[2024] What is the Best Way to Transfer Text Messages from Android to PC?

Can I transfer text messages from my Android phone to my computer?

This is a quite popular question among Android users. We received two user feedback in the past week about this and we made up our mind to write a tutorial for this topic.

Honestly, there are dozens of apps and workarounds available to help you transfer text messages from Android phone to a PC. However, you might be curious which solution is the best in 2023!  It is really confusing to get the right answer from search engines and you don’t have the background to pick up a working solution based on the suggestions. Please don’t worry! We will show you how to export text messages from Android to computer in a very simple way.

Benefits of Transferring Text Messages from Android to PC

Transferring text messages from an Android phone to a computer can be a useful way to protect important conversations as backup or free up more space on Android device. Whether you’re switching to a new phone or just want to keep a record of SMS conversations, it is not an easy process to get text messages from Android phone to a computer.

Pros of Transferring Text Messages from Android to Computer:

1. Backup:  Text messages are very important assets on a phone. Transferring text messages to computer is a great way to make a backup of messages. When the phone is broken or lost, you can easily restore the messages from previous backup.

2. Free up Store: There might be thousands of junk or spam text messages on your Android phone and they can take up a lot of storage, so transferring them to a computer can help free up space for other apps and files.

3. Easily Accessible: Once the text messages are downloaded to a computer, you can easily access them whenever you need to. This can be especially useful if you need to refer back to an old conversation or if you need to look up a phone number or address.

4. Printable: Text messages and conversations are not printable from an Android device. However, once they are exported to a computer, the file will be printable by default. Sometimes, we need the text conversation as evidence for court.

Can I Directly Export Android SMS to Computer?

From my own experience on a Samsung phone, you can only export a single text message from Android to PC by the default Messages app via the "Share" function. In addition, only text will be saved and no phone number and time stamp along with the content, which is a big minus.

To transfer multiple text messages or entire conversation, you have to use a third-party software or mobile app to complete the task. It is an automated process and the exported messages have all the details as the original ones on Android phone.

Why Transferring Android SMS to PC is So Hard?

Text message is a special type of information being stored in a SQLite database on an Android phone. It is  not a normal file like photos, videos and PDF documents, which can be easily shared to computer with copy-paste, Bluetooth or Email.

To export Android text messages, you have to pull off the entire information from database via SQL Query. Unfortunately, Android OS does not provide such feature by default. Luckily, this can be done with the help of third-party tools by setting up a database connection between Android OS and the app.

The Best Way to Transfer Text Messages from Android to PC [2023 Revision]

According to our test, using Android SMS Transfer software is currently the best way you can apply to save text messages from Android to PC. You can freely select the messages you want to export with good formatting, including the contact number, date, text content and attachments.

In our example, we are going to use TunesBro DroidGeeker as the right tool to get text messages from Android to computer in a smooth approach.

Pros of DroidGeeker:

• Support the latest Android 13.
• Fully compatible with Windows 11 and macOS Ventura.
• Bulk transfer Android SMS to computer.
• Export messages in plain text, CSV and Excel format.
• Easy-to-understand interface with screen prompts.
• Super safe and never keep a copy of content to remote server.
• Only take a few minutes to export more than 1K messages.

Step 1. Install TunesBro DroidGeeker on the PC
The first step is to install TunesBro DroidGeeker on your PC. This is a powerful and reliable software that can help you transfer text messages from Android to PC with ease. To install it, simply download the software from its official website and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation process.

Step 2. Connect Android Phone to PC via USB Cable
Once the installation is complete, connect the Android device to your PC via a USB cable. Make sure that USB debugging is enabled on the Android phone. After that, the software will detect your device automatically.

Step 3. Select the Text Messages You Want to Backup
Once your device is connected, you will be able to see all the data on your device. Now, select the text messages you want to transfer and click on the “Export” button.

Step 4. Transfer the Selected Android SMS to Your PC
Finally, select a location on your PC where you want to save the text messages and click on the “Start” button to begin the transfer process. The transfer process will take a few minutes to complete. Once the transfer is complete, you will be able to view the text messages on your PC.

Video Tutorial: How to Safely Transfer or Backup SMS from Android to Computer

Alternative Methods to Transfer Messages from Android to PC

Well, TunesBro DroidGeeker is a premium software and you have to buy a license if you plan to export multiple messages from Android. Is there any free apps available? Yes. In here, we will introduce 3  best free SMS backup apps that you can download from  Google Play Store.

