Do you need a tangible record of your text conversations from your iPhone? Whether it’s for legal reasons, to settle a disagreement, or simply to keep important information at hand, having a printed copy of your text messages can be incredibly useful.
While iPhones don’t offer a direct “print” option within the Messages app itself, there are effective workarounds. This guide will walk you through several methods to print your iPhone text messages, ensuring you can create a hard copy whether you need just a few messages or entire conversations. We’ll cover everything from quick screenshot methods to using your Mac and third-party applications for more extensive printing needs.
1. Printing Text Messages Using Screenshots: The Quickest Method
For a small number of messages, taking screenshots is the fastest and simplest way to get them ready for printing. This method turns your text conversation into images, which you can then easily print from your Photos app. Here’s how to do it:
- First, open the Messages app on your iPhone and navigate to the conversation you want to print.
- Capture a screenshot of your conversation. On iPhones with Face ID, press and hold the side button and the volume up button simultaneously. For iPhones with a Home button, quickly press and release both the Home button and the side button (or top button).
Screenshot of iPhone screen capture using side button and volume up button
- Next, open the Photos app on your iPhone.
- Tap on the Albums tab at the bottom, and then select the Screenshots album.
- Tap Select in the top right corner, and then tap on each screenshot you wish to print to select them. A blue checkmark will appear on each selected image.
- Once you’ve selected all the necessary screenshots, 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
- From the share sheet options, scroll down and select Print.
- Ensure your wireless printer is turned on, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone, and selected. Adjust printer settings like paper size and number of copies as needed.
- Finally, tap Print in the top right corner to send your screenshots to the printer.
Screenshot of iPhone print options with print button highlighted
While screenshots are convenient for short message exchanges, they can become cumbersome for longer conversations as you’ll need multiple screenshots and the printed output is image-based, not text-based. For more extensive printing, consider the following methods.
2. Converting iPhone Text Messages to PDF Using Your Mac
If you have a Mac, you can leverage the iMessages app on your computer to save entire text conversations as PDFs for printing. This method is suitable for longer conversations but may require some scrolling and might be less reliable for very extensive message histories.
- Open the Messages app on your Mac.
- In the Messages app, find and click on the text conversation you want to print.
- Scroll up in the conversation to load all the messages you need to print. For very long conversations, it’s advisable to do this in smaller chunks to prevent potential application issues.
- Once the messages are loaded, go to the menu bar at the top of your screen, click on File, and then select Print.
Screenshot of Mac iMessages File menu with Print option highlighted
- In the Print dialog box, you can preview how many pages your text messages will occupy.
- Click on the PDF dropdown menu in the bottom left corner of the Print dialog box.
- Choose Save as PDF… from the dropdown options.
Screenshot of Mac Print dialog box with Save as PDF option highlighted
- A Save dialog box will appear. Choose a name for your PDF file, select a location to save it on your Mac, and optionally add Title, Author, and Subject information.
- Click Save to save your text conversation as a PDF file.
Screenshot of Mac Save dialog box for PDF file
- You can now open the PDF file and print it from your Mac using any connected printer. This method provides a more text-based and continuous printout compared to screenshots.
3. Exporting Text Conversations by Sending to Another Phone Number
If you don’t have immediate access to a printer but need to export your text messages from your iPhone, you can send the conversation to another phone number. This allows you to access and print the messages from a different device later. This is especially useful for sharing specific parts of a conversation without exporting your entire message history.
- Launch the Messages app on your iPhone and open the conversation you want to export.
- Tap and hold on any message bubble within the conversation until a menu appears.
- From the menu, tap More….
- Select the messages you want 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 of the screen (it looks like an arrow pointing upwards).
- In the “To:” field, enter the phone number you want to send the messages to (this could be your own number on another phone or a different number).
- Tap the send button (up arrow in a green circle) to send the selected messages.
Screenshot of iPhone message selection with share button highlighted
The recipient phone will receive the selected messages as a new text thread. From there, you can explore printing options available on that device, whether it’s another iPhone, an Android phone, or a computer connected to that phone.
4. Using a Third-Party App: iMazing for Comprehensive Export and Print
For users needing to print large volumes of text messages or require more control over the export and printing process, third-party applications 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, which you can then print. This method is ideal for archiving entire conversations and ensuring you have a digital backup as well.
iMazing download button
- First, download and install the iMazing app on your computer (Mac or Windows) from the iMazing website.
- Launch iMazing after installation.
- Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.
Connect iPhone to computer using USB cable
- Unlock your iPhone and tap Trust on the “Trust This Computer?” prompt if it appears.
Trust This Computer prompt on iPhone
- In the iMazing interface, locate your device in the sidebar and click on Messages.
iMazing sidebar with Messages option highlighted
- Select the conversation you want to print by clicking on it.
- In the top right corner, you can filter messages by date using the “From” and “To” date selectors to specify the range of messages to print.
iMazing date filter for messages
- Click the Print button in the toolbar.
iMazing Print button highlighted
- In the Print dialog, adjust settings as needed, ensure your printer is connected and selected, and click Print again to start printing your messages.
iMazing Print dialog box
- Alternatively, to save a digital copy, instead of clicking “Print,” click Export to PDF (or other formats like Text or CSV).
- Choose a name and location to save the exported file.
- Click Export to save your messages as a digital file, which you can then print or archive as needed.
Key Takeaways for Printing iPhone Text Messages
Printing text messages from your iPhone, while not a direct feature, is achievable through several methods. Screenshots are quick for short snippets, using a Mac offers a PDF conversion for longer threads, sending to another phone allows for export without immediate printing, and third-party apps like iMazing provide comprehensive export and printing capabilities.
Choosing the best method depends on the volume of messages you need to print and your access to other devices. Whether you’re creating records for legal purposes, documenting important conversations, or simply wanting a physical copy, these methods will help you effectively print text messages from your iPhone.
