Lost important iMessages due to accidental deletion? Don't worry! There are multiple ways to help you recover your deleted iMessages even without a backup!
This guide covers all proven ways to recover deleted iMessages on iPhone with or without a backup.
Built into iOS devices, iMessage is Apple's messaging service that enables you to send and receive texts, photos, videos, and other contents with other Apple users. If you've accidentally deleted some important iMessages, you may want to know every method to recover them. Thankfully, recovering deleted iMessages is no longer challenging.
In this guide, we'll walk you through various ways to recover deleted iMessages on iPhone. The method differs, depending on how long you've deleted them and whether you have a recent backup. Now, let's explore the most effective way to retrieve your lost iMessages, whether they were recently or permanently deleted.
For easy and quick iMessage recovery, iPhone Data Recovery offers a comprehensive solution, letting you recover both recently and permanently deleted iMessages without needing any backups.
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In iOS 16 and later, Apple has introduced Recently Deleted folder in Messages app — that stores all iMessages and text messages you've deleted in the last 30 up to 40 days. If any accidental deletion happens, you can easily find and recover your iMessages from Recently Deleted folder to move them back.
Below are steps to recover recently deleted iMessages within Messages app. Note: After 30 days, your iMessages will be automatically removed from the Recently Deleted folder and your iPhone.
1. On your iPhone, open Messages app and tap the Edit button on conversations page. It's in the upper-left corner. If you've turned Messages Filtering on, tap the Filters instead.
2. From the expanded options, select Show Recently Deleted.
TIP: If the Recently Deleted folder is not showing, check whether your iPhone is updated to iOS 16 or above.
3. When all recently deleted messages appear, tap to choose the iMessages you want to recover.
4. Tap Recover at the bottom and confirm Recover X Messages option. Or, you can simply tap Recover All to retrieve all deleted iMessages and texts.
The recovered iMessages will be returned to where they previously were.
If the deleted iMessages are not recovered in the following 30 days, they will be automatically removed from this folder and your iPhone. However, it doesn't mean that they're gone forever. With right tools, the recovery of permanently deleted iMessages can be done effortlessly.
The permanently deleted iMessages are still existing on iPhone until they are overwritten by new data. Before that, you can use the versatile tool HigoSpot iPhone Data Recovery to deeply scan the internal storage of your iPhone to find all deleted iMessages that are still recoverable.
This tool supports the recovery of various data files, including iMessages, texts, photos, contacts, notes, and more. With simple clicks, you're allowed to preview, select, and recover only the iMessages you need back. Compatible with all iOS versions and iPhone models, here's how to recover deleted iMessages on iPhone without a backup:
Step 1. Open iPhone Data Recovery on your computer and select Recover from iOS Device. It works for both Mac and Windows PC.
Step 2. Connect your iPhone with a USB cable and click Start Scan. It may take a short while to perform a deep scanning of your iDevice.
Step 3. After scanning, select Messages from the left-side menu. You can preview all conversations, contacts, timeline, and more details.
Step 4. Tick the iMessages you want back and click the Recover button at the bottom.
This will recover the iMessages directly from your iPhone and export them as CSV/HTML files on your computer for future review. It also works for iPhone text message recovery without backup.
The deleted iMessages will disappear from your iPhone automatically after 30 days. If you cannot find them in Messages Recently Deleted folder, a recent iCloud backup or iTunes/Finder backup would be helpful to recover your permanently deleted iMessages.
If you've backed up your iPhone to iCloud, whether manually or automatically, you can restore deleted iMessages from your latest iCloud backup. However, this requires resetting your iPhone first, which will erase all current data and settings. To avoid losing newer data, it's recommended to create a separate backup before proceeding.
Here're the steps for deleted iMessage recovery from iCloud backup:
Step 1. Verify available iCloud backups.
Go to Settings > your Apple ID > iCloud > iCloud Backups; all available iCloud backups will be listed on the screen. You may tap on each one to see when it was created. Make sure there's a backup made before your iMessages were permanently deleted.
Step 2. Erase your iPhone and reset everything.
In iPhone Settings, tap General > Transfer or Reset iPhone > Erase All Content and Settings If asked, verify your passcode or Apple ID password to confirm the reset.
Step 3. Restore deleted iMessages from iCloud.
After reset, set up your iPhone from the Hello screen until you reach Transfer Your Apps & Data screen; select From iCloud Backup and log in to your iCloud account; pick the backup that contains the iMessages you wish to recover and restore it to your iPhone.
All data in that iCloud backup will be downloaded to your iPhone. Wait for the restoration to complete. Once done, your deleted iMessages will re-appear in the conversation list within your iPhone Messages app.
Recovering deleted iMessages can be extremely easy if you've been backing up your iPhone with iTunes or Finder regularly. While restoring from an iTunes backup / Finder backup can recover your lost iMessages, the process will reset your iPhone and replace all current data with the backup contents. Any newer data created after that backup will be overwritten.
Check the following steps to restore deleted iMessages from an iTunes backup or Finder backup:
1. Open iTunes or Finder on your computer.
For Windows PC and Mac with macOS 10.14 Mojave or earlier, open iTunes on your computer. If you're using macOS 10.15 Catalina or later, run Finder on your desktop.
2. Connect your iPhone using a USB cable. If prompted, tap Trust on your iPhone to allow data access.
3. Click the phone icon when it appears in the upper-left corner on iTunes screen. For Finder users, select your iPhone under Locations on the left side.
4. Scroll down to Backups section and click on Restore Backup.
5. In the pop-up box, select the most related backup that was made before deleting your iMessages.
6. Keep your iPhone connected until the backup restoration completes.
Afterward, the recovered iMessages will appear in your iPhone's Messages app again.
If you're looking for a way to recover deleted iMessages from an earlier iTunes backup without losing current data, the Backup Extractor feature in iPhone Data Recovery is the perfect solution.
Unlike a full restoration, it lets you scan iTunes backups for missing iMessages. You can preview all conversations and selectively restore only the iMessages you want back, without overwriting any existing data on your iPhone.
Ensure there's a recent iTunes backup that includes the iMessages you've accidentally deleted. These are the steps to recover your iMessages from an iTunes backup without data loss:
1. Run iPhone Data Recovery on your computer and select Recover From iTunes Backup Files. The program will automatically detect and list all available iTunes backups stored on your computer.
2. Pick the iTunes backup that holds your deleted iMessages and click Start button for a full scan. You can view the last backup date and select the most related one.
3. From the scanning results, navigate to Messages on the left side. Allow it for a few minutes to finish the scanning and load all backup files.
4. Preview the iMessages and select whichever you'd like to recover.
5. Hit the Recover button.
All selected iMessages will be recovered and extracted from iTunes backup. No current data on your iPhone will be replaced.
With these solutions, it's simple to recover all deleted iMessages on your iPhone whether with or without a backup. If none of these works, try reaching out to Apple Support for further assistance. To prevent future data loss, you may create regular backups of your iPhone in case of any accidental deletions.
FAQs on iMessage Recovery After Deletion
