How to Print SMS from iPhone: Your Comprehensive Guide

Have you ever needed a tangible record of your text message conversations? Whether it’s for legal purposes, resolving disagreements, or simply archiving important exchanges, having a printed copy of your SMS messages from your iPhone can be incredibly useful.

While iPhones don’t offer a direct “print” button within the Messages app, don’t worry. There are still effective methods to get your text messages onto paper. Depending on the volume of messages you need and your desired format, you have several options. This guide will walk you through the best ways to print SMS from your iPhone, ensuring you can create a hard copy whenever you need it.

Method 1: The Quick Screenshot Approach

For short conversations or just a few key messages, taking screenshots is the quickest and most straightforward method. This approach captures your messages as images, which you can then easily print from your Photos app.

Here’s how to print text messages from your iPhone using screenshots:

1. Open the Messages App and Select Your Conversation: Navigate to the Messages app on your iPhone and tap on the conversation you intend to print.

2. Capture Screenshots: Take screenshots of the message thread by simultaneously pressing the Side Button (Lock Button) and the Volume Up Button on iPhones with Face ID. For older iPhones with a Home Button, press the Home Button and the Side Button (Lock Button) at the same time. The screen will flash briefly, and you’ll see a preview of the screenshot.

Screenshot of iPhone screen showing how to take a screenshot on iPhone

3. Access Screenshots in the Photos App: Go to the Photos app on your iPhone.

4. Locate the Screenshots Album: Tap the Albums tab at the bottom, then find and select the Screenshots album. This album automatically collects all the screenshots you’ve taken.

5. Select Screenshots for Printing: Tap Select in the top right corner, and then tap on each screenshot you want to print. A blue checkmark will appear on the selected images.

Screenshot of iPhone Photos app showing selection of screenshots for printing text messages

6. Open the Share Sheet and Choose Print: In the bottom left corner, tap the Share button (the square with an upward arrow). Scroll down the share sheet options and select Print.

7. Printer Setup and Printing: Ensure your wireless printer is turned on, connected to the same Wi-Fi network as your iPhone, and within range. Adjust printer settings like paper size and number of copies if needed. Finally, tap Print in the upper right corner to send the screenshots to your printer.

Screenshot of iPhone print options after selecting share and print to print text messages

While screenshots are quick for small portions of text, they become less practical for lengthy conversations. You’ll end up with multiple image files, and the text isn’t searchable or easily editable in this format. For more extensive message history, consider the following methods.

Method 2: Convert iMessages to PDF on Mac for Printing

If you use iMessages on a Mac, you can leverage this to save and print entire text conversations more efficiently. Converting your iMessage conversation to a PDF on your Mac allows you to create a single document suitable for printing.

Keep in mind that loading very long conversations might cause the Messages application on Mac to become unresponsive. It’s advisable to work in manageable chunks for extensive message histories.

Here’s how to print iPhone text messages to PDF from your Mac:

1. Open iMessages on Your Mac: Launch the Messages application on your macOS computer.

2. Select the Text Conversation: In the Messages app, locate and click on the text conversation you wish to print.

3. Scroll to Load Messages: Scroll back within the conversation window to load all the messages you want to include in your PDF. For very long conversations, it might be necessary to scroll in segments to avoid performance issues.

4. Access the Print Menu: Once the desired messages are loaded, click File in the top menu bar, and then select Print from the dropdown menu.

Screenshot of Mac Messages app showing File menu and Print option to print text messages

5. Save as PDF: In the Print dialog box, look for a dropdown menu typically labeled “PDF” (it may be near the “Pages” section, which indicates the number of pages to be saved/printed). Click this dropdown and choose Save as PDF.

Screenshot of Mac Print dialog box showing dropdown menu to Save as PDF for printing text messages

6. Configure PDF Save Options: A “Save As” dialog box will appear. Here, you can:

   • Name your PDF file in the “Save As” field.
   • Choose a save location using the “Where” dropdown menu.
   • Optionally, add a Title, Author, and Subject to the PDF metadata.

7. Save the PDF: Click Save to create the PDF document of your text conversation.

Screenshot of Mac Save As dialog box for saving text messages as PDF

Now you have a PDF file containing your text message conversation, which you can easily open, print, or archive as needed. This method is more efficient for longer conversations than screenshots and provides text-based output.

Method 3: Send Conversations to Another Phone Number for Printing

In situations where you don’t have immediate printer access but need to export your text messages for later printing, you can send the conversation to another phone number (perhaps your own or a friend’s Android phone that might offer more printing options).

