How to find and recover deleted messages on iPhone [Ultimate]
The deleted iPhone messages won't disappear immediately. This guide explains where to find your recently & permanently deleted messages and how to recover them easily!
Jasmin Woods Updated on Mar 17, 2025 4:54 PM
Once you find your deleted iPhone messages, you can easily recover them to get your important conversations back.
When you accidentally delete some text messages from your iPhone, you may wonder where do these deleted messages go and how to find them for recovery. Thankfully, the deleted messages won't disappear on your iPhone instantly.
Whether you've mistakenly deleted important messages or emptied the entire conversations, there are still possible ways to find and recover deleted messages on iPhone, with or without backup. This guide explores the most efficient ways on how to find deleted messages on iPhone, enabling you to recover your recently and permanently deleted messages with ease.
To recover iPhone messages after deletion, iPhone Data Recovery offers a deep scanning option, letting you find all recoverable text messages and retrieve them directly from your iPhone without using a backup.
Where do deleted messages go on iPhone?
When an iPhone message is deleted on iOS 16 or later, it goes to the Recently Deleted folder within the Messages app for up to 30 days, allowing for recovery. After 30 days, it will be removed from Recently Deleted folder automatically.
But it doesn't mean that the text messages disappear from your iPhone immediately. Instead, they remain your device's internal storage, where you can find and recover your deleted iPhone messages before they are overwritten by new data completely.
Also, when using iCloud for Messages, disabling Messages in iCloud will remove all synced messages from your iPhone, but they are still accessible in iCloud storage.
How to find deleted messages on iPhone?
- Check Recently Deleted folder in Messages app. Since iOS 16, it's easy to find and recover iPhone messages from Recently Deleted folder if they were deleted within the last 30 days.
- Scan iPhone's internal storage. If you cannot find recently deleted messages on iPhone, they may hide in the internal storage until being replaced by new data files permanently. Try performing a deep scanning to find and recover deleted messages from iPhone.
- Use a previous backup. An earlier iCloud backup or iTunes backup enables you to recover deleted iPhone text messages if it's created before the permanent deletion.
- Download iCloud messages. Look for iCloud Messages, where your iPhone messages are securely stored and synced up to date across devices.
How to recover deleted messages on iPhone
Once you know where and how to find deleted text messages on iPhone, it's simple to recover your texts and iMessages, whether they are deleted accidentally or removed permanently.
Recover iPhone messages from Recently Deleted folder
As mentioned above, in iOS 16 and later, the deleted iPhone messages can be recovered easily if you can find them in Recently Deleted folder inside Messages app. However, note that this method only supports recovering iPhone messages deleted in the recent 30 days. After 30 days, they will be automatically removed from Recently Deleted folder.
Here's how to find and recover recently deleted messages on iPhone within Messages app:
1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone. If you're in a conversation, tap the Back < icon to return to your conversation list.
2. In the conversation list, tap Edit in the upper-left corner and select Show Recently Deleted. Or tap Filters > Recently Deleted to proceed.
3. Find the deleted conversations and messages you prefer to recover and tick to select them.
4. Tap Recover button and confirm Recover Messages option. To recover all deleted messages, simply press Recover All and confirm.
After recovery, the deleted iPhone messages will be moved back to your conversation list in the Messages app.
Recover permanently deleted messages on iPhone without backup
If you fail to find your iPhone messages in Recently Deleted folder or they've been deleted for more than 30 days, there's still possibility to recover permanently deleted messages on iPhone using a powerful tool like iPhone Data Recovery.
By performing a deep scan of your iPhone's internal storage, this tool is able to find all recoverable texts and iMessages that haven't been overwritten. You can then preview and selectively recover specific messages and conversations. This enables you to locate and recover both recently and permanently deleted messages on iPhone without a backup.
The process is straightforward and user-friendly. Here's how to recover deleted text messages on iPhone without a backup, supporting all iOS versions:
Step 1. Open iPhone Data Recovery on computer and connect your iPhone via a USB cable. If asked, make sure to unlock your device and allow for trust this computer.
Step 2. Click Start Scan button to perform a deep scanning of your iPhone. It may take a short while to find all deleted messages on your iOS device.
Step 3. From the left side of the scanning results, select Messages to view all deleted conversations. Take a full preview of your texts, iMessages, contacts, date, and more.
Step 4. Select your desired messages and click the Recover button at the bottom. It will recover the deleted messages directly from your iPhone without backup; you may select a local path to export them as CSV or HTML files on your computer.
Besides, this tool supports recovering photos, contacts, call logs, notes, and more from an iPhone/iPad without a backup. If you have an earlier iTunes backup, it also lets you access the iTunes backup, preview all backed-up files, and extract only messages for recovery.
Restore deleted iPhone messages from iCloud
When you're using iCloud to sync or back up your iPhone messages, there's a chance that you may use either iCloud Messages or iCloud Backup to recover deleted iPhone text messages.
Restore iPhone messages from iCloud backup
If you've previously backed up your iPhone with iCloud before permanently deleting the text messages, restoring your iPhone from a recent iCloud backup can help retrieve the messages that have been deleted over 30 days or removed from Recently Deleted folder.
Note: Restoring messages from iCloud backup will replace all current data on your iPhone with the data from the backup. You won't be able to retrieve deleted messages selectively.
To recover deleted text messages on iPhone from iCloud backup, follow these steps:
Step 1. Ensure there's a useful iCloud backup for deleted message recovery on iPhone.
