Messages on your iPhone but not your Mac?
Turn on Messages in iCloud on both your iPhone and your Mac, signed in with the same Apple Account, and your full message history syncs to the Mac, usually within a few hours. Once it's there, it lives in the Mac's own Messages database, where you can search it and export it. Here's how, and what to check.
Turn on Messages in iCloud
- On your iPhone: open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud. Find Messages (it may be under "See All") and turn on Use on this iPhone. The exact labels vary a little between iOS versions.
- On your Mac: open Messages, then Messages → Settings → iMessage. Make sure you're signed in with the same Apple Account, and check Enable Messages in iCloud.
- Sync: in the same Mac settings pane, click Sync Now. Keep both devices on Wi-Fi and plugged in. A long history can take hours; leave them overnight if needed.
Check that it's all there
- Open the conversation in Messages on the Mac and scroll back to the earliest message you need.
- Photos may appear as placeholders until the Mac downloads them. Scrolling to them in Messages usually fetches them.
- SMS and RCS messages (green bubbles) from non-Apple phones sync through Messages in iCloud too. If some are missing, check Settings → Apps → Messages → Text Message Forwarding on the iPhone and make sure your Mac is enabled. Forwarding only applies to new messages, though.
- Set Keep messages to Forever on both devices (iPhone: Settings → Apps → Messages; Mac: Messages → Settings → General) so nothing ages out.
A caution before you turn it on
Messages in iCloud keeps your devices in step, so deleting a message on one device deletes it everywhere. That's another reason not to delete anything while a matter is ongoing. If you share an Apple Account with someone else, turning this on will sync messages to their devices as well. Think about who else has access before you enable it.
Then export
With the history on your Mac, Legal Message Export can read it directly. Follow the step-by-step export guide →
No Mac?
Legal Message Export only runs on a Mac. If you don't have one, tools that read an iPhone backup on Windows or Mac, such as iMazing or Decipher TextMessage, can export to PDF. You could also borrow a Mac you trust, though your messages would then be stored on it. How the tools compare →
Once your messages are on the Mac
Download the app free, and search and read everything before you pay. The export is pay what feels fair.
Apple, iPhone, Mac, iCloud, and iMessage are trademarks of Apple Inc. AppCamp isn't affiliated with Apple. Settings names may differ slightly on your version of iOS or macOS.