This is also useful if you only want to share or print specific parts of a conversation, rather than the entire history.

Here’s how to forward and “print” text messages by sending them to another phone:

1. Open iMessage Conversation: Launch the Messages app on your iPhone and open the conversation you want to export.

2. Select Messages to Forward: Tap and hold on any message bubble within the conversation. When the options menu appears, tap More….

3. Choose Messages for Forwarding: Circles will appear next to each message bubble. Manually select all the messages you want to include by tapping on these circles.

4. Tap the Share Button: Tap the Share arrow located in the bottom right corner of the screen.

5. Enter Recipient Number: In the “To” field, enter the phone number you want to send the messages to. This could be your own number on a different phone, or another person’s number.

6. Send the Messages: Tap the up arrow in the green circle to send the selected messages as a new text message to the recipient number.

Screenshot of iPhone screen showing how to select and share text messages to another phone

Once sent to the other phone, you can explore printing options from that device, or copy the text from there and use other methods to print. Keep in mind that formatting might change when forwarding messages this way, and they will appear as a series of individual forwarded messages.

Method 4: Utilizing Third-Party Apps (iMazing) for Comprehensive Printing and Export

For the most robust and feature-rich solution, especially when dealing with extensive message threads or needing specific output formats, third-party applications like iMazing offer powerful capabilities. iMazing is a desktop software that allows you to manage and back up your iPhone data, including exporting messages in various formats, including PDF and text, which are ideal for printing.

This method is particularly beneficial when you need to print entire conversations in a readable, text-based format, and want more control over the process.

Here’s how to print text messages from iPhone using iMazing:

1. Download and Install iMazing: Visit the iMazing website (https://cyberguy.com/Imazing) and download the iMazing application for your Windows or macOS computer. Install the software on your computer and then launch it.

Screenshot of iMazing download page for printing iPhone text messages

2. Connect Your iPhone: Connect your iPhone to your computer using a USB cable.

Screenshot of iMazing interface prompting to connect an Apple device to print text messages

3. Trust Computer on iPhone: Unlock your iPhone. You may see a prompt asking “Trust This Computer?”. Tap Trust Device to allow iMazing to access your iPhone’s data.

Screenshot of iPhone Trust This Computer prompt when connecting to iMazing for printing text messages

4. Access Messages in iMazing: In the iMazing sidebar on the left, select your device once it’s connected. Then, click on Messages to access your text messages.

Screenshot of iMazing interface showing Messages option for accessing text messages to print

5. Select Conversation and Date Range: Choose the conversation you want to print by clicking on it. In the top right corner, you can specify a date range using the “From” and “To” date selectors to filter the messages if needed.

Screenshot of iMazing interface showing conversation selection and date range options for printing text messages

6. Initiate Print: Click the Print button, which is usually located in the toolbar at the top of the iMazing window.

Screenshot of iMazing interface showing Print button for printing text messages

7. Printer Settings and Print: A print dialog box will appear, allowing you to adjust printer settings such as paper size, orientation, and page ranges. Ensure your printer is connected to your computer and ready. Click Print again in the dialog box to start printing your text messages.

Screenshot of iMazing print dialog box for configuring printer settings before printing text messages

Alternatively, Export to PDF for Digital Copies:

If you prefer a digital copy or want to print later, iMazing also allows you to export your messages to a PDF file:

1. Follow steps 1-5 above to connect your iPhone, access messages, and select the conversation and date range.

2. Export to PDF: Instead of clicking “Print,” click the Export to PDF button (often located near the Print button in the toolbar).

3. Choose Save Location and Export: Click Next, and then choose a name and location on your computer to save the PDF file. Click Export to export your messages to a PDF document.

iMazing provides the most comprehensive solution for printing and exporting iPhone text messages, offering flexibility, control, and various output options. While it involves using third-party software, its features are invaluable for users who frequently need to manage and print their iPhone message data.

Key Takeaways

Printing SMS messages from your iPhone, while not a direct feature, is certainly achievable through these different methods. For quick prints of a few messages, screenshots are a fast solution. For longer conversations, converting to PDF on a Mac offers a better format. Sending messages to another phone provides flexibility for printing elsewhere. However, for the most comprehensive and feature-rich experience, especially for large volumes of messages or specific formatting needs, third-party tools like iMazing provide the most powerful and versatile options.

Choose the method that best suits your needs and you’ll be able to create printed records of your iPhone text conversations whenever necessary.