Have you ever needed a tangible record of your text conversations? Whether it’s for legal reasons, to settle a friendly debate, or simply to keep a copy of important information, printing out text messages from your iPhone can be incredibly useful. While iPhones don’t offer a direct “print” button within the Messages app, there are several effective methods to get your texts onto paper. This guide will walk you through the best ways to print text messages on your iPhone, ensuring you have a hard copy when you need it most.
1. Utilizing Screenshots to Print iPhone Texts
The quickest and simplest method for printing a few text messages is by taking screenshots. This approach is ideal for short conversations or when you only need a visual record, and you don’t mind the image format. Here’s how to print text messages using screenshots:
- Open the Messages app on your iPhone and navigate to the conversation you wish to print.
- Capture a screenshot of the text message thread. For iPhones with Face ID, press the side button and the volume up button simultaneously. On iPhones with a Home button, press the Home button and the side button (or top button) at the same time. The screen will flash, and a thumbnail of the screenshot will briefly appear.
Screenshot of iPhone screen capture process using side and volume up buttons
- Access the Photos app from your home screen.
- Tap the Albums tab at the bottom, and then select the Screenshots album to easily find your captures.
- Tap Select in the top right corner, and then choose all the screenshots of the text messages you want to print. Selected screenshots will be marked with a checkmark.
- Tap the Share button in the bottom left corner (it looks like a square with an upward arrow).
Screenshot of iPhone share button in Photos app
- Scroll down the share sheet and select Print.
- Ensure your iPhone is connected to a wireless printer and that the printer is turned on and within range. Adjust printer settings like paper size and number of copies as needed.
- Finally, tap Print in the upper right corner to send your screenshots to the printer.
Screenshot of iPhone print options after selecting share
While screenshots are convenient for short message excerpts, they become less practical for lengthy conversations due to the number of screenshots required and the image-based format, which isn’t ideal for large volumes of text. For more extensive message history, consider the following methods.
2. Converting iMessage to PDF on Mac for Printing
If you use iMessage on a Mac, you can leverage your computer to convert entire text conversations into PDF documents, which can then be easily printed. This method is suitable for longer conversations, but be aware that loading very long message histories might cause performance issues.
- Open the Messages app on your Mac.
- Select the text conversation you want to print by clicking on the contact’s name or phone number in the sidebar.
- Scroll up within the conversation window to load the messages you wish to include in your printed copy. For very long conversations, it’s advisable to scroll in chunks to avoid potential application freezes.
- Once the desired message history is loaded, click File in the menu bar at the top of the screen.
- From the File menu, select Print.
Screenshot of File > Print option in Mac Messages app
- In the Print dialog box, you can preview how many pages the conversation will span.
- Click the PDF dropdown menu in the bottom left corner of the Print dialog box.
- Choose Save as PDF from the dropdown options.
Screenshot of Save as PDF option in Mac Print Dialog
- A Save dialog box will appear. Choose a file name for your PDF, select a location to save it on your Mac, and optionally add Title, Author, and Subject information.
- Click Save to create the PDF document of your text conversation.
- Locate the saved PDF file and open it. You can now print this PDF document like any other file by opening it and selecting the print option.
Screenshot of Save dialog box for PDF export in Mac
This PDF method provides a more text-based and comprehensive printout compared to screenshots, especially for longer conversations. However, it relies on using a Mac and the iMessage desktop application.
3. Sending Text Conversations to Another Phone for Printing
In situations where you don’t have immediate access to a printer but need to export your text thread, you can send the conversation to another phone. This allows you to access and print the messages from a different device later. This is particularly useful if you only need to share or print specific parts of a long conversation.
- Launch the Messages app on your iPhone and open the conversation you want to print.
- Tap and hold on any message bubble within the conversation.
- When the options menu appears, tap More….
- Select the messages you wish to export by tapping the circle to the left of each message bubble. Selected messages will have a checkmark.
- Tap the Share icon in the bottom right corner (it’s an arrow pointing upwards).
- In the share sheet, in the “To” field, enter the phone number of the device you want to send the messages to. This could be your own number on a different phone, or another person’s device if you intend for them to print it.
- Tap the Send button (usually a green up arrow) to send the selected messages.
Screenshot of iPhone message selection and share process
The recipient device will receive the selected messages as a new text message. From that device, you can then utilize its printing capabilities or further export options if available. Keep in mind that this method sends the messages as a forwarded text, which might alter the formatting slightly.
4. Using Third-Party Apps for Comprehensive Text Message Printing
For users needing to print entire message threads, including very long conversations, or seeking more advanced export and printing options, third-party apps like iMazing offer a robust solution. iMazing allows you to export your messages as PDF, CSV, or text files from your iPhone to your computer, providing versatile options for printing and archiving.
Follow this link to download iMazing
- Download and install the iMazing app on your Windows or macOS computer.
- Launch iMazing after installation.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
Screenshot of iMazing connection prompt
- Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust on the “Trust This Computer?” prompt if it appears.
Screenshot of iPhone Trust this computer prompt
- In the iMazing sidebar, select your iPhone device and then click on Messages.
Screenshot of iMazing interface with Messages selected
- Choose the conversation you want to print from the list of message threads.
- Optionally, in the top right corner, use the date range filters (From and To dates) to specify which portion of the conversation history you want to export and print.
Screenshot of iMazing date range selection for messages
- Click the Print button located in the bottom right corner of the iMazing window.
Screenshot of iMazing print button
- Adjust the printer settings in the print dialog as needed and ensure your printer is connected and ready. Click Print again to start printing your text messages.
Screenshot of iMazing print confirmation dialog
Alternatively, to create a digital archive, instead of clicking “Print,” you can choose Export to PDF (or other formats like Text or CSV) and save a digital copy of your messages to your computer.
Key Takeaways for Printing iPhone Text Messages
Printing text messages from an iPhone, while not a direct feature, is achievable through various methods. Screenshots are quick for short snippets, while using a Mac to save as PDF offers a more comprehensive text-based output. Sending messages to another phone provides an export option when a printer isn’t immediately available. For the most robust solution, third-party apps like iMazing provide extensive export and printing capabilities, especially for archiving entire conversations. Choose the method that best suits your needs and the length of the text conversation you wish to print.
