iOS Assistant
 
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3 Easy Ways to Transfer iMessages to External Hard Drive 2025

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iMessage is a popular instant messaging tool for Apple device users, where many important chat records, photos, and voice messages are stored. However, over time, the storage space used by iMessage can grow larger, and if you're worried about losing important information, many people prefer to transfer iMessages to external hard drive. This way, they can free up space on their devices while safely preserving important data. So, can iMessage be transferred to an external hard drive? And how can you do it? This article will guide you through several practical methods!

transfer imessages to external hard drive

 

Part 1. How to Transfer iMessages to External Hard Drive with iOS Assistant

If you want to bulk transfer iMessages to external hard drive, Coolmuster iOS Assistant is an ideal professional tool. It is a highly useful iOS data management software that supports exporting various data, such as messages, contacts, photos, and more, from iPhone/iPad to a computer or external hard drive.

Highlights of iOS Assistant:

  • Transfer iMessages to a computer or an external hard drive with ease.
  • Review and choose the messages you wish to transfer.
  • Support contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, calendars, apps and more.
  • Back up and restore your iPhone/iPad in just one click.
  • Easily manage iTunes backup files and iOS data on your computer.
  • Edit, add, or delete data stored on your iOS device directly from your PC/Mac.
  • Support the latest iOS 18 and iPhone 16 series.

Here is how to transfer text messages from iPhone to flash drive using iOS Assistant:

01Download, install, and launch iOS Assistant on your computer. Then, connect your iPhone and external hard drive to the computer using a USB cable.

02A pop-up window will appear on your computer. Simply tap the "Trust" option on your device and then click "Continue" to proceed. Once the software detects your device, the main interface will appear as shown below. You'll see various file folders organized on the main screen.

the main interface of ios assistant

03Click on "Messages" to preview your conversations, then select the SMS you want to transfer. Once you've made your selections, click "Export" at the top of the interface. You'll be prompted to choose an external hard drive as the destination to save your text conversations.

how to save imessages to external hard drive using ios assistant

Video Tutorial:

Part 2. How to Save iMessages to External Hard Drive Using Email

If you don't want to download additional software, you can also save iMessages to an external hard drive via email. Simply email all the messages you want to your computer and save them as PDF files to an external hard drive.

How do I export iMessages to my hard drive? Here are the steps:

Step 1. On your iPhone, open the iMessages app and select the conversation you want to copy.

Step 2. Press and hold the conversation to copy the message, then create a new email and paste the message into the body of the email.

Step 3. Send the email to yourself and access it from your computer.

Step 4. Open the email on your computer, then copy and save the message to your external hard drive as needed.

how to save imessages to external hard drive using email

Part 3. How to Export iMessages to External Hard Drive via Screenshot

If you'd like to keep an original copy of your text conversation in the iMessages app on your iPhone, you can take a screenshot of the conversation to save it as an image. Then, you can transfer the image directly to an external hard drive without needing a computer.

Here is how to transfer iMessages to external hard drive via screenshot:

Step 1. Take a screenshot of the desired conversations on your iPhone.

Step 2. Connect your external hard drive to your iPhone using a Lightning to USB adapter. Open the "Files" app to confirm that the external hard drive is connected.

Step 3. Open the "Photos" app on your iPhone, find and select the screenshots of the iMessages, then tap the "Share" button in the bottom left corner.

Step 4. Tap "Save to Files", select your external hard drive as the destination, and then tap "Save".

how to save imessages to external hard drive via screenshot

Final Thoughts

We have introduced three ways to transfer iMessages to external hard drive. If you need to efficiently and bulk-export a large number of iMessages for long-term storage, Coolmuster iOS Assistant is undoubtedly the best choice. It offers an intuitive interface, supports multiple formats, provides fast export speeds, and also allows you to manage other data on your iPhone. For saving scattered messages, email and screenshot methods are more suitable for emergency use.

Related Articles:

[Solved] How to Transfer Music from iPhone/iPad to External Hard Drive?

How to Back Up iPhone to External Hard Drive on Windows or Mac

How to Transfer Photos from Android to Flash Drive [Solved in 5 Ways]

4 Reliable Ways to Transfer Videos from External Hard Drive to iPhone

    iOS Transfer     3 Easy Ways to Transfer iMessages to External Hard Drive 2025
iOS Assistant
Back up and restore everything on iPhone/iPad/iPod with one click.
Freely manage iOS data and iTunes backup files on the computer.
Preview and selectively transfer files between iDevice and computer.
Widely support contacts, messages, photos, videos, music, notes, etc.
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