Can I extract text messages from iphone backup on my pc?

You need a dedicated app to help you on it. iTunes can't extract text messages invidually from an iphone backup.

If you are going to extract text messages from iPhone backup on Windows computer? Even if you’re digging into the backup, it doesn’t always mean you’ll find those deleted texts. Sometimes, once messages are gone from the phone, they’re also gone from the backup if it was made after deletion. So, you might be wasting time trying to recover something that’s not there anymore. Manually poking around backup files can be a pain. You need some tech know-how, or else risk messing up the files or ending up with a bunch of gibberish. Plus, some tools claim to help, but they’re not always reliable or might come with hidden risks like malware.

Handling backups means dealing with sensitive data. If you’re not careful, you could accidentally expose private info or fall for scams if you use shady recovery tools. Always good to be cautious. Sometimes, extracting text messages from iPhone backups can corrupt the backup itself if you don’t do it right. That could mess up your entire backup, making future restores tricky or impossible.

If the backup was made a while ago, it might not have the latest messages, especially if you’ve been texting a lot since then. So, you’re kind of limited to what was saved at the time of that backup.

Extracting text messages from iPhone backup on your PC is generally pretty safe—as long as you stick to reputable tools and don't go messing with the actual backup files too much.

• When you’re just extracting text messages from iPhone backup on your PC, there’s no real danger to your device. It’s like looking at a copy of your data without touching the original phone.
• Stick to well-known, trusted programs. Some free or sketchy apps might contain malware or try to trick you into installing unwanted stuff—so, always download from official sites.
• Since you're only reading and exporting data, there’s no risk of corrupting your backup or losing your info.  If you’re using a third-party tool, make sure it’s legit, especially if it asks for permissions or to upload your data somewhere. Your messages are private, so you don’t want them leaking.

In my own experience, I’ve used these tools without issues—they’re pretty safe if you stick to the basics. Just don’t click "Next" on every popup without reading, and avoid tools that look sketchy. 

How to extract text messages from iPhone backup? 

Method 1: Use Free Open-Source Software
libimobiledevice (command-line tool):

• Works on Linux, Windows, and Mac.
• Can access backup data, but requires some technical knowledge.
• You can use idevicebackup2 to list and extract text messages from iPhone backup.

Always make a backup of your backup files before attempting extraction. Be cautious with third-party tools and only download from trusted sources.

Method 2: Manual Extraction

 If you're comfortable with technical steps, you can analyze the backup files directly:

• Locate the files named 3d/ or similar, which contain message data.
• Use tools like Plist Editor (free) to view message plist files.

iTunes does not have built-in feature to pull off data separately from iPhone backup. However, there are a couple of free iphone backup extractor software you can use to retrieve deleted text messages from iPhone backup.

Step 1: Open the iphone backup extractor tool and point it to your iTunes backup location.

Step 2: Choose the specific iTunes backup from which you want to extract data.

Step 3: Some tools can scan and display even deleted SMS messages, depending on the state of the backup.
Once the tool finishes scanning, you can preview the messages and export them in a readable format (e.g., CSV, PDF, or text file).

Step 4: Once the SMS messages are extracted, you can view them in the file format you selected. Some tools may even allow you to save them directly to your computer.

If you still have problem in extracting text messages from iphone backup, I can guide you further on using them upon request.

To extract deleted SMS (text messages) from an iTunes backup on your PC, follow these steps:

1. Open iTunes: Ensure that iTunes is installed and open on your PC.

2. Find the Backup Location:

• In iTunes, go to Edit > Preferences (or iTunes > Preferences on a Mac).
• Click on the Devices tab to see the list of backups stored on your PC.
• Note the location of the backup file.

If you're unsure where the backup is, you can manually navigate to the backup directory, typically found in Windows 10/11:

C:\Users\[YourUsername]\AppData\Roaming\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup\

Now, you can use an database viewer software to extract deleted sms from iphone backup created by iTunes.