How to rebuild the Spotlight Index on your Mac

To ask macOS to refresh the Spotlight index on a drive, you essentially turn indexing off on that drive, and then turn it back on again:

1. Select the Apple menu in the top left corner of your Mac and pick "System Settings."

2. Click the "Spotlight" choice or the "Siri & Spotlight" option.

3. Choose the "Search Privacy" or "Spotlight Privacy" button.

4. Select and drag your hard drive (often named Macintosh HD) that you want Spotlight to re-index to the list of locations that Spotlight is prevented from searching. In addition to dragging, you can also click the add button (+) to add it that way.

5. Wait a few seconds and then click the remove button (–) to remove your Macintosh Hard Drive from this list. This will then force Spotlight to "re-index" all the files on your computer so that they appear in search results.

6. Select Done.

Note: The re-index can often take a little time and this all depends on the amount of data that Spotlight has to re-index. Be patient and when you try your Spotlight search again you should now see the entire contents of your Macintosh hard drive indexed and searchable.

Source: If you want to read more about how to have Spotlight re-index the files on your Mac, you can navigate to Apple's official instructions here.

Make sure you've allowed Spotlight to search all the files on your Mac.

Here is one additional thing to check in order to ensure that all the files on your Mac are searchable.

Select System Settings on your Mac, click on "Spotlight" or "Siri and Spotlight," and make sure that all the file categories are checked so that they are available to be indexed and searched by Spotlight.

If you are one of these users and you regularly send messages via WhatsApp, then there might come a time when you have a need to save and print your WhatsApp messages as a PDF file on your computer.

Today's instructions will walk any iPhone or Android user through how to export and print their WhatsApp messages to PDF using the popular third-party program Decipher Chat.

Reasons to save and print WhatsApp messages

There are a myriad of reasons why WhatsApp users often have a need to export and print their WhatsApp messages and conversations. Some of these include:

• Capturing WhatsApp messages for business documentation.

• Saving WhatsApp chats for court, trial, or legal disputes.

• Exporting messages from WhatsApp to save chats with a family member or loved ones.

• Parents that need to retain and print WhatsApp messages of their teens or kids.

• Having a secondary copy of WhatsApp chats saved to computer before switching phones or in case of a lost or stolen mobile device.

Steps to print WhatsApp messages - iPhone

Here are the specific steps to follow so you can print out WhatsApp chats on iPhone:

1. Open Decipher Chat on your computer.

2. Plug your iPhone into your PC or Mac and select "Back Up" in Decipher Chat.

3. After the backup completes, select your iPhone.

4. Choose any WhatsApp contact that has messages you want to export and print out.

5. Select Export and pick the PDF option.

6. Open the file of your WhatsApp messages and choose “Print” to print out your WhatsApp chats to PDF on your computer.

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After backing up your iPhone, when you open Decipher Chat you'll see your device and all your WhatsApp contacts in the software. Then you can export any WhatsApp chats to PDF right away. Here is an example of how your WhatsApp messages look imported into Decipher Chat.

Below is an example of what a PDF of your WhatsApp chats and messages looks like when you export your WhatsApp conversations to computer with Decipher Chat:

Pro Tip: Notice that the WhatsApp messages exported with Decipher Chat contain metadata such as the timestamp and contact information on every single WhatsApp chat. This type of documentation is helpful for record keeping, legal needs, court, and evidence.

"Great program, worked perfectly. Decipher Chat helped save important WhatsApp chats. And also, excellent support. I can only recommend it."

-Dima / January 27, 2026 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Source: Customer testimonial / review for Decipher Chat software to save and print WhatsApp messages..

Steps to print WhatsApp messages - Android

Here are the specific steps to print WhatsApp chats from Android phones:

1. Open a WhatsApp chat on your Android phone.

2. Choose "More Options" > "More" > "Export chat."

3. Select "Include Media."

4. Email or save the zip file of your WhatsApp data to your Windows or Mac computer.

5. Open Decipher Chat on your computer and select Preferences.

6. Choose "Custom Backup Location" and pick "Add WhatsApp Export Zip Files."

7. Select the WhatsApp zip file that you want to import into Decipher Chat.

8. Click on the WhatsApp contact in Decipher Chat and choose "Save" to export your WhatsApp chats as a PDF to your computer.

9. Open the exported PDF and select "Print" to print out the WhatsApp messages.

Source: Export WhatsApp messages to your computer.
Source: Decipher Chat import WhatsApp data preference.

After exporting the zip file of your WhatsApp data from your Android phone to your computer, when you open Decipher Chat and select "Preferences" in the program you'll see the option to import the zip file of your WhatsApp data.

Once you have imported your WhatsApp zip file into Decipher Chat, you will then see your WhatsApp data in the program and you can choose the WhatsApp contact and export and print your WhatsApp messages to your Windows PC or Mac.

Pro tip: Exporting a zip file of your WhatsApp data directly from the WhatsApp app on your mobile phone can be done by both Android and iPhone users.

Video Instructions - Exporting WhatsApp data from Android or iPhone with Decipher Chat

If you are exporting your WhatsApp data directly on your phone and your goal is to import the zip file of your WhatsApp chats into Decipher Chat, here is a helpful tutorial video that walks you through the process outlined above so you can save WhatsApp chats to PDF.

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"Are the text messages on my iPhone exportable? I don't want to take screenshots since I have a lot of texts that I need to save to PDF and print out for work before I get a new iPhone. Is there a way to save all the text messages off the phone?"
-Michael Buck, San Diego, California

Answer:

"Yes, it is possible to export and save iPhone text messages from the Messages app on iPhone to any Windows or Mac computer. The popular third-party app Decipher TextMessage is the tool of choice for iPhone users who need to extract, save, and print text messages."

Follow along with these steps to export and save iPhone text messages to any computer:

1. Install the Decipher TextMessage app on your computer.

2. Plug an iPhone into your PC or Mac and select the “Back Up” option in the program.

3. Choose "Export" and pick “Current Conversation PDF."

4. Select a folder on your computer to save the PDF of your iPhone text messages.

5. You have now successfully exported text messages from iPhone to your computer.

Bonus tip: To print the exported iPhone text messages, open the saved PDF in your PDF viewing software on your computer and select “Print” to print out the iPhone text messages.

