Look for methods on how to access/view iMessages online? This article will introduce you ways of reading iMessage online on both PC and Mac computer.
Old Imessages Deleted
Jan 08, 2019 Drag the Messages folder that you copied from the old Mac over to the now-empty Messages folder of your new Mac. Restart the new Mac. If you need a more in-depth dive into this process, make sure to check out our original how-to guide on viewing and moving your iMessage data to a new Mac. How to Restore iMessages from iCloud Backup Itself to iPhone/iPad. It is not uncommon to take a quick look through your old messages, but you may have unluckily deleted the entire conversation. Fortunately, if you back up your iMessages on iCloud regularly, you can restore the whole iCloud backup including iMessages following the below steps. Have you ever wanted to find a specific message on your iPhone? Today, we’re going to show you how to find old iMessages, and how to view your message history.
Want to find old iMessages on iPhone or iPad? Read the guide to get an easy way to recover old iMessages successfully. The iMessage history that powers your Messages app is stored in a database file in your computer’s hard drive, in a hidden folder named Library which, in turn, is in your username folder. You can usually find your username folder on the side bar of the finder.
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Can I check my iMessages online on Windows PC? My cell phone fell into the toilet, my screen is completely messed up and I was wondering if I can check my iMessages online or download them to my Windows computer or MacBook Air?
Check iMessage Online
Many iMessage users have a similar question that whether they could check or view iPhone messages online on PC or Mac. Officially, Apple company does not allow this to happens on non-Apple devices such as Windows, Android, or Linux devices. However, many users still want to use PCs or Mac to view iMessage online on PC or Mac. Or they may even seek to download iMessage history to their PC or Mac computer.
Fortunately, there are 2 methods that can help you view iMessages online. One is recovering iMessages from iCloud backup at first, and then read these online iCloud iMessages on your PC or Mac computer; the other is logging in your Apple ID on your Mac (including iMac, Mac Pro, MacBook) computer.
View iMessage Online on PC from iCloud Backup
You have learned that iCloud photos, notes, contacts can be checked through the official iCloud website as long as you log into iCloud with your Apple ID. Nevertheless, it’s a pity that you are not be allowed to view iMessages on iCloud directly. To access and view iPhone messages on computer from iCloud backup, you need a tool called PhoneRescue. PhoneRescue is a professional Android & iOS data recovery tool and PhoneRescue for iOS is dedicated to helping iOS users recover data from iTunes or iCloud backup. It has several outstanding features:

- Enables you to access and view 20+ types of iPhone data including iMessages in iCloud Backup without any limitation.
- Allows you to recover lost or deleted data from iDevice, iTunes backup, or iCloud backup easily.
- Supports to preview and selectively recover data according to your needs.
Now, download and install PhoneRescue for iOS. And then follow the steps to see how to view iMessages on your Windows computer with PhoneRescue for iOS.
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Step 1. Select the Recover from iCloud Mode
Launch PhoneRescue for iOS on your PC or Mac computer > Launch it and select the Recover from iCloud mode > Log in to iCloud with your Apple ID.
Click on Recover from iCloud
Step 2. Choose the Content to Recover from iCloud
Select the iCloud Backup option under the category page.
Step 3. Select Messages to Download to PC/Mac
PhoneRescue will list all your iCloud backups > select the right one and click the Download button > Merely tick Messages and click on the OK button to start downloading messages from iCloud.
Choose Messages from iCloud Backup
Step 4. View iMessage for Windows
Now you can view and read all iMessages online with your computer > Click on the Recover to Computer button to download iMessages to your Windows or Mac computer.
View iMessage Online by Logging into iMessage on Mac
First of all, you need to notice that to use this method to access or read iMessages online, you need to have a Mac computer. If you don’t have a Mac, you can go to Method 1 directly. Here is how to view iMessages online on a Mac.
Step 1. Launch the Messages app on your Mac.
Step 2. Go to Preferences > Accounts.
Step 3. Sign in with your Apple ID to activate iMessage.
Then you can view iMessages online with your Mac now. As we mentioned before, this method applying to Mac users, if you are working with a PC computer, you can’t make it in this way. But Method 1 can help you view iMessage on windows.
The Bottom Line
After reading this guide about how to view iMessages online, you must have already known how to access iMessage on the Web. As you can see, Method 1 is more useful than Method 2 because it is applying to both Mac and PC users. Therefore, download PhoneRescue for iOS to give it a try >
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Sometimes you may find yourself deleting all your iMessages. It may be by mistake, or you only wanted to change devices. All in all, if you have backed up your messages, you can retrieve it whether on the same iDevice or another.
Here we are going to take you through some simple steps on how to restore iMessages from iCloud on PC or Mac. More to that, we will also discuss how to restore iMessages to iPhone from iCloud. Hope this can give you a better experience with your iMessages.

