Sending and receiving messages through iPhone is, obviously, extremely convenient. In the palm of your hand you have the power to send text and media to contacts all over the world.
Jun 07, 2017 If you mean iMessages are only showing on the Mac - even ones addressed to the iPhone Number then it suggests you did link the two devices by adding the Apple ID to the settings for Messages on the iPhone but currently the iPhone is either not logged in. For that see Settings Messages Send and Receive. Messages on iPhone not appearing (or out of order) on Mac/iPad. The matching Messages apps on iOS and Mac should allow you to easily and conveniently carry on iMessage conversations across the two. The Messages App on your Mac allows you to receive and send unlimited iMessages to anyone using an Apple device. Additionally, the Messages App on your Mac can also be setup to send and receive carrier supported SMS Text Messages to those who are not using Apple devices. Send SMS Text Messages On Mac. Iphone 6SE, around 8GB of free space and one night boom all of my messages just disappear + the new ones seem to have a trouble coming in, while showing up at my macbook via iMessages (desktop version). How to Enable Messages in iCloud on Your Mac On macOS, you’ll first need to make sure that you’re updated to at least macOS High Sierra 10.13.5. When that’s done, open up the Messages app, and then navigate to Messages Preferences on the menu bar in the top-left corner of the screen. Click on the “Accounts” tab.
This convenience comes at a price - many of us have thousands of messages on our phones, taking up storage space and becoming increasingly hard to manage.
If you have a lot of messages on your device, searching through your messages, finding the conversation you're looking for and viewing it can be tricky. This guide will take you through the top three ways to view your iPhone messages directly on the big screen of your PC or Mac computer.
Quick Jump to...
1. View iPhone messages directly on your computer (PC/Mac)
Our first method explores how you can view your iPhone messages in a clear format on your PC or Mac using TouchCopy.
TouchCopy is a popular app which allows you to view and export media from iPhone to computer.
We can use this tool to easily view and search iPhone messages, export them to computer, and even print them out!
What you'll need:
- You can use TouchCopy on a PC running Windows 10, 8 and 7, or Mac using Mac OSX 10.9 (OS X Mavericks) or higher.
- Your iPhone.
- Your USB cable to connect your iPhone to your computer.
Viewing iPhone messages in TouchCopy:
To view SMS, MMS, iMessage or WhatsApp conversations in TouchCopy, simply connect your iPhone and click the Messages section.
View the messages in a conversation by clicking it in the list.
You'll see all your messages, emojis, times/dates, attached media like photos, and contacts details.
Try TouchCopy free ▼
Receive an email with a link so you can download the free trial on your computer:
Note: We respect your privacy. We won't share your Email address with anyone else, or send you spam.
Searching iPhone messages in TouchCopy:
Searching messages on iPhone can be fiddly. TouchCopy makes it easy to search through your messages on a big screen.
To do this, enter a contact's name or a key word / phrase that you are looking for into the search box and hit Enter (Return) on your keyboard.
TouchCopy will return a list of only conversations in which your keyword was mentioned. You can click a conversation to see exactly which messages contain your keyword!
Find more information about viewing and searching iPhone messages in TouchCopy >
What Next?
Using TouchCopy just to view your messages is like using an iPhone only to make calls. There's so much more you can do.
Now that you can access your messages on your computer, why not export them for safekeeping, or print them off?
2. View iPhone messages from an iTunes backup (PC/Mac)
If you don't have access to your iPhone anymore, or the texts you are trying to view have been lost or deleted, you'll need to use a backup of your iPhone.
If you backup your iPhone to your computer, your messages will be saved to the backup. The problem is, you can't actually access your messages in the backup without a tool like iBackup Extractor.
iBackup Extractor is a trusted tool which allows you to access the information stored in an iTunes backup, and even extract it to your computer!
What you'll need:
- You can use iBackup Extractor on a PC running Windows 10, 8 and 7, or Mac using Mac OSX 10.9 (OS X Mavericks) or higher.
- A backup of your iPhone stored on your PC or Mac.
How to View iPhone Text Messages on Computer Without Phone:
As mentioned, you don't actually need your iPhone to be able to use iBackup Extractor. This tool accesses a backup of your iPhone stored on your computer to enable you to view your backed up messages.