After opening Decipher TextMessage and backing up your iPhone in the program, the software will display all your text messages with any contact. Here is an example of how your iPhone text messages and contacts appear when they are imported into the app on your Windows PC or Mac.

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What are my export options and choices when saving text messages from iPhone?

Decipher TextMessage gives any iPhone or iPad user the ability to export, save, and print text messages, iMessages, and SMS/MMS messages.

Decipher TextMessage offers the following helpful export format options:

• PDF

• PDF (Date Range)

• HTML

• HTML (Date Range)

• Plain Text (TXT)

• CSV / Excel

When you are using Decipher TextMessage and select "Export," you'll see the different export options displayed in the program so that you can choose the one that best fits your specific SMS export needs.

What does an exported text message document in PDF format look like?

Below is an example document exported with Decipher TextMessage software. Notice that the software preserves the "chat-bubble" formatting as displayed in the Messages app on your iPhone.

Additionally, take note that there is important metadata like the contact information and date and timestamp on all text messages both received and sent. This is a unique preference in Decipher TextMessage software that is critical for organizing and archiving text messages for personal use, business reasons, court, evidence, or legal documentation.

"The ability to transfer and save text message threads for court purposes is very useful. Decipher TextMessage also provided a summary count of texts and attachments by month/year etc... Very helpful for billing proof!"

-Melinda / January 27, 2026 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Source: Customer testimonial / review for Decipher TextMessage software to save and print iPhone text messages..

When I use software to export text messages, is my text message data public?

Always make sure that the third-party software you are using is trusted and vetted.

If you are saving text messages with Decipher TextMessage, all your personal text message data is private on your PC or Mac computer. Anytime you purchase a program to copy and save text message data, make sure the software is reputable and doesn't ever store your text message data in the cloud or online!

Source: Decipher Tools Software / Decipher TextMessage verification and data privacy..

Is there a video I can watch so I can better understand how to save and export my iPhone text messages?

If you need additional help, here is a simple instructional video that walks you through how to export and print out iPhone text messages. ytvideo{ayywP8AGKM4}

The two primary ways to save and print iPhone text messages is by taking screenshots or by using a third-party software program to export the text message data.

In order to decide which method is best for your own personal needs and data privacy, there are several things to consider:

How many text messages do you need to save and print?

Screenshots - If you have a very small amount of iPhone text messages to save and print, you might consider taking screenshots.

Screenshots are a safe, easy, and quick way to capture the text messages so that you have a basic photo or "screenshot" of the important conversations.

However, if you need to save more than a few messages, taking screenshots is not very ideal or user-friendly.

It can take a large amount of time to take the screenshots and then you have to figure out a way to organize the screenshots into a format that is cohesive and printable.

Third-party Software - If you have a need to print out many text messages, then using a third-party software program to export and print the texts is a smart choice.

Third-party software enables you to print as many iPhone text messages as you need without the hassle of taking a lot of screenshots.

If you use a trusted third-party software program like Decipher TextMessage, the software will organize and export your messages in a variety of options including as a PDF file.

You can then email or share the exported text message document with friends, family, business colleagues, lawyers, legal counsel, or anyone.

Cost and budget

Screenshots - Taking screenshots of text messages on your iPhone or iPad is free and doesn't cost anything. This is great if you have a limited budget.

Third-party Software - Using third-party software is not free, however the features and functionality of a reputable third-party software program to save text messages will enable you to quickly and reliably export and print text messages while simultaneously save you time and effort.

If you decide to go with a third-party software program to save and print text messages from iPhone, do your research to ensure you pick an app that doesn’t have any subscriptions, recurring monthly charges, or hidden billing. Decipher TextMessage is a program that meets all these important requirements.

Data Safety and Privacy

Screenshots - When you take screenshots of text messages on your iPhone or iPad, all the screenshots are private on your iOS device. The screenshots can only be seen or viewed by you or whoever has permission to access and use your device.

Third-party Software - When you use a third-party software program to save messages, it is important to make sure that the software you are using is reputable and doesn’t store your text message data on servers/in the cloud. (Text message data stored on someone else's server is vulnerable should that server be compromised.)

When saving and printing iPhone text messages with a third-party app, it's important to choose a program that guarantees data privacy and that the user of the software is the only person with access to their text messages and exported message history.

What is a trusted third-party software program that prints text messages while keeping my data safe and private?

We recommend the popular USA-made third-party software Decipher TextMessage for this task.

Decipher TextMessage enables users to save and print text messages on any Windows PC or Mac computer and the program is known for its reliability and data safety.

When you use Decipher TextMessage to export and print text messages, all of one’s data is completely private on the computer where the software is used. Nothing is ever stored on servers or remotely in the cloud.

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Method #1 - How do I take screenshots of iPhone text messages?

Here is how to take iPhone screenshots:

• Open the Messages app on your iPhone and select a contact.

• Press and release the "side button" and also the "volume up" button. This will save the screenshot to the camera roll in your iPhone.

• Open the camera roll and select the screenshot. You can now tap "Print" which will let you print the screenshot.

• Repeat this step for however many text messages screenshots you need to print.

Data Source: Apple Support.

Method #2 - How do I save and print iPhone text messages with a third-party software app?

These are the exact steps to print your iPhone text messages:

1. Open Decipher TextMessage software on your computer.

2. Plug your iPhone into your computer and choose "Back Up" in the program.

3. When the backup completes, select your iPhone.

4. Choose a contact and select Export / PDF to save the iPhone text messages to your computer.

5. Open the PDF and select "Print" to print out your iPhone text messages in a safe, private, and secure manner on your computer.
   
   

Here is an example of what iPhone text messages look like when exported to PDF using the safe and secure software Decipher TextMessage.

Metadata - Do you need the timestamp and contact info displayed on your iPhone text message print outs?

One of the benefits of using Decipher TextMessage to export and print iPhone text messages is that the program generates print outs with important metadata like the timestamp and contact information on every text message that you have both sent and received.

