You can set up your iPhone so that you can receive and send SMS messages (short text messages) and MMS messages (text messages with graphics, audio, video, and other media) on your Mac. After you set up your iPhone, when you receive an SMS message, it appears on both your iPhone and your Mac. Open Messages for me

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages. Tap Text Message Forwarding. Turn on your Mac in the list of devices. If you’re not using two-factor authentication, a six-digit activation code appears on your Mac; enter this code on your iPhone, then tap Allow.

For more information, see the Messages chapter of the user guide for iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, For a device that doesn’t use the latest version of iOS or iPadOS, get the user guide from the Apple Support Manuals website,

Why are my Messages not syncing between my iPhone and Mac?

7. Bonus tips – If your internet connection is working as it should, Apple’s status page says iMessage is working properly, and iMessage is enabled on all your devices, there are still a few things you can try to fix iMessages not syncing across devices:

• Disable iMessage by deselecting ‘Enable Messages in iCloud,’ waiting for a few seconds, and then re-enabling it.
• Do the same on all your devices that use Messages.
• If that doesn’t work, sign out of your Apple ID on all your devices and sign back in again. That will force iCloud to resync everything and should bring your Mac iMessages into sync with your other devices.

One of the great things about iMessage is that you can send and receive them on your Mac, as well as iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. However, you might find that sometimes iMessages are not syncing on your Mac, and so the Messages app on your Mac doesn’t update when you send and receive messages on another device.

How do I sync my Messages across Apple devices?

Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices You can use iCloud with Messages on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac. For an overview of what you can do with iCloud, see, Note: Make sure you’re signed in with the same on each device. If you have devices where you’re not signed in with your Apple ID or that have Messages for iCloud turned off, your messages won’t be kept up to date on those devices.

1. On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > > iCloud.
2. Do one of the following:
   • iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later: Tap Show All, tap Messages, then turn on Sync this,
   • iOS 15, iPadOS 15, or earlier: Turn on Messages.

   Any messages currently stored in iCloud are now accessible on your device, and any new messages you receive on your device will be stored in iCloud.

3. To make sure you can see your messages on all your devices, also check the following:
   • iMessage account: On your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Make sure that you’re signed in to iMessage with the same Apple ID. You can choose which email addresses and phone numbers you want to send and receive messages from on each device.
   • Text message forwarding: If you want to receive SMS and MMS messages on all your devices, go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone. Turn on text message forwarding for each device. For more information, see the Apple Support article,
4. To see messages stored in iCloud, open the Messages app.

For more information on how to use Messages on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch, see any of the following:

1. In the Messages app on your Mac, do one of the following:
   • macOS Ventura: Choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then select Enable Messages in iCloud.
   • macOS 12 or earlier: Choose Messages > Preferences, click iMessage, then select Enable Messages in iCloud.
2. Select which email addresses and phone numbers you want to send and receive messages from on your Mac. Any messages currently stored in iCloud are now accessible on your Mac, and any new messages you receive on your Mac will be stored in iCloud.
3. To see Messages stored in iCloud, open the Messages app.

Note: If you want to turn off Messages in iCloud on your Mac, deselect Enable Messages in iCloud. You can choose to disable Messages in iCloud for all your devices, or just your Mac. For more information on how to use Messages on your Mac, see the, When you first turn on Messages in iCloud, it may take some time for all of them to appear on each device.

Why am I not receiving text messages on my Mac?

How to send a text from a Mac if your friend doesn’t have an iPhone – If your friend has another type of phone their number may gain a red box when you add it to the To: field. This indicates that their phone is not registered with iMessage. If you try to send a text message you will see an alert saying ‘Your message could not be sent’.

1. Ensure you’re signed in to iCloud on your Mac and iPhone using the same Apple ID.
2. On the Mac, go to System Preferences > iCloud and sign in using your Apple login details.
3. On the iPhone, check the Apple ID account you are using is the same. Go to Settings > iCloud.
4. Open Messages on your Mac.
5. Go to Settings > Messages on your iPhone and tap on Text Messages Forwarding.
6. You will see your Mac (or Macs) listed here with an on off slider beside them. To allow your Mac to send and receive text messages turn the slider to green.
7. You will see a message saying to enter the code shown on your Mac to allow iPhone text messages to also be sent and received on your Mac. Tap in that number and wait for the device to be verified.

Now when you add your friend’s non-iPhone mobile number it will gain a green box to indicate that you are sending a text message. Your friend will receive a standard text message, which will have been routed via your iPhone, so it will be allocated towards your text message allowance according to your mobile phone contract. The best thing is that the text message conversation won’t be restricted to your Mac: you will also see it on your iPhone (and iPad).