What's that, you need to view old iPhone messages, or ones which have been deleted from your phone? No problem, if the messages are stored in a backup, you can get to them with iBackup Extractor.
To view your messages, launch iBackup Extractor, select the backup containing your desired messages, and select the conversation you need to view its messages!
You can also search your messages for a particular contact or key phrase by entering your query in the search bar in iBackup Extractor!
Try iBackup Extractor free ▼
Receive an email with a link so you can download the free trial on your computer:
Note: We respect your privacy. We won't share your Email address with anyone else, or send you spam.
What Next?
Making new backups of your iPhone on your computer usually means overwriting the old one. This could mean that you lose the data you need.
To avoid this, you can extract the important bits you need from your backup using iBackup Extractor: Save your SMS, MMS, iMessage and WhatsApp conversations to your computer. You can export as HTML, PDF or Plain text, or print out your messages so that you have a hard copy.
3. View messages, and text from your computer
(Mac only)
Our final method is provided free by Apple and uses the Messages app on Mac computers.
'With Messages for Mac, you can send unlimited messages to any Mac, iPhone, iPad or iPod touch that uses iMessage, Apple's secure-messaging service. iPhone owners can use it for SMS and MMS messages, too.' - Apple
That's right- not only can you view your iPhone messages through your Mac, you can even use it to send messages!
The only problem here is that if this is the first time you are setting up your Mac to receive your iPhone messages, you'll only be able to view new messages sent after this point. To view older iPhone messages as well, you'll need to use Method 1 or Method 2.
What you'll need:
- A Mac or MacBook with the Messages app installed.
- The Apple ID details used on your iPhone.
How to View iPhone messages using Mac Messages app:
All you need to do to get your iPhone messages on your Mac is to open the Messages app on your Mac.
If your Mac uses the same Apple ID as your iPhone, you'll see your messages. If your Mac is not set up in this way, you can sign in using your Apple ID the first time that you open the Messages app on Mac.
This initial setup will only allow you to view and send iMessages. If you'd like to view and send SMS and MMS, as well as iMessages, you'll need to set up text message forwarding.
Setting up Text Message Forwarding
- Ensure that your iPhone and Mac are using the same Apple ID...
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive.
- On your Mac, open the Messages app, click Messages in the toolbar > Preferences, then click iMessage.
- On your iPhone, open Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding.
- Tap the switch next to your Mac's name to allow it to send and receive SMS and MMS from your iPhone.
- You may receive a verification code on your Mac. If so, enter the code on your iPhone to allow this change.
The SMS and MMS you receive on your iPhone will now also forward to your Mac, if both devices are connected to the internet.
Takeaways
So, now you know the best 3 ways to view your iPhone messages on your computer.
As you can see, each method has its own unique benefits. You should now have all the knowledge you need to make an informed decision about which method is best for you.
If you are still unsure, here's what we recommend:
- Use TouchCopy to view SMS, MMS, iMessage and WhatsApp messages. You can also save and print your messages.
- Use iBackup Extractor to view your iPhone messages from an iPhone backup. This method is perfect if you don't have your iPhone, or if you are looking for messages which were deleted from your iPhone.
- Use Mac Messages app if you want to send and receive text messages on your Mac. Not suitable for viewing older messages, or for viewing WhatsApp conversations.
Thanks for reading!
iPhone is the necessary communication tool for most users. You can check messages on iPhone by opening the app.
However, when your iPhone is left at home or other places, how can you check your iPhone messages?
The answer is to sync iPhone messages to Mac.
How to sync messages on iPhone to Mac and check them easily on Mac?
That is what you will learn in this page, 3 easy ways to sync iPhone messages to Mac, including text messages and iMessages.
Part 1. How to sync iPhone messages to Mac via iCloud
Though Apple uses close system on all its products like Mac, iPhone, etc. it open the door among the products. You can easily share and sync data between iPhone and Mac by setting some apps. Messages app is one of them.
Whether you use iCloud settings or Apple ID to sync messages from iPhone to Mac, you should enable Message app on Mac first.
Enable Messages app on Mac
Step 1. Go to the Applications folder, find the Message app and double-click to open it. Or you can open the Message app from your desktop dock directly.
Step 2. Enter your Apple ID and password to corresponding boxes on the popup window, and hit the 'Sign in' button to start setting up Message on Mac. If you have enabled two-step verification or two-factor authentication, you will be prompted to enter your verification code.