- Go to Settings > your Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backups. From here, you'll see all available iCloud backups and the date of your last backup.
- Ensure there's an iCloud backup containing the deleted messages you want back.
Step 2. Factory reset iPhone and erase all current data.
- Move to Settings > General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings, and follow the instructions to verify your Apple ID password.
- Wait for it to fully reset your iPhone and erase everything completely.
Step 3. Restore iPhone messages from iCloud backup.
- When your iPhone restarts, go through the initial setup steps to set it up again.
- In Transfer Your Apps & Data screen, select From iCloud Backup.
- Sign in to your iCloud account and choose the most recent backup that includes the messages you wish to recover. Wait for the restore process to complete.
This may take some time, depending on the backup size and your internet speed. Once done, open the Messages app to access the retrieved old messages on your iPhone.
Retrieve messages from iCloud Messages
With iCloud for Messages enabled, your messages will sync across all your Apple devices connected to the same account. Turning off iCloud Messages will delete all iCloud-synced messages from your iPhone. But luckily, you can re-enable iCloud Messages to retrieve messages on your iPhone.
- Open Settings app on your iPhone and tap your Apple ID > iCloud.
- Select the Messages option.
- On Messages in iCloud screen, disable the toggle next to Use on this iPhone, wait for a while, and then turn it back on.
- If prompted, select Disable and Download Messages.
Ensure there's an active network connection, the messages stored in iCloud will be downloaded to your iPhone once again.
Retrieve iPhone messages from iTunes backup
Similarly, if you've backed up your iPhone with iTunes previously, you're allowed to recover permanently deleted iPhone messages from that iTunes backup. Ensure the iTunes backup is created prior to the permanent deletion of your text messages, and keep in mind that the process will revert your iPhone to the last backup — any changes and newer data since that backup will be replaced. Steps to restore deleted messages from iTunes backup:
1. Open iTunes on your computer and link your iPhone using a suitable USB cable.
TIP: The Finder app has replaced iTunes since macOS 10.15. If you're using Windows or macOS 10.14 and earlier, continue with iTunes.
2. When the device icon appears, click it in the left-corner of iTunes window. If you cannot find the phone icon, reconnect your device, unlock it and allow for Trust option.
3. Scroll down till the Backups section and click on Restore Backup button.
4. In the pop-up prompt, select the iTunes backup that stores the messages you've deleted.
Unplug the device after restoration; then find all recovered messages on your iPhone when opening the Messages app. It also works if you're looking to recover iMessages from iPhone.
Additional tips: Why can't I find deleted messages on iPhone?
If you're unable find your deleted messages on your iPhone, it's likely due to several reasons:
Messages deleted before iOS 16
Apple has introduced Messages app's Recently Deleted folder in iOS 16. If your messages are deleted before upgrading to iOS 16, you won't be able to find and recover them.
Messages permanently deleted after 30 days
If your iPhone messages are not recovered within the Recently Deleted period (up to 30 days), they will be permanently deleted. However, there are still chances that you can perform a full scanning on your iPhone to find the permanently deleted messages in its deep internal storage.
Messages hidden on iPhone
If your text messages are not showing up on iPhone's conversation list, they may hide in the Unknown Sender folder in the Messages app. You may open the Messages app and tap the Filters in the upper-left corner, then choose Unknown Senders to see all text messages from the number that aren't saved as your contacts.
Text messages overwritten by new data
The worst thing is that the iPhone messages have been overwritten by new data already. If so, the only solution to recover these deleted iPhone messages is by restoring them from a previous iCloud backup or iTunes backup that's created before the permanent deletion.
FAQs: Find and recover deleted iPhone messages
Hopefully, the options in this guide can help you find and recover the deleted messages on your iPhone, whether with or without a backup. If you still cannot find your recently or permanently deleted text messages, the following FAQs may be of use:
Q1: Are deleted messages on iPhone permanently gone?
No, the messages deleted from iPhone are not gone permanently. Instead, they move to the Recently Deleted folder in Messages app for additional 30 days before permanent removal. Even they are permanently deleted after 30 days, they still linger on iPhone's internal storage until being replaced by other new data.
Q2: Where does iPhone store deleted messages?
In iOS 16 and newer versions, iPhone stores the deleted messages within the Recently Deleted folder within the Messages and keeps them for up to 30 days before permanently deleting them.
Even after permanent deletion, the messages will still hide on iPhone's internal storage until other new data overwrites them completely.
Q3: How to find the hidden text messages on iPhone?
To find hidden messages on iPhone, check the Unknown Sender folder and Recently Deleted folder in Messages app's Filters (or Edit) list first.
Alternatively, to find the hidden messages that are deleted from Recently Deleted folder, you may use a powerful scanning like iPhone Data Recovery to scan the entire storage of your iOS device deeply and completely, locating all hidden text messages that are still recoverable.
Q4: Can I find the permanently deleted messages on iPhone and recover them without a backup?
Yes, by using efficient tools like iPhone Data Recovery, it's easy to find permanently deleted messages and recover them directly from your iPhone without needing a backup. The process is quite simple and straightforward:
- Run iPhone Data Recovery on a Mac or Windows PC.
- Connect the iPhone via a compatible USB cable.
- In Recover from iOS Device mode, click Start Scan to perform a deep iOS scanning.
- When scanning results display, navigate to Messages option.
- Preview and select which conversations you prefer to get back.
- Click on Recover button to retrieve all selected messages.
