Saving entire iMessage conversation to Mac

I have a very long iMessage conversation on my iphone 4 (ios7) that I would like to back up to my Mac or email to myself.
There are hundreds of individual messages and I keep messing up when I have to select each and every individual message to back up. Additionally, when I sent these to my email address, the message sending failed.
What is the best way to do this?
I'd like to be able to see the conversation clearly on my computer, without any unnecessary code etc.
Is there a way to do this via iTunes?

Just wanted to provide some feedback about iExplorer. I purchased it and am a bit disappointed. There is a problem correctly ordering the messages by timestamp when exporting to pdf. Messages sent within the same minute are grouped together but in a seemingly random order. So instead of a conversation looking like this in the exported pdf file (assuming all the messages below were sent/received at 10:45AM for example)...
Person A: Hello
Person B: Hi
A: How are you
B: Fine and you?
A: Not too shabby. What time should we meet?
B: how about 8?
...It looks like this:
B: Fine and you?
A: Hello
B: Hi
A: How are you
B: how about 8?
A: Not too shabby. What time should we meet?
It seems the app doesn't take seconds into account, just minutes. Aggravating!

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Restore an iMessage conversation from Mac to iPhone

Hi,
A couple of months ago, I deleted a contact from my address book, along with the corresponding iMessage conversation from this contact. Both the contact and the conversation were manually deleted from my Mac and my iPhone (I think, although maybe I just deleted it from my iPhone?). Both devices are using the same AppleID/iCloud account.
About a month ago, I added the contact back in (I can't recall if I added the contact back on my Mac first or my iPhone first) and the entire iMessage conversation had been restored on my Mac (I was actually quite amazed that the entire conversation was restored on the Mac. I didn't really know that all that is stored in lCloud). On my iPhone, however, only the iMessage conversation messages that were exchanged since the contact was added back in are present on the iPhone.
Is there a way to force the iPhone to refresh the entire conversation from this particular contact from iCloud, or from my Mac?
I use iCloud backup to back up my phone, not my Mac.
Thanks!
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X Yosemite (10.10), 15" Mid 2014 i7 2.8 16GB 1TB
iPhone 6 Plus, iOS 8.1

Not that I know of. You would have to restore a back-up of the iPhone before the message was deleted. You can also take screen shots on the Mac of the conversation. That would save the conversation in your photos, and you can sync those. Maybe someone else can chime in if I'm missing something.

Saving/Printing iMessage conversations

Hi,
I'm starting the process of applying for a Fiancee visa to the US for my Chinese fiancee, and I'm collecting proof of our relationship. Is there a way for me to download, save, and/or print all of my iMessage conversations with her?
I know I can go into "Messages" on the iPhone, select "Edit", and then select each individual message to forward to an email. But we've got thousands of iMessages over two years. Is there an easier way to do this?
Thanks for your help!

If on a Mac, you can use this:
http://www.ecamm.com/mac/phoneview/
A PC, this:
http://www.wideanglesoftware.com/touchcopy/index.php

Saving an iMessage conversation

There is one particular iMessage conversation that I'd like to save. Does anyone know how to do this or if it's even possible? Thanks.

Just wanted to provide some feedback about iExplorer. I purchased it and am a bit disappointed. There is a problem correctly ordering the messages by timestamp when exporting to pdf. Messages sent within the same minute are grouped together but in a seemingly random order. So instead of a conversation looking like this in the exported pdf file (assuming all the messages below were sent/received at 10:45AM for example)...
Person A: Hello
Person B: Hi
A: How are you
B: Fine and you?
A: Not too shabby. What time should we meet?
B: how about 8?
...It looks like this:
B: Fine and you?
A: Hello
B: Hi
A: How are you
B: how about 8?
A: Not too shabby. What time should we meet?
It seems the app doesn't take seconds into account, just minutes. Aggravating!

How can I download an entire imessage conversation?

I want to copy more than one message at a time

This can be done only if the entire conversation is still on the phone or was backed up. Anything deleted and not backed up is gone for good.

Is it possible ? Transfering your entire imessage conversation to your imac/iphone ?

I've been trying to transfer it all day, i used iExporler and other applications that were suppose to have transfer my message but it didnt work out . I already have my imessage saved on my iphone but i just to transfer it on my imac//ipod. So it is possible ?

You've not given us much to work with. At minimum, please use the guidelines in this Apple article, "How to write a good question" as a start:
To help other members answer your question, give as many details as you can.
Include your product name and specs such as processor speed, memory, and storage capacity. Please do not include your Serial Number, IMEI, MEID, or other personal information.
Provide the version numbers of your operating system and relevant applications, for example "iOS 6.0.3" or "iPhoto 9.1.2".
Describe the problem, and include any details about what seems to cause it.
List any troubleshooting steps you've already tried, or temporary fixes you've discovered.
IF you are running Messages on the iMac, yours is much newer than the 1998 through 2005 models this forum covers. Once we know your equipment details we can get you moved to a more active and appropriate forum where you can get faster help.