Step 3. After sign-in, unfold the 'Message' menu on top of the application and select the 'Preference' option. Go to the 'Account' tab, tick the checkbox in front of 'Enable this account', type in your phone number in the box of 'Start new conversations from', and then click 'Add Email' button to add email addresses that you want to catch up with.
Now, the Message service is set up on Mac successfully. If it is the first time to use your Apple ID to set up Message, you have to wait for up to 24 hours to activate this service. iMessages not working on Mac?
Step 4. When activation is done, access the Message app, and you can see the new synced messages sent by other iOS device to your iPhone.
When you enable Message app on Mac, you can easily sync contacts to Mac automatically by following similar settings on Contacts app on Mac.
Iphone Messages On Mac
Sync messages from iPhone to Mac via iCloud
Step 1. On Mac, open the Message application and go to 'Message' > 'Preferences' > 'Account'. Check the box of 'Enable Messages on iCloud' and click the 'Sync Now' button.
Step 2. Next, turn to your iPhone, head to 'Settings' > [your Apple ID]-> 'iCloud' and put the switch of 'Message' to 'ON' position.
Then locate to 'Settings' > 'Message' and choose 'Sync Now'.
Step 3. Connect both your iPhone and Mac computer to a Wi-Fi network, connecting iPhone messages to Mac will start through iCloud. (Wi-Fi not working on iPhone? Get solutions here.)
Part 2. Show to sync iPhone iMessages to Mac via Apple ID
Follow the steps above to enable Message app on Mac, and then get the following steps to sync iMessages from iPhone to Mac.
Step 1. Unlock your iPhone, go to 'Settings' > [your name] > 'Message' > 'Send & Receive', and make sure you have signed in the same Apple ID that you have used to set up Message on Mac. (Apple ID forgot? Reset it.)
Step 2. Check your phone number and email address under 'You Can Be Reached By iMessage At' and 'Start New Conversations From', and make sure they match the ones you input on Mac.
Now the iMessage sent on iPhone should be synced to Message app on Mac. (iMessages not syncing to Mac?)
Step 1. Unlock your iPhone, go to 'Settings' > [your name] > 'Message' > 'Send & Receive', and make sure you have signed in the same Apple ID that you have used to set up Message on Mac.
Step 2. Check your phone number and email address under 'You Can Be Reached By iMessage At' and 'Start New Conversations From', and make sure they match the ones you input on Mac.
Now the iMessage sent on iPhone should be synced to Message app on Mac.
Part 3. Best way to sync iPhone messages including old to Mac
This way is to sync messages on your iPhone to Mac directly with iPhone Transfer, including those old iMessages and text messages. This software works well on Mac, including macOS Big Sur.
4,000,000+ Downloads
Sync iPhone all messages including old to Mac directly and selectively.
Transfer iPhone text messages and iMessages to Mac.
Sync iPhone messages on Mac as CSV or HTML to read directly.
Work for iPhone XS/XR/X/8/7/6/5/4, MacBook Air/Pro, etc.
Step 1. Install the best iPhone transfer to computer
Download and install iPhone Transfer for Mac to your computer. There is a dedicated version for Windows PC. Connect your iPhone to your Mac computer using the original Lightning cord. Start the iPhone message transfer, it will recognize your device automatically.
Step 2. Preview iPhone messages before transfer
Click the name of your iPhone at upper left corner, and then select 'Messages' and 'Message Attachments' to display all messages on your iPhone in detailed window. Here you can preview the iPhone messages and tick the checkbox in front of each one you'd like to sync to Mac.
Receive Iphone Messages On Mac
Step 3. Transfer selective message from iPhone to Mac
After selected, go to the 'Export to' menu on top ribbon and select 'Export to Mac' to start transferring desired messages from iPhone to your Mac computer instantly. The iOS transfer also allows you to transfer content to iTunes Library from iPhone.
Enable Iphone Messages On Mac
Conclusion
Iphone Messages On Macbook Air
In this tutorial, we have showed you how to sync iPhone messages to Mac computer. You can sync iPhone messages to Mac via your Apple ID or iCloud. Plus, we also shared the best way to transfer iPhone messages including old ones to Mac, iPhone Transfer directly. Decide the best one as you like to sync messages from iPhone to Mac right now.