Best Way to Backup and Archive iMessages to Free Up iCloud Space?

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice on the best way to back up my iMessages to free up space on iCloud. I'm a bit of a digital hoarder and like the idea of having all of my messages forever.

Here are some options I’m considering:

1. Manual Export via Finder – Copying the entire `Messages` folder from `~/Library/Messages` on my Mac to an external drive. This keeps all messages and attachments but isn’t ideal for regular updates.

2. Automated Backup with syncthing – Setting up an syncthing script to automatically mirror the `Messages` folder to a remote server, ensuring an up-to-date backup.

3. Third-Party Tools – Using a tool like iMazing to export and archive iMessages with attachments in a structured way, which I could then move to the server.

Has anyone tried these methods? Can I export the messages and later re import them to load in iMessage on my MacBook without errors? Would any of these options be recommended, or is there another method that works well for offloading iMessages?

I'm particularly interested in iMazing for message backup and structured preview, but I'm apprehensive about allowing a third-party app access to all my messages and iPhone.

Thanks!