Why aren t my Apple Messages syncing?

How to Fix iMessage Not Syncing Between iDevices – If the iMessage syncing problem between your iOS devices is not a hardware deficiency, here are some quick tips to fix problem:

Make sure iMessage is enabled on both iOS Devices. You could check on your device in: Settings > Messages > iMessage. Sometimes you just need to reactivate the iMessage function. Try turn off iMessage and turn it on again. If iMessage is on, Tap on “Send & Receive” > Select your phone number and email address that you want to sync to that device. Check your network settings and Wi-Fi Proxies to make sure your iDevices connected to the network correctly and steadily. Delete previous iMessage conversations: It has been reported that deleting iMessages threads may fix this problem. You should know that only new iMessages will sync, the old chats will not.

How do I get my Messages to sync to my Mac?

Access your messages on all your Apple devices When you use Messages in iCloud, all the messages you send, receive, and delete are updated on all your Apple devices automatically. Keeping your messages in iCloud also helps you save space on your Mac. To use Messages in iCloud, you need macOS 10.13.5 or later, iOS 11.4 or later, or iPadOS 13 or later.

1. On your Mac, choose Apple menu > System Settings, then do one of the following:
   • If you need to sign in to your Mac: Click Sign in with your Apple ID at the top of the sidebar, then, Use the same you use to sign in to Messages.
   • If you’re already signed in to your Mac: Click at the top of the sidebar, then make sure you’re signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID you use to sign in to Messages.

   Note: Most users only have one Apple ID. If you have more than one, go to System Settings on your Mac, and Messages Settings in Messages, and make sure you’re using the same Apple ID for both.

2. Click Password & Security on the right, then make sure that is on. If it’s off, see,
3. In the Messages app on your Mac, choose Messages > Settings, then click iMessage.
4. Click Settings, then select Enable Messages in iCloud. The messages from your other devices that use the same Apple ID appear on your Mac. Note: Depending on how many messages you have, it may take a while for all of them to appear. You can send and receive messages during that time.

After you turn on Messages in iCloud, your messages stay up to date automatically. If you want to make sure a new change takes effect immediately, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, click Settings, then click Sync Now. You can turn off Messages in iCloud on all your devices or on your Mac only.

1. In the Messages app on your Mac, choose Messages > Settings, then click iMessage.
2. Click Settings, then deselect Enable Messages in iCloud.
3. Choose one of the following:
   • Disable All: Turns off Messages in iCloud on all your devices. Messages are no longer stored in iCloud and are instead stored on each device.
   • Disable This Device: Turns off Messages in iCloud on your Mac only. Messages on your Mac are no longer stored in iCloud; on any other device where Messages in iCloud is turned on, messages continue to be stored in iCloud.

: Access your messages on all your Apple devices

How do I Back up my iPhone messages to my Mac without iCloud?

Backup your iPhone to Mac without iCloud – Finder – If you are using a Mac system, then Finder is another alternative to carry out the iPhone backup. Carefully watch the below guidelines to backup up your iPhone to Mac with the help of the Finder module.

Step 1: Use a reliable cable and connect the PC to the iPhone Step 2: Launch the Finder app on your Mac and choose your connected iPhone device at the sidebar of the screen. Step 3: In the top menu tap General and hit the “Back up all the data on your iPhone to this Mac’ option from the disclosed items.

Step 4: To add security features in the backup process, tap the ‘Encrypt Local backup’ option Step 5: Finally press the Backup Now button to start the backup procedure. The above steps help you to back up your iPhone successfully. Follow the steps carefully to ensure lossless data backup.

Does iCloud Back up text messages?

Access the same messages on all your devices – When you set up iCloud for Messages, your messages are stored in the cloud instead of locally on your device. You can see them on any device that’s set up for iCloud and Messages, including your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Mac.

Why is my iMessage not working on Mac?

9. Try a different way of sending and receiving messages – If iMessage still isn’t working, check which phone number or email linked to your Apple ID account you’re currently using and try a different option.

1. On your Mac, go to Messages → Settings → select the iMessage tab,
2. Enable or disable your email or phone number and see if this will get iMessage to start working again.

How do I download Messages from iCloud?

Fix 3: Reset your iCloud Account on Linked Devices – If you have not linked the same iCloud account on different devices, then your message might not be synced as well. Therefore, you can check and even reset your account on linked devices. To fix the downloading of messages from iCloud being stuck, go to the iCloud settings on your iPhone.

