How to find old text messages on iPhone [Ultimate Guide]

If you want to quickly find your old text messages among the numerous conversations on your iPhone, this guide will give you several effective tips to find them.

If you're looking for old text messages on iPhone or want to find old messages that have been deleted, iPhone Data Recovery can quickly analyze your messages data, sort it orderly to help you pinpoint the texts you need, and even restore your deleted old messages.

As long as your old text messages are not deleted, you can find them on your iPhone through the search tool.

We've all been there - desperately scrolling through endless message threads, trying to find that one important text from months or years ago on the iPhone. While iPhones are designed to keep our conversations accessible, finding specific old text messages on iPhone—past conversations or records of critical details—becomes increasingly difficult as time passes.

The fact is, your iPhone contains powerful but overlooked tools to help you find ancient text messages. This guide offers various practical methods on how to find old text messages on iPhone, combining built-in features and advanced tools to ensure nothing gets lost.

Table of Contents

• How to find old text messages on iPhone via built-in tools
• See old iPhone text message in Recently Deleted folder
• How to find old deleted messages on iPhone
• Make old messages easier to find later

How to find old text messages on iPhone via built-in tools

The iPhone and its Messages app actually come equipped with some built-in tools and hidden tricks that can precisely find your old messages from a vast history of texts.

Scroll to find old text messages on iPhone

The most straightforward way is to manually scrolling through conversation threads to access old text messages on iPhone. Open the Messages app, go to the conversation box containing the old message you need, and scroll up the screen to find the old historical text message records. In addition, there is a hidden trick that helps you automatically scroll through the message thread to locate the specific old text you're looking for:

1. In the Messages app, select the conversation where you want to find old messages.

2. Tap the top-left corner of your iPhone screen (where the time is displayed) or the top-right corner (where the battery is shown).

3. Your conversation will automatically load a few earlier messages, and a progress bar will appear on the side.

4. Repeat tapping that spot until you reach the old text messages you need.

Note:

• You can't jump directly to the beginning of the conversation at once—you'll need to tap the top of the screen multiple times.

While this method is intuitive, it can be time-consuming, especially in a conversation with a lot of text messages that has been kept for a long time. Plus, it's easy to miss the specific message you wish to find if you scroll too fast.

How to find old messages on iPhone without scrolling

Using search tools to accurately locate your old iPhone text messages can save you the tiring work of scrolling the screen. As long as you remember certain keywords, specific dates, phone numbers or attachments in your old text messages, you can find the desired old text messages on an iPhone from years of message history.

The more detailed the information you input, the more accurately you can locate the old text messages.

1. Open the Messages app and navigate to the top of your conversation list.

2. Tap the Search bar and enter your keywords, phrases, or contact. You can also input specific attachment types like photo or music.

3. The search results will be arranged in date order. And you can find the old message from the retrieved list.

Tip: Beyond the Messages app, you can also use Spotlight Search to filter and search your old message threads on iPhone.

If you can't find your iMessages, you can refer to iMessages disappeared from iPhone for help.

See old iPhone text message in Recently Deleted folder

Sometimes, due to a glitch on your iPhone or your message retention settings, your old text messages may be automatically moved to the Recently Deleted folder without you knowing it. This folder, available since iOS 16, allows you to recover deleted messages on iPhone for up to 30 days. You can check Recently Deleted to find your old messages and their attachments, then restore them to your conversation list.

1. Go to the conversation list in the Messages app, tap Edit in the upper left corner. If you have enabled the Message Filtering feature, tap Filters.

2. Select Show Recently Deleted or Recently Deleted.

3. Browse the deleted text messages and find the old conversation you want to recover.

4. Tap Recover > Recover Message to restore your old text messages to your chats for continued access.

How to find old deleted messages on iPhone

If your old text messages have been deleted for a long time or can't be found through search, the professional iPhone Data Recovery tool uses advanced scanning algorithms to retrieve and find all text messages and iMessages in your iPhone's storage space, including the oldest texts in your iPhone's history.

You can use the software's filters and retrieval functions to find and recover your deleted iPhone messages from the past, and even extract your old message texts individually from an iTunes backup. Besides, it allows you to preview conversation content more intuitively to ensure it's the right message you need to find.

Here's how to find and recover old iPhone messages that were deleted via iPhone Data Transfer:

1. Download and launch iPhone Data Transfer on your computer, then connect your iPhone to the computer using a compatible USB cable.

2. Click the Recover from iOS Device tab and click Start Scan to begin analyzing your iPhone's internal storage, including both existing and deleted data.

3. Navigate to the Messages and Message Attachments tabs to browse all the text messages and attachments on your iPhone, covering everything from very old historical messages to recent conversations.

You can filter deleted messages using the filter in the top-left corner, or use the search in the top-right corner to find your old text message content based on specific terms.

4. Select the deleted old conversations you hope to recover, click Recover and specify a destination to save them on the computer. This way, you can regain access to your deleted old iPhone text messages.  

Read more: Lost text messages after iOS update. How to fix it

Make old messages easier to find later

To ensure you can always find your old text messages on iPhone whenever you need, the prerequisite is that they remain intact in your device's storage space, no matter how much time has passed. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages, locate the Keep Messages option, and make sure the Forever option is selected. This prevents your old messages from being automatically deleted after a certain period, preserving their integrity. Additionally, having sufficient device memory to accommodate a large number of old messages and attachments is also crucial.

Another way is to archive or back up your data to keep your old iPhone messages accessible. The advantage of this is that even if your old text messages from many years ago are deleted, you still have a chance to find and restore them. Head to Settings > [your name] > iCloud, tap See All or Show All, then select Messages in iCloud and turn on Use on this iPhone. Or you can regularly create a local backup using iTunes/Finder in case you need it.

FAQs

1. Can I find text message records from a long time ago on my iPhone?

Yes, you can find old text message history on an iPhone if they're still stored or backed up. Use the Messages app search bar with keywords or dates to find old threads on your device. Spotlight Search can uncover even older records across your iPhone's history.

If iCloud for Message is enabled, check other synced devices or iCloud.com. For the furthest reach, restore an old iCloud or iTunes backup via Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone—success depends on how long you've kept data.

2. How to recover deleted old text messages on iPhone?

To get back your deleted old text messages on iPhone, start with built-in option. First, check the Recently Deleted album in the Messages app to retrieve texts deleted within the last 30 days. For older losses, you can recover earlier deleted texts using an available iCloud backup, an iTunes/Finder backup, or an iPhone data recovery tool. Recovery odds drop as time passes and storage overwrites occur.

3. How old are the text messages that can be retrieved on iPhone?

The oldest text messages retrievable on an iPhone depend on your device's storage and backup history, potentially reaching back years. Locally, check Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Messages for how much past data remains—possibly several years if undeleted. iCloud backups (Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Manage Storage > Backups) can hold older messages from past devices, varying by your earliest backup.