July 8, 2019 at 11:35 AM
Categories: iPhone | View Comments
In macOS, a Text Clipping is a selection of text that you've dragged from an application to another location on your Mac, where it becomes a unique kind of standalone file. To receive text messages on your Mac (from non-Apple devices or when iMessage is unavailable), follow these simple steps follow these simple steps to turn on text message forwarding on your iPhone, so the messages can be available on your Mac.
Tutorial Goal
Today's instructions will give you the best step-by-step guide on how to save and export your text messages and attachments (photos/videos) from your iPhone to your computer.
After following these steps, you will have successfully learned how to save text messages and have peace of mind that a secondary copy of your SMS conversations are backed up safe and sound on your home or work computer.
Why would I want to save text messages to my computer?
The answer is that there are many different reasons why mobile phone users around the world suddenly need to save text messages to PC or Mac.
Some individuals have a need to document business SMS messages for a company meeting or human resources.
Other people want to print text messages from family members or loved ones.
There are also individuals who need to track and copy SMS messages sent to them by their clients to have a permanent record of any project related discussions.
Some people need to save and print text messages for court, their lawyer, or trial / custody hearings.
Regardless of your own personal reasons for needing to save text messages, today's tutorial will guide you through the steps of transferring your text messages to computer.
This tutorial works with iOS 4 / iOS 5 / iOS 6 / iOS 7 / iOS 8 / iOS 9 / iOS 10 / iOS 11 / iOS 12. On Windows, this tutorial is compatible with Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. It is also supported for OS X Lion, Mountain Lion, Mavericks, Yosemite, El Capitan, macOS Sierra, High Sierra, and Mojave.
Quick Steps - Saving text messages
Follow these steps to save text messages to computer on Mac or Windows
- Back up your iPhone with iTunes.
- Launch Decipher TextMessage
- Select a contact whose text messages you want to save to computer.
- Choose 'Export PDF.'
What items do I need save my text messages to my computer?
iPhone or iPad
Decipher TextMessage
Mac or Windows Computer
iPhone Lightning to USB cable
Detailed Steps to Save Text Messages to Computer
Step 1 - Back up your iPhone via iTunes
If you are running iTunes 12, when your iPhone is plugged into your computer, you should see a device icon in the upper-left section of the iTunes window. Clicking on that device icon will bring you to the summary page for that iOS device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch) or bring up a menu of multiple devices for you to select from.
Older iTunes versions
If you are running an older version of iTunes, navigate to the upper-right corner of the iTunes window and you should see a button for one or more iOS devices. Press that button to bring up the summary page for your iPhone/iPad.
Note: If you do not see the button for your phone in the upper-right corner of iTunes, check to see if you have a list on the left-hand side of your iTunes window. If so, your phone should appear under 'Devices' in that list. Click on the device name in order to bring up the information window for your iPhone/iPad.
On the Summary page in iTunes you should then see the “Back Up Now' option. By clicking on 'Back Up Now,' this will ensure you phone backs up and doesn’t only sync. There is actually a difference! You can monitor the progress of your backup in the top part of the iTunes window. If you still have troubles backing up your iPhone, our guide on how to back up your iPhone should be helpful.
Step 2 - Run Decipher TextMessage on your computer
Decipher TextMessage will let you export and save text messages to your PC. After opening Decipher TextMessage, the first time you launch the software you’ll see your iPhone listed in the left-hand column of the program window. If you don't see your iPhone or iPad then please double-check that you've backed up your phone via iTunes on your computer.
Step 3 - Choose which specific text messages you want to save to computer
After opening the program and selecting a device in the left-hand column of the program, you'll then notice a list of all your iPhone contacts listed in the middle column of the software. Scroll up and down to locate the contact whose text messages or iMessages you want to save to computer.
After choosing a contact, select the “Export” option from the menu and then choose PDF. Now you can pick the folder on your computer to where you want to save the messages.
Step 4 - Open and view your saved text messages on your computer
Open the exported PDF document and you'll immediately be able to read, print, and email your saved text messages. There is also an export as HTML option if you want to save the text messages to your PC or Mac and view them in your web browser. This option also lets you have a separate folder with all the image or video attachments so you can view them separate from the text messages themselves.
Text To Speech Mac
How do I save newer text messages to the existing text message history already on my PC or Mac?
Anytime you receive new text messages or iMessages that you want to also quickly save, all you have to do is make a new backup of your iOS device via iTunes.
After backing up your iPhone, the next time you open Decipher TextMessage the software will read-in the most recent messages and append them to your existing SMS history within the program!
I'm getting the messages that iTunes won't recognize my iPhone or iPad!
Five tips if iTunes won't recognize your iPhone or iPad:
Quit iTunes, restart your computer, and try again. Many times restarting will solve the issue.
Make sure you are running the most recent version of iTunes. Open iTunes, select 'iTunes' from the menu and 'About iTunes.' You will then see the version number.
Try connecting your iPhone or iPad with a different USB or lightning cable. Also try a different USB port on your PC or Mac. Many times simply swapping out the iPhone cable or changing USB ports on your PC will enable iTunes to recognize your device!
Test your iPhone on another computer that has iTunes to see if your iPhone appears. If it doesn't, that will help you narrow down if the issue is your computer or your iPhone.
If the above steps don't work, try reinstalling iTunes on your computer which often solves the problem!
How to Save Text Messages to Computer
Follow these steps in our video to save text messages to computer.
Tutorial Conclusion:
With today's instructions, you've now hopefully backed up and saved your text messages to your computer. We recommend putting a reminder on your calendar at least once a month to repeat the process to ensure that all your most recent text / SMS messages and iMessages are exported and you have a safety copy backed up. If you have any questions about saving and copying text messages to your PC or Mac, just drop us a line via our Decipher Tools Support Page and we’ll get back to you. Our offices are in the USA (San Francisco and Phoenix) and respond to everyone!
How To View Your Text Messages Online Sprint
You can also read at Decipher TextMessage product testimonials from Facebook users who have used the software to successfully save text messages for their needs.