Why are my old Messages not syncing to my Mac?

How to turn on Messages in iCloud –

1. Make sure that you are logged in to the same Apple ID across all of the devices that you want to access your Messages in iCloud on.
2. On your iPhone, launch Settings,
3. Tap on your iCloud and Apple ID settings (your name and image at the top).
4. Select iCloud,

(Image credit: iMore)

1. Tap Show All,
2. Tap Messages,
3. Toggle Messages to ON (green).

(Image credit: iMore) Once this is done, ensure that your iPhone 14 Pro is connected to a Wi-Fi network so that your entire Messages history can be uploaded for the initial sync. Apple doesn’t want to drain your battery or cellular data plan doing this, so that’s why you must be on Wi-Fi for the first sync.

After the syncing process (time depends on how much history you have, and larger files may need more time), that’s it! All of your Messages history from your iPhone is saved in iCloud with tight end-to-end encryption, and can be accessed on any other device with your Apple ID as long as it’s running iOS 11.4 or later.

But to get this working on your Mac, you’ll need to do the following:

1. First, check and make sure that you’re logged in to the correct Apple ID as your phone, otherwise, you’ll find nothing.
2. Launch Messages on your Mac.
3. Open the Settings for Messages (⌘ and, or just click Messages and select Settings on the menu bar).

(Image credit: iMore)

1. Go to the iMessage tab in the preferences settings.
2. Check off the box for Enable Messages in iCloud,
3. Your message history should synchronize after that box is checked. If not, click on the Sync Now button to force a sync.

(Image credit: iMore) Again, depending on your Message history, it may take a while for everything to download onto your Mac. Naturally, you’ll want to be on a good, stable Wi-Fi connection when doing this, just to make sure there are no hiccups in the process.

Why are my iPhone Messages not syncing with iCloud?

Tip 4. Sign Out and in iCloud Account – iCloud Messages not syncing issue will occur when there is something wrong with the iCloud account. You can try to sign out of your account on all devices and sign back in to see if that helps.

How do I upload all Messages to my Mac?

Tip 2. Sync Text Messages from iPhone to Mac via iCloud – With iCloud Drive, you can sync files across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, which makes it incredibly convenient to transfer text messages from iPhone to Mac. But before starting, three things are worth noting.

Make sure that both iPhone and Mac log in with the same Apple ID. Make sure your iPhone runs iOS 11.4 or above, and your MacBook or iMac runs on macOS 10.13.4. These messages you synced will disappear on Mac if you delete them on iPhone.

Step 1, Enable Messages on iCloud by going to Settings >Apple ID > iCloud > Toggle “Messages” to on (green). Step 2, Open your MacBook or iMac and ensure you’re logged in to the same Apple ID as your iPhone > Launch Messages app on your Mac. Step 3, Go to the “Preference” for Message > “Account” > Select your Apple ID from the accounts list > Tick the “Enable Messages in iCloud.” Step 4, Once enabled, all messages on your iPhone will be synced to your Messages app on Mac. If not, you can click on the Sync Now button to start. Note : The above-introduced two methods can also be transferred messages from Mac back to the iPhone. iCloud is a helpful way to download text messages from iPhone,

Why is my iMessage not working on Mac?

9. Try a different way of sending and receiving messages – If iMessage still isn’t working, check which phone number or email linked to your Apple ID account you’re currently using and try a different option.

1. On your Mac, go to Messages → Settings → select the iMessage tab,
2. Enable or disable your email or phone number and see if this will get iMessage to start working again.

Why are my old Messages not syncing to my Mac?

How to turn on Messages in iCloud –

1. Make sure that you are logged in to the same Apple ID across all of the devices that you want to access your Messages in iCloud on.
2. On your iPhone, launch Settings,
3. Tap on your iCloud and Apple ID settings (your name and image at the top).
4. Select iCloud,

(Image credit: iMore)

1. Tap Show All,
2. Tap Messages,
3. Toggle Messages to ON (green).

(Image credit: iMore) Once this is done, ensure that your iPhone 14 Pro is connected to a Wi-Fi network so that your entire Messages history can be uploaded for the initial sync. Apple doesn’t want to drain your battery or cellular data plan doing this, so that’s why you must be on Wi-Fi for the first sync.

After the syncing process (time depends on how much history you have, and larger files may need more time), that’s it! All of your Messages history from your iPhone is saved in iCloud with tight end-to-end encryption, and can be accessed on any other device with your Apple ID as long as it’s running iOS 11.4 or later.