SMS Backup (Free)

SMS Backup is a powerful and easy-to-use application that allows you to back up and restore your text messages, contacts, call logs, and other data from your Android device. With SMS Backup, you can easily transfer your data to a new device, or restore it after a factory reset. The app also allows you to store your data in the cloud, so you can access it from anywhere. With SMS Backup, you can keep your data safe and secure, and make sure you never lose important information.

How to get Android Messages to PC with SMS Backup:

1. Download and install the SMS Backup app on your Android device.

2. Launch the SMS Backup app and wait for the messages on this phone to be loaded on the screen.

3. Tick the little square box at the right side to select the messages.

4. Tap the BACK UP button at the bottom after selection.

5. Choose a local folder where you want to save the backup file. Tap BACK UP to start the backup process.

When the backup is complete, connect Android phone to computer and copy the backup file (each conversation in separate html files) to PC.

SMS Backup & Restore (Free)

SMS Backup & Restore is another popular message backup over 10M+ downloads. It is a great tool for keeping track of important conversations, or for transferring messages and call logs from one device to another. The app is free to download and available on the Google Play Store. It is easy to use and provides a secure way to store and access your messages and call logs.

How to download Android Messages to PC with SMS Backup & Restore:

1. Open Play Store app on Android and search the app name. Or you can download it from here on a computer.

2. Run SMS Backup & Restore app and tap SET UP BACKUP button to begin the process.

3. It will ask you what kind of items you would like to back up at this time. Messages and call logs are enabled by default. If you just want to transfer only a few of messages or conversations, please tap the ADVANCED OPTIONS for selection.

4. Next, pick up a location to store the backup file. It can be Google Drive, Dropbox, OneDrive or the phone’s internal storage.

5. Mark the switch button of Your Phone option and choose a local folder to save the backup file.

6. Wait 2-3 minutes and you can view the details from the main screen. It shows 150 conversations and 2000 call logs that have been backed up.

Finally, plug in the phone to a computer and go to the destination folder to view the backup file, which is in XML format.

SMS Backup, Print & Restore (Freemium)

SMS Backup, Print & Restore is a software tool that allows users to back up, print, and restore their text messages from their mobile phone. It is a convenient way to keep a record of important conversations, and to ensure that important messages are not lost if a phone is lost, stolen, or damaged. The software allows users to save their messages in a variety of formats, including HTML, CSV, and PDF, and to print them out for easy reference. It also provides a secure way to transfer messages between phones, allowing users to keep their conversations safe and secure.

Note: Only the first 6 messages to be free!

Backup Android SMS to PC with SMS Backup, Print & Restore:

1. Download and install SMS Backup, Print & Restore on Android.

2. Long press a text message to unfold the selection box at the left and choose the messages you want to back up.

3. From the next screen, pick up a file format for text message backup. The available formats are PDF, HTML, Image, CSV, Text and SMS Backup file.

5.Once the backup format is choose, you will be asked to pick up the location to save the backup file.

6. Grant the permission to allow this app to access this folder from the pop-up. After this, the text messages will be transferred to the destination folder.

7. Connect Android to computer via USB and copy the backup file from Android Internet storage to computer. That’s!

SMS Backup+ (Free)

SMS Backup+ is an Android app that allows users to back up their text messages and call logs to an online storage service such as Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive. It is a great way to keep your important conversations safe and secure, as well as to free up space on your device. The app is easy to use, and provides a range of features such as the ability to search through your backups, restore messages to a new device, and even export your messages in a variety of formats. With SMS Backup+, you can be sure that your conversations are always safe and secure.

How to Transfer Android messages to computer with SMS Backup+:

1. Download SMS Backup+ from Play Store and install this app on your Android device.

2. Connect Android phone to computer via USB.

3. Open the SMS Backup+ app and login Gmail account. Make sure IMAP is enabled in Gmail settings. It is disabled by default.

4. Click the Backup tab at the top to start the backup process.

Once the backup is complete, you can open the folder on your computer to view the exported files.

All-Round Comparison Chart

Our Final Suggestion

It is really hard to decide which app is the best for message backup. It depends on what kind of functions the app provides for and your budget. TunesBro DroidGeeker seems more suitable for people who are looking for a fast solution to directly transfer text messages from Android phone to PC. It is the only app that offers this feature. Additionally, it saves time and the exported messages can be printed. The only drawback is that you need to purchase a license to activate the program.

Our second recommendation is SMS Backup. It is completely free and the exported HTML file is with great formatting for print.

For SMS backup purpose, SMS Backup & Restore and SMS Backup are quite good choices for that. They can not only backup text messages to a local folder but also support cloud drive.

Lastly, if you want to export text messages in PDF or image format, then SMS Backup & Print is best solution you can choose from.