel export puts one message per row, with the date, time, sender and text in separate columns; the step-by-step is in how to export text messages to Excel.
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