But to get this working on your Mac, you’ll need to do the following:

1. First, check and make sure that you’re logged in to the correct Apple ID as your phone, otherwise, you’ll find nothing.
2. Launch Messages on your Mac.
3. Open the Settings for Messages (⌘ and, or just click Messages and select Settings on the menu bar).

(Image credit: iMore)

1. Go to the iMessage tab in the preferences settings.
2. Check off the box for Enable Messages in iCloud,
3. Your message history should synchronize after that box is checked. If not, click on the Sync Now button to force a sync.

(Image credit: iMore) Again, depending on your Message history, it may take a while for everything to download onto your Mac. Naturally, you’ll want to be on a good, stable Wi-Fi connection when doing this, just to make sure there are no hiccups in the process.

Why aren’t my Messages showing up on my iPhone?

1. Check Notification Settings for Messages – When text messages are not showing up on your iPhone as notifications, make sure the Messages app is permitted to show them on the Lock Screen, Notification Center, and elsewhere. To do this, follow these simple instructions:

Open Settings and tap Notifications > Messages, Ensure Allow Notifications is green. Next, check the boxes for Lock Screen, Notification Center, and Banners, Tap Sounds and choose a loud message tone. If you don’t see the actual message content on your iPhone’s Lock Screen, tap Show Previews and choose Always,

After following the above steps, new text messages via SMS and iMessage should show up on your iPhone and make a sound when the device is locked.

Why are my contacts not syncing to my Mac iMessage?

Contacts not syncing between Mac and iPhone / Looks like no one’s replied in a while. To start the conversation again, simply

When I add a Contact on my Mac it doesn’t appear on my iPhoneMy Mac Contacts are set to save to iCloud I’ve logged out of iCloud on my Mac and iPhone and logged back in again but no luck Any suggestions for what I need to do?thank you

MacBook Pro with Retina display, macOS High Sierra (10.13.4), Sep 2014; Latest software installed Posted on Apr 30, 2018 10:55 PM Try going to using a computer to see if the items are there and whether they are from the device or the computer. That should show whether the device or the computer isn’t syncing. If the computer, try going to System Preferences/iCloud and stop syncing. Wait a couple of minutes, then recheck syncing. If the device, go to Settings/Your Name/iCloud and do the above. As a last resort, you can also try signing out of iCloud and then sign in again. Hello Jerry Dammers, I see that you’re having an issue with your contacts not syncing from your Mac to your iPhone. I’d be happy to help and try to get this resolved for you quickly. You mentioned that you’ve already sign out and back into iCloud on both devices. This was a great step to try. The next thing you’d want to do is check your iCloud settings on the Mac. Go to System Preferences > iCloud > Contacts, make sure that the box is checked beside contacts. If your contacts are not syncing from the iPhone to the Mac, you’ll want to double check the same settings on the iPhone. Go to Settings > Tap on your name at the top > iCloud, make sure Contacts are toggled on there. If the settings are already set this way on both of the devices, turn that setting off on both devices, restart both the iPhone and the Mac, and then turn contacts back on in iCloud for both devices and test to see if the issue remains. You can find some additional troubleshooting steps in, Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.Have a great day! Page content loaded Hello Jerry Dammers, I see that you’re having an issue with your contacts not syncing from your Mac to your iPhone. I’d be happy to help and try to get this resolved for you quickly. You mentioned that you’ve already sign out and back into iCloud on both devices. This was a great step to try. The next thing you’d want to do is check your iCloud settings on the Mac. Go to System Preferences > iCloud > Contacts, make sure that the box is checked beside contacts. If your contacts are not syncing from the iPhone to the Mac, you’ll want to double check the same settings on the iPhone. Go to Settings > Tap on your name at the top > iCloud, make sure Contacts are toggled on there. If the settings are already set this way on both of the devices, turn that setting off on both devices, restart both the iPhone and the Mac, and then turn contacts back on in iCloud for both devices and test to see if the issue remains. You can find some additional troubleshooting steps in, Thank you for using Apple Support Communities.Have a great day! Try going to using a computer to see if the items are there and whether they are from the device or the computer. That should show whether the device or the computer isn’t syncing. If the computer, try going to System Preferences/iCloud and stop syncing. Wait a couple of minutes, then recheck syncing. If the device, go to Settings/Your Name/iCloud and do the above. As a last resort, you can also try signing out of iCloud and then sign in again. Contacts not syncing between Mac and iPhone : Contacts not syncing between Mac and iPhone