The example above shows this metadata timestamp and contact on ever single text message feature which is unique to Decipher TextMessage and often required by lawyers, attorneys, and legal counsel when generating text message transcripts for evidence.

The metadata option in Decipher TextMessage is also a simple and helpful way to ensure your text message conversations are organized and comprehensive, giving any user a clear understanding of when texts were sent and received and by whom.

Things to avoid when printing iPhone text messages - Safety and privacy

If you are concerned about safety and data privacy when printing iPhone text messages, here are several important things to avoid and be cautious about:

• Apple ID - Do not give out your Apple ID to any software program requesting it for text message export purposes.

• iCloud password - Never give out your iCloud password to any third-party company to save and print iPhone text messages.

• Data uploads to servers or the cloud - Stay away from programs that require you to upload your text message data to external servers or cloud storage.

• Jailbreaking - Do not use software that requires you to Jailbreak your iPhone in order to export and print text messages.

• Public computers - Never use a public computer to back up your iPhone or to save and print text messages.

Read reviews - Always read product reviews before purchasing third-party software to save and print iPhone text messages.

Before you use or purchase a third-party program to export and print iPhone text messages, it's recommend that you Google the software and read product reviews and testimonials.

Reviews for Decipher Tools, the USA-based software company that develop and support Decipher TextMessage, can be viewed at https://deciphertools.com/testimonial.html.

Decipher Tools software has an established track record and are experts in saving, printing, and managing iPhone text messages both for individual users and also enterprise clients in the legal and business world.

Stephen H.
January 2026

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

"I Googled and found a Reddit comment was a listing of 2-3 software programs that might work to save and print iPhone text messages. I downloaded one called Decipher TextMessage from Decipher Tools onto my Windows 11 laptop and within an hour, everything loaded and worked to perfection. I was able to download 8,323 pages of all our texts since 2018 into a searchable PDF and archive the whole thing. Amazingly, for only one reasonable purchase price with no monthly/annual subscription required (unlike the software that failed so miserably!)"

Wrapping Up

We hope that today's instructions about how to safely and securely print iPhone text messages has been helpful.

Following the steps outlined above should enable you to evaluate which method of saving and printing iPhone text messages is best for your own personal needs. You will also have the peace of mind knowing that your important text message data is safe and secure when transferring the text messages, SMS, and iMessages to your PC or Mac computer.

Copying iPhone text messages to a USB thumb drive is useful for many reasons including:

• Text Message File Sharing - Easily share iPhone text messages with friends, business colleagues, legal counsel, or family members.

• Portability - Having a secondary portable copy of your important text message conversations lets you store backups of your text messages is different locations for safekeeping and security.

• Free up space on iPhone - Many users like to copy and transfer text messages from iPhone to a USB drive so that they can deleted text messages from the Messages app on their device which frees up important iPhone space.

• Print iPhone text messages from any location - Having a copy of iPhone text messages on a portable USB flash thumb drive enables you to print out the messages in PDF format on any computer or printer that has the ability to read USB thumb drives.

• Organization - Exporting text messages to a USB drive helps users organize text conversations as PDF documents in different folders and directories.

What do I need to save iPhone text messages to a USB flash thumb drive?

In order to export text messages from iPhone to a USB flash or thumb drive you need the following:

• Windows or Mac computer

• USB flash / thumb drive

• Decipher TextMessage software

Decipher TextMessage software runs on any Windows or Mac computer and gives iPhone users the ability to save text messages (including photo and video attachments) in a variety of formats such as a PDF, HMTL, CSV, and TXT.

Text Message Data Privacy: When you run Decipher TextMessage all your text message data is stored privately on your PC or Mac and only you have access to the data.

How to copy and save iPhone text messages to USB flash drive.

Follow these specific steps to save text messages from iPhone to a USB thumb flash drive:

1. Run Decipher TextMessage on your computer.

2. Plug your iPhone into your PC or Mac and select Back Up in the program.

3. When the the backup completes, select your iPhone.

4. Pick a contact that has text messages you want to save to a USB thumb drive.

5. Choose Export/PDF to save the iPhone text messages to computer.

6. Plug the USB thumb flash drive into your Windows or Mac computer and copy the PDF containing the iPhone text messages to the USB thumb drive.

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Can I copy iPhone text messages directly to a USB Flash thumb drive without having to first save the messages to my computer?

Yes! If you want to save iPhone text messages directly to a USB thumb drive without first exporting the messages to your computer, plug the USB drive into your Windows PC or Mac. When you select Export / PDF in Decipher TextMessage, instead of choosing a folder or directory on your computer, select your USB thumb drive and you can copy the PDF of your iPhone text messages directly to the USB drive.

What are the different formats for saving iPhone text messages to a USB thumb flash drive?

Decipher TextMessage enables anyone to export text messages from iPhone to a USB thumb drive in a variety of formats that include:

• PDF - The PDF export option in Decipher TextMessage lets users save iPhone text messages, iMessages, and photo/video attachments in PDF format. This is a convenient and easy format to share text messages with anyone.

• HTML - The HTML Archive export feature is a way for iPhone users to save text messages and photo attachments as a HMTL file. Users can then open the HTML file locally in their web browser on any computer. Once of the perks of the HTML Archive export choice offered by Decipher TextMessage is that this export format also saves a separate stand-alone folder of all the text message photo and video attachments with any contact.

• CSV - The CSV (Comma-Separated Values) export option will format iPhone text messages in a CSV text file so that the text message data can be opened and imported into a spreadsheet or also into programs like Google Sheets, Excel, or Numbers on a Mac.

• TXT - Saving text messages from iPhone using Decipher TextMessage's Text (TXT) export option is simple to copy text messages without any formatting to a USB drive. You can then open the text file using Notepad on Windows, Text Edit on Mac, Microsoft Word on both Windows and Mac, or any text software reader of your choice.
  
  

As a Systems Administrator at a fairly large company, I have reached out for support for a number of tools/services over the years. DecipherTools support is stellar and Decipher TextMessage software works great! But if you have a question or issue, these guys are incredibly quick and thorough helping. Unrivaled support!.

