How to sync messages from iPhone to Mac
Having no idea how to sync messages from iPhone to Mac? Take it easy! Methods of syncing text messages from iPhone to Mac are provided in the post.
William Davis Updated on Oct 16, 2023 2:08 PM
Owning a Mac after you have got an iPhone, what will you do next? For most of users, they will transfer or sync the data from iPhone to Mac. What kinds of data will they sync? Above all, they often decide to sync messages first. That's mainly because syncing messages from iPhone to Mac, can protect them against being forced to stop chatting with others when iPhone doesn't work or iPhone ran out of power, etc. Thus, let's learn how to make text messages be synced from iPhone to Mac step by step.
Table of Contents
How to Sync iMessage from iPhone to Mac
The precondition to sync iMessage from iPhone to Mac is to sign in the same Apple ID and turn Messages on iCloud on both your iPhone and Mac. And then you are expected to get iMessage on your iPhone ready to be synced to your Mac. It requires you to:
- Go to Settings on your iPhone, find and tap Messages and then turn iMessage on.
- If you have added more than one account accessed iMessage, as it can be your Apple ID, a phone number or an email address, then by tapping Send & Receive, you are able to view all of them under You Can Receive iMessages To And Reply From.
- On the screen of Send & Receive, with more than one address accessing iMessage, you can choose which one you prefer starting new conversation from.
After finishing these steps on your iPhone, now you need to power on your Mac so you can sync text messages to it. If you have your Apple ID signed into Messages on Mac already, then you can do as follows.
- Open your Mac and run Messages app.
- Select Messages in the top menu, click Settings and then click iMessage in the top-center.
- On the window of iMessage, you can check whether the Apple ID is the same as the one that you sign on iPhone. And you can make sure the phone number or email addresses are the same as those on your iPhone at the part of You can be reached for messages at. In the bottom left corner of the window, you will see Start new conversation from, and you need to choose the one you have selected on your iPhone to enable iMessage to be synced.
If you haven't signed into iMessage with your Apple ID on Mac before, then first of all, you need to run Messages app and sign it with Apple ID. Next, you will get a notification reminding you that a Mac has access to iMessage. All you need to do is to tap OK. After that, you can follow above steps to sync texts.
How to Sync SMS and MMS Messages from iPhone to Mac
You don't send and receive iMessages only. Sometimes, you will send or receive SMS or MMS messages due to the poor network connection or the other people that you are communicating with on Messages doesn't own an iPhone. You cannot sync these texts to Mac via iMessage. Therefore, it's necessary for you to learn how to sync SMS and MMS messages from your iPhone to Mac, as well.
The very precondition to have SMS and MMS messages synced from iPhone to Mac is that you are signed in to iMessage with the same Apple ID. After you have made sure it, you can do as following steps show.
Step 1: Unlock your iPhone and go to Settings.
Step 2: Scroll down on the screen of Settings, find Messages and tap to enter it, and tap Text Message Forwarding.
Step 3: Next, turn on the Mac in the list of devices. If you haven't turned on two-factor-authentication and haven't used it, you need to enter a six-digit activation code on your iPhone and tap Allow when it appears on your Mac.
Then you can successfully sync SMS and MMS messages from iPhone to Mac, SMS and MMS messages on your iPhone are accessible on your Mac as well.
Tip: If Text Message Forwarding is invisible after you enter Messages in Settings, you need to check whether you are using the same Apple ID to sign in to iMessage on both your iPhone and your Mac.
FAQ about Messages not Syncing
Why are my Messages not syncing between my iPhone and Mac?
If you find your messages didn't be synced between your iPhone and Mac, then you need to check on both your iPhone and Mac, whether you have signed the same Apple ID and enabled iCloud or not, or if you have selected the same account to send and reply to messages on your iPhone and Mac.