1: How to Restore iMessages to iPhone from iCloud Backup
Can I Only Restore iMessages to iPhone from iCloud Backup Itself?
The answer is no. If you have backed up your messages on iTunes, you could also use it as an option. Be sure that the backup you choose should contain the iMessages you deleted before. Although this process is useful, there still is a downside to restore iMessages to iPhone from iCloud backup. The biggest one to this method is that you cannot preview what iMessages data is in it. Additionally, restoring the whole iCloud backup will overwrite the current information on your iPhone.
How to Restore iMessages from iCloud Backup Itself to iPhone/iPad
It is not uncommon to take a quick look through your old messages, but you may have unluckily deleted the entire conversation. Fortunately, if you back up your iMessages on iCloud regularly, you can restore the whole iCloud backup including iMessages following the below steps:
- Tap on the setting icon. Then go to general. Follow through to Erase all content and settings. This step will remove all the details on your device, and hence you will have to set it up again.
- Restart the phone and follow the initial steps you used when you bought it until you reach the App & Data setting.
- Select Restore from iCloud Backup. Ensure that the iCloud backup contains all the messages you deleted. There you have it. Let your iPhone restore the backup, and you will access all your initial iMessages.
2: How to Restore iMessages to iPhone on PC

Well, this is the solution to preview and then restore your iCloud backup data. If you choose to use your computer to only restore iMessages on your iPhone, you will have the chance to view what messages you need.
iMyFone D-Port Pro can help you extract data from your backup files. iMyFone D-Port Pro is a software that offers a better alternative to selectively backup and restore iPhone/iPad/iPod touch. Some of its main features include:
- You can separately backup and restore messages, WeChat or WhatsApp.
- You are also able to back up data from iPhone without overwriting the previous Backup.
- You can restore data from iTunes/iCloud and iMyFone backup.
- You will also be able to extract 20+ data types from back up files or iOS device.
Check and Restore Only iMessages from Your iCloud Backup to iPhone on PC
Here is the procedure on how to restore only iMessages from iCloud backup to iPhone on PC:
iMyFone D-Port Pro can quickly restore all your backups to your idevice. Additionally, you can also restore partial backups or certain types of data like messages to your device. The below steps will help you restore only messages from iPhone with D-Port Pro.
- Click on restore Partial Backup after you choose one iCloud backup. Then click next.
- Click on messages and press next to start to scan. The scanning process will take a moment. After scanning, you will get the chance to preview only your messages from that iCloud backup.
- Click restore hence your selected messages will be restored to your iPhone.
Note: This tool is also compatible with Mac. Download the software and you can restore iMessages from iCloud Backup on Mac.
3: How to Restore iMessages on Mac
Most iOS users always opt to use a Mac laptop. You may want to restore some of the iMessages using your Mac. The best part is that you do not require iCloud backup to restore your messages. As an apple user, you can restore deleted iMessages on Mac from old backup files.
Here are a few simple steps you can follow on how to restore iMessages on Mac:
- First, you should sign out from all iMessage accounts and quit Messages.
- Click and hold down the option key and then select Go then Library from the Finder menu. A folder window will open then.
- Restore the subfolder named ‘messages’ from a backup that has the dates of unwanted changes
- Then log out and log back in.
Through this method, you can only restore entire messages but not individual conversations. Unfortunately, it will replace the current messages with an earlier version.
4: Tip: Alternative Way to Only Restore iMessages to iPhone
Old Messages On Messenger
You can also backup messages on your computer. If you want to only back up messages from iPhone to the computer, here are a few steps to follow through:
- Open this program on your computer then click on back up and export from device which is found on your left panel.
- Click on back up messages.
- Click on back up and proceed. The software will begin to back up your data. Do not disconnect your device during this process.
- Once the process is complete, you can view and extract the backup from your computer and restore it later.
If you want to restore only messages with this tool, you can follow the steps below:
- Click on restore partial backup. iMyFone will start to scan for all messages backups and display them in one list.
- Choose the most relevant one to start scanning.
- Afterwards, you will be able to preview the messages. Then click on restore, and then the program will start the restoration process. You can now view the restored messages on your phone.
Find Old Imessages
In conclusion, using the above steps will help you restore iMessages on your iPhone. It is clear there are different ways to restore your messages. Therefore, you need to choose one that works effectively for you. If you have any comments on the above steps, feel free to leave them below.