-David / February 19, 2025 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Source: Customer reviews and testimonials for Decipher TextMessage.

What size USB thumb drive do I need for copying iPhone text messages?

The capacity of a USB thumb drive needed for exporting text messages all depends on how much text message data you have stored on your iPhone and whether the text message conversations also include large amounts of photo and video attachments.

USB flash thumb drives usually come in a variety of sizes including 8GB, 16GB, 32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB. Any of these sizes from 16GB and larger should hopefully accommodate your needs when transferring text messages from iPhone to a USB thumb drive.

Do you need additional help?

Hopefully you have found that today's instructions about how to save and copy iPhone text messages to a USB flash drive have been useful.

If you need any assistance with transferring your texts to a thumb drive, simply reach out to us via our Decipher Tools support page and one of our USA-based team from our San Francisco or Phoenix office will be happy to reply and assist.

It’s important to remember that there are two ends on charging/data cable: the side that connects to your iPhone and the side that connects to your power brick or computer.

→ Jump to iPhone 5 through iPhone 14 series.

→ Jump to iPhone 15 / iPhone 16 / iPhone 17 series.

Understanding the Different USB Connectors

The most common USB connectors you’ll encounter are:

• USB-A: This is the traditional rectangular USB connector you've likely seen for years. It’s commonly found on older computers, car chargers, and some power adapters.

• USB-C: This is the newer, more versatile oblong-shaped connector. It's becoming the industry standard and is found on most newer devices, including new power adapters, many computers and even the newer iPhones.

Which Cable Do You Need? A Quick Guide:

The Lightning Era: iPhone 5 through iPhone 14

Starting in 2012, iPhones relied on Apple’s proprietary connector called Lightning. This small, reversible connector was used in iPhones from the iPhone 5 through the iPhone 14 series. If you have one of these iPhones, the port on the bottom of your device is a Lightning port. It’s recognizable by it’s hollow oval shape. (Hint: If there’s a little connector board in the middle the oval, it’s a USB-C port.)

That’s only half of the puzzle though; on the other end of the Lightning cable, you need the appropriate connector to plug into your power source or computer as well! It’s necessary to consider both the port on your phone and the port on the power adapter or computer you plan to use when choosing your cable.

This often means a Lightning to USB-A cable if you’re using an older style power adapter or computer port. The USB-A port is the traditional rectangular USB connector you’ve likely seen for years. It’s commonly found on older computers, car chargers, and some power adapters.

However, with more modern computers or power adapters, you might need a Lightning to USB-C Cable. This is the newer, more versatile oblong-shaped connector. It’s becoming the industry standard and is found on most newer devices, including new power adapters, many computers and even the newer iPhones.

Okay! Now that we know you need a lightning cable for your iPhone, and whether you’re connecting to a USB-A or USB-C port, we know what kind of cable you need. It’s either a Lightning USB-A Cable or a Lightning USB-C Cable. Make sure you look at both ends of the cable to make sure they match up with what you expect.

If you would prefer a recommendation, here are two iPhone lightning cables we’ve used and know work for both power and data transfer:

• USB-A to Lightning - Apple Lightning to USB-A Cable

• USB-C to Lightning - Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable

The USB-C Transition: iPhone 15 Series and Newer

Starting with the iPhone 15 series, Apple transitioned to the industry-standard USB-C port. If you have an iPhone 15 or a newer model, you’ll notice that the charging port is now wider and oval-shaped, with a tiny board in the middle of the port. This means you’ll need a USB-C cable to charge your device.

Again, this is only half of the cable though; on the other side of the cable, you need the correct connector to plug into your computer or power adapter.

For newer computers and power adapters, the other side of the cable will also be USB-C. In that case, the port on your computer/power adapter will look just like the port on your iPhone. So in this case you will want a USB-C to USB-C Cable.

Or, if you’re using an older style power adapter or computer port, the port is likely a USB-A port. The USB-A port is the traditional rectangular USB connector you’ve likely seen for years. It’s commonly found on older computers, car chargers, and some power adapters. In that case, you will want a USB-C to USB-A cable.

If you would like a recommendation, here are one of each kind of USB-C cables that we’ve used and know work for both power and data transfer:

• USB-C to USB-C - Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-C 4 Fast Charger Cable (Bonus: this cable also supports fast charging. It also supports faster USB 3 data transfer for the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro.)

• USB-C to USB-A - Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-A

Beyond the Cable, Charging: Don’t Forget the Power Adapter

While this article focuses on cables, it's crucial to remember that the charging involves two key components:

• The Cable: The two-sided connector that plugs into both the iPhone and into a power adapter/computer.

• The Power Adapter (Power Brick): This device plugs into the wall and has a USB-A or USB-C to which the other end of the cable plugs into. When choosing a power adapter, make sure it has the right port compatible with the cable you intend to use. Additionally, ensure it supports the correct power output for optimal charging. Apple recommends using its own power adapters, but many reputable third-party options are available.

Fast charging: iPhone 8 series and later support fast charging. To utilize fast charging, you will need a USB power adapter that supports Power Delivery (PD) 2.0, that is at least 18W (or even up to 30W for iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 series). That means a you're going to be using USB-C for the power brick side of the cable, and you want to make sure that your cable supports fast charging. Here's a few recommendations:

• For iPhone 8 series through iPhone 14 series (lightning ports): Apple 20W USB-C Power Adapter and Apple USB-C to Lightning Cable both support fast charging.

• For iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 series (USB-C ports): Apple 30W USB-C Power Adapter and Amazon Basics USB-C to USB-C 4 Fast Charger Cable support fast charging at the higher wattage that the newer iPhones support.

With the Power Delivery (PD) protocol, the iPhone and power adapter will negotiate the amount of power that should be sent to the phone, so it is ok to use a higher wattage PD adapter than what your iPhone needs.

Beyond the Cable, Data Transfer: Considerations for Fast Transfers

If you are connecting your iPhone to a computer to transfer photos/videos or make a backup often, you will want to use a USB cable that supports the fastest data transfer rate your iPhone can handle.