Load entire iMessage conversation

How can I load an entire message convo in the iPhone rather than constantly hitting "load earlier messages"?
Is there a way to pull it up not using a computer with icloud?
If there isn't a way on the iPhone itself, can you explain any way you may know of using any other method.
Thanks!

Well, you can certainly use applications on your computer to view and archive entire threads. Take a look PhoneView (Mac) or TouchCopy (Mac or PC).
Best of luck.

Extracting iMessage Conversations

Hi there,
I'm running Mountain Lion OS X (10.8.2) and recently updated to iTunes v11. Is there any way I can extract an entire iMessage conversation off my iPhone 4 and save it in either iTunes or even in a Word document? The conversation is very long (roughly 2 years).
Any insight or suggestions of third party softwares would be great! Thanks

Thank you Meg St._Clair.
However, the demo version of PhoneView only showed the past three conversations, and the particular conversation I want to save does not appear. Do you know if I will have to purchase the full version of PhoneView to be able to do this?
I haven't checked out TouchCopy, but I'll give it a try.
I only want to extract and save this conversation just once, then delete the whatever software can do that. So whatever demo version will allow me to do this would be perfect.
Thanks again

Sync old iMessage conversations from iPhone to new iPad & Mac?

I have had my iPhone for a couple years now, and have accumulated a fairly large amount of iMessage conversations from various people. A few days ago, I purchased my first iPad and also updated my Mac to Mountain Lion. By doing so, I now have access to iMessage on three devices in total, whereas before I only had one.
I have managed to setup my devices so that all new iMessages I send and receive are being synced between them. However, is it possible to sync my old iMessage conversations from my iPhone back onto my iPad and Mac?
I would like to do so in order to keep a full record of the past conversations I have had with my contacts.
I have done a bit of research before posting, but the only related topics I found werehttps://discussions.apple.com/message/19095937 andhttps://discussions.apple.com/message/17818920. The former was left unresolved, whereas the latter describes a solution which I am unable to reproduce.
Could anyone shed some light on this for me?

Hi,
For me this was very early on in my Mountain Lion days.
I would now say that you cannot sync iMessages from an iOS device that were sent before your linked any Apple ID with the iPhone Number or added the Mac to the use of the Apple ID.
At the point at which and Apple ID is used on both an iPad and the Mac version of Messages becomes it's "Start date"
The same can be said for adding an Apple ID to an iPhone and the Mac.
On the Mac all messages can be saved if you wish.
This are in the .ichat format which you can send to Mac Buddies and then can open them and read them as if they were the chat (i.e they display as "chats').
There appears to be no way in iTunes to access the iMessages (or SMS ones) on the iPhone.
Someone who knows more about the iOS may be able to tell you if they are accessible another way.
8:52 PM Friday; May 24, 2013
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mountain Lion 10.8.3)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Should iMessage conversations deleted on iPhone be automatically deleted on Mac w/Mountain Lion?

I've been searching exhaustively for an answer to this question & haven't found one yet. I have a MacBook Pro 13" (February 2011) with Mountain Lion 10.8.2. I also have an iPhone 4 w/iOS 6. I have it Messages on the Mac synced with iMessages on the phone exactly as people have instructed, and I do see conversations on one showing up on the other. What I don't understand, though, is that when I delete a conversation on one, that conversation is not deleted from the other. Is that supposed to be the case? I would have expected that, with all the new iCloud integration, if you delete a iMessage conversation on, say, the iPhone, it will automatically delete that conversation on the Mac or other iOS devices that are synced. Any thoughts?

Mine have to be deleted on each device. My wife's devices are the same. Evidently, that is the way it is set up.

Is there a way to hide an iMessage conversation without deleting it?

