Restore text messages to Mac Messages from iPhone?

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Level 1

9 points

Restore text messages to Mac Messages from iPhone?

I have my text messages on both my iphone (7) and my mac (10.12.3). I accidentally deleted an entire conversation on Mac Messages, and I'd like to get that conversation back into Messages on my Mac by transferring it / copying it / whatever with the conversation that still exists on my iphone.

How do I do this?

Most answers I am finding provide some kind of solution to get messages from your phone "onto your computer" but don't say *where* that is on my computer, or they are selling a third party app to store messages there. That's not what I want. I want the conversation to be restored to Messages on my Mac.

If I did an iCloud backup of my phone, can I import the conversation from there onto Mac Messages? Or?? It seems this should be possible somehow. I also have Time Machine if that's an option.

Any help is appreciated. I just can't find the right answer after a lot of searching. Thanks!!!

(I also apologize if I didn't pick the best category to post this in. I don't see any categories for iMessage/Messages)

null-OTHER, macOS Sierra (10.12.3), null

Posted on Apr 14, 2017 7:43 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

LACAllen

Level 8

43,500 points

Apr 14, 2017 9:14 PM in response to tchapman27

I also have Time Machine if that's an option.

You *may* be able to restore them from your Time Machine. Do you know when you removed them? Find the Time Machine backup from the day before that.

I have not done this, but it looks like the "files" are there to be restored.

Look for them (macOS Sierra) in the following folder.

Which is in the hidden folder found at

Where new user is your local username.

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Answer 2

8k84

Level 1

10 points

Oct 31, 2017 8:02 AM in response to 8k84

Here is how to restore deleted conversations from a Time Machine backup: how to restore deleted iMessages on mac (go to "Read all replies" and scroll down to Symanski's and mb0742's answers).

Here is mb0742's:

For sierra.

Sign out of messages

close messages (command + Q)

from finder enter the hidden library folder (hold option go->library)

restore "messages"

restore containers/com.apple.iChat (they don't seem to backup at the same time, so try to get close!)

Restart your mac

Start and sign into imessages

Work for me just fine.

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Answer 3

8k84

Level 1

10 points

Oct 30, 2017 5:44 PM in response to LACAllen

Well, there is no Archive folder under Messages in my Time Machine backup, just the Attachments folder and three chat.db files... I also have a copy of my system disk made a couple of weeks ago, it doesn't have Archive folder under Messages too.

Is there any other way to restore deleted conversations?

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Answer 4

megdpu87

Level 1

4 points

Jan 10, 2018 6:26 AM in response to tchapman27

a novice here, but had the same experience and this is what I found.... after the initial panic of deleting the iMessage conversation on my mac and searching for an answer here, with the application still open, I went to Messages>Edit>> and found "Undo Close Conversation". The iMessage string was restored to the bottom of my list of conversations. Now the key here is 1) you cannot have closed out the application between deleting the conversation and trying to undo your action, and 2) then send a message to the contact so it reengages the string.

If you still have the message string on your iPhone or iPad, you can skip the above and just send the contact a new message and voila, there it is on the mac again.

heart beats normally again.....

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