Also important note: Just because a USB cable supports charging, does not necessarily mean it supports data transfer. If you want to use the cable for data transfer, be sure a cable you buy says it is a data cable versus a charging cable. A "charge only" cable does not support data transfer.

• For iPhone 14 and lower: Your Lightning data connection supports up to USB 2.0. Any cable that supports data transfer should support USB 2.0 - easy!

• For iPhone 15/15 Plus, iPhone 16/16 Plus, iPhone 17/17 Air: The not-pro model iPhone 15, iPhone 16, and iPhone 17 series support USB 2.0 transfer speeds. Any cable that supports data transfer should support USB 2.0 - easy!

• For iPhone 15 Pro/15 Pro Max, iPhone 16 Pro/16 Pro Max, and iPhone 17/17 Pro Max: The iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro, and iPhone 17 Pro series support USB 3 data transfer speeds. To utilize this faster USB data transfer protocol, you will need to ensure that you have a USB port on your computer that supports USB 3.0 or higher. On Windows PCs, these ports are usually colored blue. Mac thunderbolt USB ports are USB 4.0 and support USB 3 transfer speeds. Additionally, you will want to make sure the USB cable you select says it supports USB 3.0. (The cables we've recommended in this article support USB 3.0.)

In Summary

Choosing the correct charging cable for your iPhone is straightforward once you understand your phone’s connector type. Older iPhones require a Lightning cable, while newer models use USB-C. Always check your computer or power adapter’s port type (USB-A or USB-C) to ensure you choose the appropriate cable to connect to it. By keeping these points in mind, you can ensure your iPhone is always connecting correctly.

Statista estimates estimates that in 2025 approximately 3.51 billion users use messaging apps to communicate. That’s a tremendous amount of messages sent via mobile devices! This includes iOS, Android, and also popular messaging apps like WhatsApp Messenger, Viber, Line, and WeChat. With text messaging and messaging apps now solidified as one of the world’s most popular forms of daily communication, the need to document and preserve text / sms messages for evidence in court has increased dramatically.

What is the best way to document and print out my messages for a court case or legal proceeding?

No matter how you preserve text messages for evidence, you'll want to make sure that the records have all of the information necessary for them to be admissible in court. Consult a lawyer for the specifics in your region about what information is required. For most legal matters the following details should be visible in your text message documentation:

• The date and time of the messages.
• The real contact information for the other party or parties in the text message conversation. For SMS this is a phone number. For MMS or iMessages, this is either a phone number or an email address.

Whether you are a lawyer, law enforcement official, or simply someone who has a pending court case or legal matter, there are several solutions for saving and printing text messages so that you can preserve evidence from your mobile phone's sms message history.

iPhone

For iPhone / iPad, we recommend using Decipher TextMessage to save and print out your text messages for court. Decipher TextMessage is already a trusted and widely used program by lawyers and law enforcement officials for preserving any messaging data in a format that will hold up in a legal environment. Features include:

• The software has a free trial so you can try it out without spending any money.
• Text messages are saved with a time / date stamp and by contact ensuring that your documentation will be upheld in a legal setting.
• Depending on the formatting your jurisdiction requires for text message transcripts, you may need to show the iPhone contact information on every individual message. Decipher TextMessage allows you to print your text messages with the contact information on each message, or to turn that option off if you prefer.
• Decipher TextMessage presents your iPhone text messages and iMessages in a similar format as seen on the iPhone. (Here are links to specific instructions about printing iPhone text messages and exporting iPhone text messages to a PDF file.)
• The software saves your text messages locally on your computer. None of your data is accessible by anyone but yourself and nothing is stored in the cloud.
• Decipher TextMessage will also show you if there are any deleted iPhone text messages or iMessages accessible in a backup. This feature that is useful for attorneys, police officers, or governmental agencies for evidence. (Click here for our guide about recovering deleted text messages.)
• Decipher TextMessage is compatible with any iPhone running {latest_ios} all the way back to iOS 4.
• The program also supports Windows 7 and above including Windows 10 and 11. Decipher TextMessage works for macOS Sierra and above including Catalina, Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura, Sonoma, Sequoia, and Tahoe.
• You don't always need the iPhone to save your data with Decipher TextMessage. The software will automatically access and read in data from existing iTunes backups on any Windows or Mac computer.
• Decipher TextMessage allows for combining text message conversations from more than one contact/group as well as selecting only a certain span of days or period of time depending on your needs.

Save text messages for court

Follow these steps to print and save text messages for court

1. Launch Decipher TextMessage.
2. Backup an iPhone on your computer.
3. Choose a contact whose text messages you want to save for court.
4. Select Export to save the text messages.
5. Open the saved PDF and choose Print to print the text messages for court, trial, or your lawyer.

All your text messages for court will be read into the software and displayed in chat bubble format with the contact and time/date stamp on each message. Here's an example of what you will see in the program:

iPhone Screenshots

Another way to print out your iPhone text messages is by taking screenshots of each text message screen on your device. To take a screenshot you press the "Home" and "Sleep/Wake" button to capture what is on your iPhone screen. There are various pros and cons of using the screenshot method. Some of these include:

• Screenshots are quick and easy (and free!) if you only have a few text messages.
• One drawback of using the screenshot method is that it is time consuming. If you have lots of messages you will need to screenshot each individual screen and organize the images into a text message transcript manually.
• If you're required to show the time on every message, you'll need to slide left on the Messages app screen to reveal each message time. It's hard to do that and press the screenshot buttons, and cuts off some of the message text.
• If you don't have the iPhone in your possession, there would be no way to use the screenshot method.

Video Instructions - Documenting text messages for trial or legal matters

We have step-by-step instructions outlined in our helpful YouTube video which will walk any iPhone user through the exact steps and directions so that you can immediately save your text messages for court, trial, or your attorney.

ytvideo{BJJgrW4w988}

Android

There are several popular programs available for saving text messages from an Android device to your computer Some are free and some can be purchased for a fee in the Google Play Store. One popular app is SMS Backup +. The program stores texts in your Gmail account and lets you access them from any web browser.

• The app is free so you can try it out without spending any money.
• Printing out the text messages from any web browser is convenient and easy.
• It requires that you have a Gmail account. If you don't, you can simply register for one and then be up and running with the application within minutes.

