Hello. I just got a new Mac and wanted to set it up as new, and so my many years of messages did not reappear. I was wondering if anyone knows if messages from my old Mac can be transferred to a USB drive? Thanks!
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MacBook Pro 13″, macOS 12.3
Are you using the very same Apple ID on the new Mac as the Old Mac? If yes, were the messages you had on the old Mac in iCloud? If they were, simply make sure you are using the same Apple ID on the new Mac and turn on Messages in iCloud on the new Mac and the messages will migrate over from the cloud.
If Messages are indeed turned on on the old Mac in iCloud, the messages should automatically sync to your new Mac as long as you are using the very same Apple ID/Password on the new Mac. And Messages are turned on both machines.
If you have messages turned on in iCloud and you use the same Apple ID on your iPhone, iPad and Mac, when you delete one on one device, they delete on all devices. iCloud is a syncing service, not an archive service.
You need to go to iCloud on your old Mac and check to see if Messages were turned on. If they were, the ones you deleted can't be brought back as I suggested.
On your old Mac, open the Messages App. At the top of the app tap Messages, then Preferences, then iMessage. Make sure the phone numbers/email addresses are checked the same on both machines.
I do have iCloud messages but only some of the messages transferred over, not all of them. I think it could be because I deleted some of the messages on my iPhone, but kept them on my Mac for storage. So my Mac has everything but is unable to transfer them all back.
Yes I’ve always had the same Apple ID. I assume the issue is because I deleted most of these messages on my iphone, but I thought that having the messages on my old Mac was sufficient to have them transferred over.
I’ve checked that already! I’ve also tried disabling and re-enabling iCloud and resycning messages on both devices. I appreciate your help but it doesn’t look like I’m gonna be able to fix this issue unfortunately. I wish there was a way I could save my messages on an external usb at least.
I was deleting messages for years on my phone but they always remained on my previous Mac. I was just hoping they’d be able to transfer to my new Mac but it looks like that’s not possible.
iCloud messages on my old Mac are turned on, which is why I thought that all those messages could be synced to my new one.
That’s what Apple told me as well though this was not the case. iCloud is on both, but it’s still not copying/transferring all my old messages.
And both machines are on the exact same Apple ID and Password?
I'm out of suggestions. Sorry. If these messages are important. Copy each message and paste it into an email and send it to yourself.
Can I transfer iMessage contents to new Mac?
