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CaliforniaGolden's avatar
CaliforniaGolden
Iron Contributor
Apr 26, 2026

How can I transfer text messages from iphone to computer?

Hi everyone, There are so many important contacts on my iPhone so I would like to backup all my text messages from my iPhone onto my computer, just in case something happens to my phone. I don't wan...
harrietbman's avatar
harrietbman
Iron Contributor
Apr 27, 2026

This is a command line approach for transferring iPhone text messages to computer.

Step 1: Install imessage-exporter

In a fresh Terminal window, run the installation command :

cargo install imessage-exporter

Step 2: Grant Necessary Permissions

For the tool to read your messages, macOS needs your explicit permission .

Go to System Settings > Privacy & Security > Full Disk Access.

Click the lock icon to make changes, then click the "+" button.

Navigate to and select Terminal (or whichever terminal app you are using). Make sure its toggle switch is turned ON.

Step 3: Run Your First Export

Once installed, you can run a basic export. The following command will export all your messages into a neat HTML folder in your home directory .

imessage-exporter -f html -c full

After the process finishes, you can find your exported messages in a folder named imessage_export inside your user folder (/Users/your-username/imessage_export/).