Android Screenshots

To take a screenshot of any Android device is fairly simple, however the commands are different depending on your specific device.

• The first thing to try is pressing down the "sleep / wake" button and also the "volume down" button at the same time. If you see your screen "flash" then you have successfully taken a screenshot.
• For Galaxy devices and other Android phones that have a "home" button, try holding down the home button and the power button simultaneously until you see the screen flash.
• After taking a screenshot the image will then appear in the photo gallery app on your device. Simply look for the screenshot photo album and locate the image you just captured. You can then send, save, or share the screenshot depending on what is best for your needs.

Whether your device is an iPhone or an Android, we hope these tips for preserving and saving your text messages for court or a legal issue have been helpful. Remember to back up your mobile data to your computer on a regular basis so that all your important information is safe and secure.

Feature Phones

We've seen a few questions in the comments section of this article asking about documenting text messages for non-smart phones. Contact us via our support page if you're interested in this and we'll be happy follow up with you! Please be sure to mention the specific kind of feature phone from which you want to document sms/mms messages; the techniques and details vary depending on the phone manufacturer/operating system.

Overview

Who: Any iPhone user can save and print their text messages. As of July 2025, there are more than 3 billion iPhones in the world. If you are one of these users and you have access to the correct software and a Windows or Mac computer, then you have the ability to export all your text message conversations.

What: When you save iPhone text messages you can export the entire text message thread from any contact in the Messages app. This also includes and photo or video attachments. If you don't want to save all your text messages with an individual, you also have the ability to export just the specific date range of messages relevant for your needs.

When: iPhone users can save and print text messages anytime they need.

Where: You save iPhone text messages on any Windows or Mac computer. The actual exporting of the text messages is not done directly on your iPhone but rather on your computer. When you use Decipher TextMessage software to export text messages and iMessages, all your data is private on your PC or Mac.

How: To save iPhone text messages we recommend using the trusted third-party software Decipher TextMessage. Decipher TextMessage is used globally by individuals, businesses, lawyers, law enforcement, financial firms, and government agencies to save text messages. Decipher TextMessage gives any iPhone user the ability to export and print text messages with the timestamp and date on every messages in formats that include: PDF, HTML, CSV, and TXT.

Why: There are many different reasons why someone needs to save and print iPhone text messages. A few of these reasons include:

• To save and retain text messages from family or for personal reasons.

• The need to export and print text messages for court, trial, or legal needs.

• Printing messages for work or to capture text messages between business colleagues or clients.

• Saving text messages of a friend or loved one who has passed away.

• Exporting text messages before upgrading to a new iPhone or to free up space on current iPhone.
  
  

Are there a series of steps that I should follow to save iPhone text messages?

Yes. You can follow these exact steps to save text messages from iPhone:

Step 1: Open Decipher TextMessage.

Step 2: Plug your iPhone into your computer and select Back Up in Decipher TextMessage.

Step 3: Choose your iPhone.

Step 4: Pick a contact that has text messages conversations that you want to save.

Step 5: Select “Export” and pick “Current Conversation PDF” to export and save the iPhone text messages to your PC or Mac.

download_product{dtm}

After connecting your iPhone to your computer and selecting "Back Up" in Decipher TextMessage, when the backup completes your iPhone will appear in the left-hand column of the software and you can select a contact. When you choose a contact in the program you will immediately see your text messages with that contact in the far right column of the program.

To export iPhone text messages, select Export and pick the Current Conversation PDF option. You can now choose to where on your computer you would like to save the PDF of your text message chats.

After you use Decipher TextMessage to save your iPhone text messages, here is an example of the exported PDF file that contains your text message conversations:

Timestamp and date metadata: Note that in the exported PDF example above, the iPhone text messages are printed with metadata like the timestamp and date on all the text messages both sent and received. This is a specific preference and feature of the software Decipher TextMessage that can be utilized for for evidence, documentation, and overall record-keeping of what text messages were sent when and by whom.

Decipher TextMessage software is fantastic! I was able to retrieve text messages from my Mom going back to 2017. She passed away in December so having these messages in a document that I can easily access and read when I want is really a wonderful gift. Also, the customer support is top-notch - they answered each of my questions quickly and thoroughly.

-Jessica S. / August 14, 2025 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Source: Customer reviews and testimonials for Decipher TextMessage.

Can you elaborate about data privacy when exporting text messages?

Privacy - When using Decipher TextMessage to save text messages from iPhone, all a user's text message data is private on their computer. The user is in complete control of their data at all times. These privacy features are one of the many reasons why Decipher TextMessage is a popular choice as the go-to software for text messaging export around the world.

Do I need iTunes to save and print my iPhone text messages?

iTunes is not required for saving text messages - Decipher TextMessage has a custom "text messages only" backup feature that makes a backup of just text messages and not one's entire iPhone or iPad. This is helpful for any user that is concerned about not having enough computer hard drive space to back up their entire iPhone or iPad. The software also conveniently reads in and accesses backups from iTunes and Finder, however iTunes is not required to export and print text messages.

Is there a video tutorial for saving iPhone text messages?

Yes! Here is a detailed video w/ step-by-step instructions to save iPhone text messages.

ytvideo{ayywP8AGKM4}

Is taking screenshots of my text messages a viable option?

Taking screenshots of your iPhone text messages is an option that all iPhone users have at their disposal. However, keep in mind that screenshots are often only helpful if you have just a few messages that you want to save. If you want to export and print more than a couple messages and also ensure that you have metadata like the timestamp and date on every message, then it's much better to use a reputable third-party software program to ensure your exported texts are organized and formatted accurately in a cohesive PDF file.

Save / Export iPhone text messages - Conclusion

If you are an iPhone user anywhere in the world and you need support or help to save and print your text messages, feel free to contact us via our support page and one of our Decipher Tools staff in our USA-based offices will be happy to reply and assist.

Good luck with saving your iPhone text messages!

