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How to copy messages on Mac that I accidentally deleted from my iPhone

ios v15.7.1


I accidentally deleted an entire conversation from my iPhone. I do not have messages saved to iCloud. But I see all the entire conversation on my Mac. So I went into my iPhone and selected Messages for iCloud. It downloaded all my messages back for the conversation EXCEPT I am missing one year's worth of messages from Nov 2021 to Oct 2022. I still see these messages on my Mac. I've tried turning on messages on my Mac to see if it would sync but no luck.


Does anyone know how I can copy a conversation I have on my Mac to my iPhone?

iPhone 11

Posted on Nov 5, 2022 12:13 PM

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Question marked as Best reply

Posted on Nov 7, 2022 11:55 AM

Howdy pinger2474,


Thanks for posting in the Apple Support Communities.


We understand you've accidentally deleted a message on your iPhone, but still have a copy of the conversation on your Mac you're looking to sync with, correct?


If we have that correctly, we would first recommend backing up your Mac before making any additional changes. If you haven't used Time Machine before and would like to back up your Mac this way, check out the following resource. We'll include some details from the resource to get you started below: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support


Connect a storage device to use for backups

Connect an external storage device to your Mac, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive.

• Use this storage device only as your Time Machine backup disk, not for storage of other files.

• Ideally, your backup disk should have at least twice the storage capacity of every disk or volume you're backing up. If your backup disk doesn't have enough storage space to contain a complete backup, Time Machine will let you know.


Once you have a backup of your information for a second copy, see if you synced your Messages on the Mac with iCloud. Although you've enabled this feature, you can also initiate a sync. Keep in mind that your messages may be replaced, so this is why we recommend backing up before proceeding with these steps. Check out the steps below to locate this, or you can view them here: Use Messages in iCloud - Apple Support


On your Mac

1. Open Messages.

2. In the menu bar, choose Messages > Preferences.

3. Click iMessage.

4. Select the checkbox next to Enable Messages in iCloud.

Mac iMessage settings screen with Enable Messages in iCloud selected


Let us know of the results after working through those steps.


Have a great day!

Similar questions

1 reply
Question marked as Best reply

Nov 7, 2022 11:55 AM in response to pinger2474

Howdy pinger2474,


Thanks for posting in the Apple Support Communities.


We understand you've accidentally deleted a message on your iPhone, but still have a copy of the conversation on your Mac you're looking to sync with, correct?


If we have that correctly, we would first recommend backing up your Mac before making any additional changes. If you haven't used Time Machine before and would like to back up your Mac this way, check out the following resource. We'll include some details from the resource to get you started below: Back up your Mac with Time Machine - Apple Support


Connect a storage device to use for backups

Connect an external storage device to your Mac, such as a USB drive or Thunderbolt drive.

• Use this storage device only as your Time Machine backup disk, not for storage of other files.

• Ideally, your backup disk should have at least twice the storage capacity of every disk or volume you're backing up. If your backup disk doesn't have enough storage space to contain a complete backup, Time Machine will let you know.


Once you have a backup of your information for a second copy, see if you synced your Messages on the Mac with iCloud. Although you've enabled this feature, you can also initiate a sync. Keep in mind that your messages may be replaced, so this is why we recommend backing up before proceeding with these steps. Check out the steps below to locate this, or you can view them here: Use Messages in iCloud - Apple Support


On your Mac

1. Open Messages.

2. In the menu bar, choose Messages > Preferences.

3. Click iMessage.

4. Select the checkbox next to Enable Messages in iCloud.

Mac iMessage settings screen with Enable Messages in iCloud selected


Let us know of the results after working through those steps.


Have a great day!

How to copy messages on Mac that I accidentally deleted from my iPhone

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