How do I export text messages from my iPhone?

Messages on iPhone has no export button. You can take screenshots, turn on Messages in iCloud and print the conversation from Messages on a Mac, or connect the iPhone to a Mac with a cable and use an exporter that writes the conversation to PDF and CSV.

Can I export iPhone text messages to Excel?

Not from the iPhone itself. An exporter on a Mac can write a CSV file, one row per message with the date, time, sender and text, which opens in Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.

Guides · Updated November 2026

How to export text messages from your iPhone

Short answer. Messages on iPhone has no export button. You can take screenshots, print the conversation from Messages on a Mac (with Messages in iCloud turned on), or connect the iPhone to a Mac with a cable and use an exporter that writes it to PDF and CSV.

1. Screenshots

Free and works anywhere, but only practical for a handful of messages. Swipe left and hold in the conversation to show each message's time while you take the screenshot. To combine them into one file, see how to save text messages as a PDF.

2. Messages in iCloud, then a Mac

With Messages in iCloud turned on, your conversations also appear in Messages on any Mac signed in to the same Apple Account. From there you can print a conversation or save it as a PDF.

On the iPhone, open Settings, tap your name, then iCloud. Turn on Messages in iCloud (on recent iOS versions it's under See All).
On the Mac, open Messages, then Settings, then iMessage, and turn on Enable Messages in iCloud.
Wait for older messages to download. A long history can take a while.

Messages in iCloud keeps your history in sync, so deleting a message on one device deletes it everywhere.

3. A cable and an exporter

An exporter on a Mac makes a local backup of the iPhone over USB and reads the messages from it. Nothing goes through iCloud, and you don't need Messages in iCloud turned on.

With Message Mammoth, plug the iPhone in, keep it unlocked, and choose "Messages only". That usually takes 3 to 15 minutes on a phone without backup encryption. With photos, or if the phone's backups are encrypted, the whole backup is copied: allow 15 to 50 minutes, depending on how full the phone is. The app shows progress as it copies. Then pick a conversation and export:

PDF: every message numbered and dated, with photos, reactions and replies written out.
CSV: one row per message, for Excel, Numbers or Google Sheets.
Plain text: a simple readable transcript.

It's free to preview every message and to try exports of up to 20 messages in total, calls and group events included. Unlimited exports are $29.99 once.

Download free for Mac

Can I do it without a Mac?

Screenshots are the only built-in way. For a long conversation, borrowing a Mac for an hour works: the export reads the iPhone over the cable and doesn't need your Apple Account on that Mac. Afterwards, use Reset app in Message Mammoth, delete the export folder from that Mac, and deactivate the license if you activated it there.