Solution: Plug your iPhone into your computer. Open Decipher TextMessage and choose "Back Up." After the backup completes, select your iPhone and choose the contact that has text messages you want to print out. Select "Export Current Conversation, PDF to save the text messages from iPhone to a Windows PC or Mac computer." Open the exported PDF file of your iPhone text messages and select "Print" to print the iPhone text messages.

Saving Text Messages to Computer - Getting Started

Figuring out how to save text messages from an iPhone to one's computer can be a confusing task.

Usually a situation suddenly arises in your life causing an urgent need to copy text messages off your iPhone.

When you do a Google search for saving iPhone text messages to computer, there are many websites and instructions that often don't look reliable.

The whole process of trying to find a simple and straight-forward solution online to export your text messages can be a bit intimidating. If you feel overwhelmed, you are not alone!

Jump to instructions ↓

What kind of computer do I need in order to save text messages from my iPhone?

You can save text messages on both Windows and Mac computers.

It doesn’t matter if your computer is a desktop or laptop. Either will work great!

To export your text messages on Windows it is best to be running any of the following operating systems on your computer:

• Windows 11
• Windows 10
• Windows 8
• Windows 7

If you are using a Mac to save your text messages messages to your computer all of these operating systems are compatible to accomplish the task:

• macOS Tahoe
• macOS Sequoia
• macOS Sonoma
• macOS Ventura
• macOS Monterey
• macOS Big Sur
• macOS Catalina
• macOS Mojave
• macOS High Sierra
• macOS Sierra

Do I need iTunes on my computer in order to export text messages?

You do not need iTunes to save text messages to your computer with any of the methods outlined in this article.

Tip 1: Take screenshots on iPhone to save text messages.

Taking a screenshot is accomplished by pressing a specific combination of buttons on your iPhone. This will capture a photo of whatever is displayed on your iPhone screen at the time of taking the screenshot.

If you only have small amount of text messages to capture, then screenshots are a great way to quickly save iPhone text messages.

If you need to save multiple text messages then we recommend not taking screenshots and using software to quickly and accurately save your text messages to computer.

Follow these steps to take a screenshot on iPhone to save text messages

iPhone X or later models with Face ID

1. Press the right side button and volume up button at the same time.
2. You'll see a small version of the screenshot in the lower corner of your iPhone.
3. Open the Photos app and look in your Screenshots album to find the images.

On iPhone 8 or earlier models without Face ID

1. Press the side/top button and Home button at the same time.
2. You'll see a small version screenshot in the lower corner of your iPhone.
3. Open the Photos app and look in your Screenshots album to find the images.

If you have more than a few text messages to save then screenshots will most likely not be right for your needs. Having to take lots of screenshots and organize them can be time consuming and inefficient.

References:

• Take a screenshot on your iPhone - Apple Support
• Take a screenshot of your iPad - Apple Support

Tip 2: Save iPhone text messages using a third-party software program

Decipher TextMessage is a trusted and widely used third-party app that will let any iPhone user export and save text messages with ease.

The software runs on your computer and gives any iPhone user the ability to save, print, and export a PDF copy of your text messages and iMessages.

Decipher TextMessage also includes the ability to make a "text messages only" backup whereby the user can transfer just the files relevant for saving text messages from their iPhone to their computer. Most people prefer to use this custom text only backup option versus making a full backup of their iPhone.

When you use Decipher TextMessage on your Mac or Windows PC all your data is private to your computer. Your text messages are never stored in the cloud or online!

Follow these exact steps to save iPhone text messages to computer:

1. howToStep{Open Decipher TextMessage and select your iPhone.}{name:Run Decipher TextMessage}{image:/blog/img/print-text-messages-for-court/select-iphone-to-print-text-messages-court.png}{clip:clip2}
2. howToStep{Choose a contact that has iPhone text messages you want to save.}{name:Select a contact}{image:/blog/img/government-text-message-archiving/save-text-messages-iphone-government.png}{clip:clip3}
3. howToStep{Select Export to save the iPhone text messages to your computer.}{name:Choose "Export."}{image:/blog/img/print-text-messages-for-court/export-button-decipher-text-message.png}{clip:clip4}
4. howToStep{Double-click to open the PDF of your saved text messages on your PC or Mac computer.}{name:Save text messages as a PDF to computer.}{image:/blog/img/how-to-email-copy-of-text-messages/saving-text-messages-as-pdf.png}{clip:clip5}

download_product{dtm}

After backing up your iPhone in Decipher TextMessage, select your iPhone in the program.

All your iPhone contacts will then appear in the middle column of Decipher TextMessage. Click on the contact that has iPhone text messages you want to save to computer.

Click "Export" and then select "Current Conversation PDF" to save the texts to your Windows or Mac computer.

You've now saved your iPhone text messages to computer as a PDF document. Here is what the iPhone text messages look like when saved to your computer:

Note that all your photo attachments are also exported as part of the PDF!

Any photos contained in your text messages will appear just as they would on your phone and in-line as part of that message thread with that contact.

You can also choose to export your photo attachments separate in a folder to have all your photos contained in text messages organized and saved on your PC or Mac.

Tip 3: Save iPhone text messages with the time/date and contact on every message

Decipher TextMessage comes with a unique preference that lets iPhone users export text messages with the contact info on every single message, both sent and received.

The text messages also have the time and date on every message!

This is helpful for documentation purposes and clarity.

It's also useful for people who need to save text messages for court or trial.

Also, law enforcement and lawyers like this feature since it's useful for evidence and discovery purposes.

The "show contact on every message" preference is automatically turned on in the program.

However, if you want to double check before exporting your text messages, simply make sure there is a check mark next to the option under the preference menu.

Tip 4: Print out saved iPhone text messages on your computer

Once you have successfully saved your text message from your iPhone to your computer, it's easy to print them.

• Open the saved PDF that contains your text messages.
• Choose print to display the print dialog box.
• You can now print out all the text messages that you exported.

Pro Tip: Don't forget that if you need to email the text messages to a friend you can simply attach the PDF to any email.

How to Save iPhone Text Messages to Computer - Mac or Windows

Follow along with our helpful step-by-step YouTube video tutorial that walk you through how to save iPhone text messages and iMessages on any computer.

ytvideo{ayywP8AGKM4}

Conclusion

It can be a bit overwhelming when you first realize that you need to save or transfer text messages to your computer. However, with just a few steps you'll be able to get your important iPhone text messages exported and printed out.