Is there a way to hide an iMessage conversation without deleting it?
I recently went through a breakup and would like to not see my ex's face and messages every time I pull iMessage up, but I also don't want to delete them. I have the most up to date versions of iMessage on my Macbook Pro and iPhone 5C as of this post (10-5-14)

Hi,
iMessages account on the Mac (in the Messages app) stores the iMessages in a Chat.db item
IF you dismiss a conversation from view (mouse over it and use the x that appears) the chat.db will supply the "History" if and when you contact that person again.
However it is worthwhile also creating a back up of some sort.
As well as Time Machine it can also help to highlight the whole Chat (work from the most recent end to the "top" of the conversation to highlight it all.
You can then Print and Save as PDF.
You can back up your iPhone in iTunes.
These can be used to Restore the iPhone back to that time. (you do lose all new things added since the Backup was made.)
There are various tools out there to extract info from iTunes Backups of iOS devices, which might help.
Of course the Messages app on the Mac also has a Settings for Saving on close. (it will Save if you dismiss the chat/Conversation and when the app is closed/Quit)
Over and extended conversation or chat that lasts days or months each Session on the computer is Saved.
Again you can dismiss the chat/conversation form view as you have saved versions (in parts) of the conversation.
(You cannot Save a chat or conversation in Retrospect.)
8:42 pm Sunday; October 5, 2014
 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

HT5395 Deleted iMessage conversations

Recently I deleted my iMessage conversations from my iPhone 5, but they are still saved on my iMessage app on my Mac. Can I put the already saved conversations on my Mac to my phone?

HI,
The Sync process as Apple calls it is in fact only "Display on all Devices".
The Mac can Save chats and you can get these back on view with a bit of work.
However there is no way that they can be "sent" to the iOS version to display like they did before.
It is not like a mail server where you can go to the Server web page and re-flag items as Not Read so that "fetch" works on another device.
The item on the Mac if it has been saved is a file (date of chat.ichat i.e. an iChat file which the Mac version of Messages can read but the iOS version can't).
If you send the File to the iPhone it can't open it.
If you Backup your iPhone using iTunes (to iTunes) then you could use the Backup to "restore" the iPhone to a point before you deleted the conversation.
However anything else you have received in between times would be lost including any installs.
9:26 pm Tuesday; February 11, 2014
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

When I send messages using iMessage on my Mac, I only recieve the persons responses on my phone and not what I sent. Is there a way where I would be able to change that?

I finally have my phone number linked to iMessage on my mac and its working fine. The only problem is that whenever I send people a message from my computer, I revieve their responses to both my phone and computer but you can only see what I said on my computer. Is there a way so I could see the full conversation on both my Mac and my iPhone?

Hi
Go into iMessage preferences, and then accounts and add your Apple ID email address into both your phone and your Mac. This should then sync them all up.
Hope this helps
Gary

I would like to download iMessage for my mac book pro.

I would like to download iMessage for my mac book pro OS X, 10.8.1. When I try to install imessage it says that I need 10.7. What do I have to do to get imessage installed?

It sounds like you already have iMessages setup. Did you sign into iCloud from system preferences and did you also add your iCloud account to Mail?
They should, just sign you into iMessages when you load Messages.app.
If you are only being asked to put in your AIM id (which it is really asking for your APPLE ID) then it means that you are already signed into iMessages (hopefully)
To check this, go to Messages>Preferences>accounts and choose iMessages. Make sure that it says it is enabled.
Now close out of the preferences, and then hit cmd 0, to bring up the Chat Box.
The Chat box lets you use iMessages begin a conversation with a friend in your contacts.
simply type their name into the TO field at the top of the chat box and find a contact with "IMessages" next to their name. Hover over that contact, and if a blue Talk Bubble comes up next to the name, that account is ready to receive iMessages.
Click the account and begin a conversation.
If you have setup everything correctly with your Apple ID on your iDevices as well as in Messages on OSX, you should be able to have a synced conversation with all of them.
Please note, if you were using your Apple ID with iChat before ML, then you most certainly have an AIM account and you were using it in the past. If you want a buddy list, then you should follow the prompt to sign in with your AIM account, but treat it like it is asking you for an Apple ID. Sign in with your apple id to the aim account it asks you to sign into and then you'll have your old iChat buddy list back.
iMessages does not have a buddy list associated with it. you need to organize your Contacts with their user information and then you need to use the To field in the chat box to communicate and find people with iMessages. Only gtalk, jabber, aim, bonjour, yahoo have the ability to show you a buddy list. iMessages buddy list is Contacts.app
if iMessages is not enabled, you can enable it by clicking on the iMessages account in Messages>preferences>accounts and then signing in with the same apple id you have tied to your iOS devices.
I hope this helps.

IPhone 6 - Printing iMessage Conversations

Hello,
I am interested in printing a conversation in iMessage that was started in October 14, 2014. It is currently on my iPhone 6.
I understand how to print an iMessage conversation via a MacBook Pro, but do not know how to do so from a phone.
If I log into iMessage on my MacBook Pro, how can I retrieve the history of the conversation that is stored on my iPhone. (I'm pretty sure my iMessage might be backed up by iCloud!)
Please let me know as soon as possible.
Thanks,
mladha

Thank you so much! I will definitely check it out later on my Mac!

Saving entire iMessage conversation to Mac

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