The first thing to think about how many text messages you need to save and capture. If you don't have many text messages, try taking screenshots to see if that works for your situation. But if you have more than just a few text messages to export, then give Decipher TextMessage a try. The program will save you time and effort when exporting your important text messages.

You can select various contacts in the program and save all their text messages and iMessages to your computer in a PDF file.

From there you can print, email, or copy your text messages to an external hard drive so that your text message and iMessage conversations are all safely backed up!

If you're reading this blog post, you might also find my post about automatically entering Yubikey PIN prompts helpful too.

The remainder of this post is the old information prior to the arm64 minidriver being available.

This blog post is all about my adventures in trying to code sign on Windows 11 running via Parallels on an M1 MacBook Pro, with the private keys stored on a Yubikey 5. It explains why it doesn't currently work, and a kludge workaround to make it work if this is your build environment and you absolutely need to make it work.

Prior to last-week's adventures, I did our EV Code Signing on Windows via Parallels on my M1 MacBook using my Yubikey with no trouble. So I was surprised when I renewed our EV certificate, with the private keys stored on a new Yubikey, and the certificate no longer populated into Certificate Manager when I connected the Yubikey. This is the only thing I use a Yubikey for, so I wasn't hip to the news that there was an upgrade, and my new keys and certificates came on a Yubikey 5 (instead of the Yubikey 4 the old keys are on.) Little did I know that the new Yubikey 5 models require a device driver (the Yubikey "minidriver") to work properly for slot 9a (PIV Authentication) on Windows, versus our Yubikey 4 current that does not need the minidriver for slot 9a. The Yubikey minidriver is not currently offered for Windows arm64, only Windows x86 and x64. And x64 emulation on Windows 11 does not work for device drivers.

If you try to sign with the Yubikey 5 connected using signtool, you'll get the error:

SignTool Error: No certificates were found that met all the given criteria.

And if you look at the smart card information using certutil -scinfo you'll get an error like:

Microsoft Base Smart Card Crypto Provider: Missing stored keyset
Microsoft Smart Card Key Storage Provider: Missing stored keyset
CertUtil: - SCInfo command FAILED: 0x80090016 (-2146893802 NTE BAD KEYSET)
CertUtil: Keyset does not exist

(If you see these errors and you're on Windows x64, you may just need to install the minidriver and make sure it's actually being used for the Yubikey in Device Manager.)

Big shout-out to Dhoi over at SSL.com's support for helping me figure out what the problem is and putting up with my wacky arm64 Windows 11 via Parallels situation. If you're like me and don't have nice things to say about most certificate providers and their customer service, I highly recommend giving SSL.com a try - they've been awesome for all of our EV certificates in the past few years.

I contacted Yubico about an arm64 minidriver, and from their reply it sounds like it's an open issue for them with no estimate on when the driver will be available.

I happen to still have a Yubikey 4 holding my previous EV Code Signing key, so I could ask SSL.com to reissue the certificate using the old Yubikey 4 once my previous certificate expire. Or, I could decide to switch my primary build environment over to an x64 Windows PC and use the existing keys/certs as is. I'm not excited about either of these options. Since the Yubikey 4 is no longer for sale, if I accidentally break mine, my only option is my back-up build environment and no longer having the convenience of everything on one laptop. (I love my MacBook Pro M1 and I want to use it for everything!)

I'm nothing if not stubborn, and I did notice that my Yubikey 5 works just fine on the host macOS... and Parallels does have some capacity for running apps from the host OS on the client OS... so I decided to experiment to see if I could run the code signing on macOS from inside my Windows 11 client OS on Parallels. And importantly, in the process of making one of our installers using Advanced Installer, we code sign several times, so it has to work in a way that I can point Advanced Installer to this "signing tool" executable that runs without any intervention.

So without further ado, here's the sketch of my working franken-signing setup, which allows me to do the actual code signing on macOS, from inside my client Windows 11 arm64 via Parallels:

• Homebrew install of osslsigncode on macOS to do the Windows Authenticode code signing.

• Homebrew installs to support osslsigncode on macOS for this use: openssl1.1, libp11 for the PKCS11 engine, and opensc for the PKCS11 module.

• Open the chained certificate from SSL.com to add the certificates to the macOS Keychain.

• Parallels only exposes ".app" applications in the host macOS "Applications" folder to the client Windows environment, so I made an Automator "Application" style document, whose content is a zsh script that runs osslsigncode. This script deals with fact that osslsigncode needs a separate output file from the input file and helps with blocking until the sign finishes.

• One hiccup: The Automator .app application spawns a child process and exits before the actual sign work finishes. The Parallels hook to this app has no way to force it to block until the process finishes, so I wrote a small C++ Windows program to launch the Automator app and force this program to wait until the signing in the zsh script finishes before it exits.

• Now in Advanced Installer I use the C++ program as my code sign tool. Fun :)

I will happily provide the gory details to anyone who wants it, but I'm not yet sure anyone else would want this. So, I'm not adding the scripts and code to this post yet. Please send us an email if you want to know and I'll update the post and/or reply via email. I'm happy to help someone else in this bind.

Here's the command I use to do the Authenticode EV code sign on macOS using osslsigncode - I definitely can imagine that is a more popular need than the Parallels crossover part of things. Your installs locations of osslsigncode, openssl1.1, libp11, opensc will vary. Use brew --prefix if needed to see where your Cellar is.

/opt/homebrew/bin/osslsigncode sign -verbose -pkcs11engine /opt/homebrew/Cellar/libp11/0.4.12/lib/engines-3/pkcs11.dylib -pkcs11module  /opt/homebrew/Cellar/opensc/0.23.0/lib/opensc-pkcs11.so -n "Display Name" -key "pkcs11:id=%01;type=private?pin-value=YOUR_PIN_HERE" -certs ~/yourcerts.chained.crt -h sha256  -ts "http://your-providers-timestamp-server.com" -in "infile.exe" -out "outfile-signed.exe"