| File | Extension | Key required |
|---|---|---|
| Unencrypted backup archive (.zip of a Finder/iTunes backup folder) | .zip | No key |
| Messages database (sms.db) extracted from a backup | .db | No key |
A computer is required for this one
Apple keeps messages inside a device backup rather than offering an export, so unlike Android and WhatsApp there is no way to do this from the phone alone. You need a Mac or a Windows PC and a cable.Make an unencrypted backup
The one setting that decides whether this works is Encrypt local backup. It must be off. An encrypted backup cannot be read without your backup password, and we do not accept one.
- Connect the iPhone by cable to a Mac (open Finder) or a Windows PC (open Apple Devices, or iTunes on older versions).
- Select the iPhone in the sidebar, and unlock the phone if it asks you to trust the computer.
- Choose Back up all of the data on your iPhone to this computer, and make sure Encrypt local backup is unchecked.
- Click Back Up Now and wait. Fifteen to forty-five minutes is normal, and it depends far more on how much is on the phone than on the computer.
Find the backup folder and zip it
- Open the backup folder for your platform:
- Mac:
~/Library/Application Support/MobileSync/Backup/ - Windows:
%APPDATA%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup\(on some installs,Apple Computerrather thanApple)
- Mac:
- Inside is one folder per device, named as a long identifier. If there are several, take the one with the most recent modified date.
- Compress that whole folder — right-click it and choose Compress on a Mac, or Send to → Compressed (zipped) folder on Windows. Zip the folder itself, not the files inside it.
- On the extractor, choose iPhone as the source and upload the
.zip.
Why the whole folder, and not just the messages file
The folder looks like thousands of files with meaningless names, because iOS stores them by hash.Manifest.db is the index that maps those names back to real paths, which is how the messages database is located — and the address book alongside it, which is what puts contact names on your reports instead of bare numbers. Zip the folder and both are found. If you already know your way around a backup you can upload the extracted sms.db on its own, at the cost of those names.What comes out
Both SMS and iMessage conversations, organised by phone number or iMessage address, one PDF per number. Message text is read as stored — including from the attributedBody field that newer iOS versions use — and Apple’s timestamps are converted. Contact names are filled in when the backup includes your address book; otherwise reports are labelled by number.
WhatsApp on an iPhone
WhatsApp is separate from Messages and is not read out of the iPhone backup. It has its own two-minute export that needs no computer at all — see the WhatsApp guide.
If something goes wrong
- “The iPhone file could not be read (corrupt, wrong format, or encrypted)”
- Almost always encryption. Everything in the backup including
Manifest.dbis encrypted, so nothing can be located inside it. In Finder or Apple Devices, untick Encrypt local backup and run the backup again. If you need password-based decryption, write to support@yourlegalaitools.com. - The reports show phone numbers instead of names
- The address book was not in what you uploaded — this is what happens when
sms.dbis uploaded on its own. Upload the zipped backup folder instead and the names are filled in. - There are several device folders and I do not know which is mine
- Sort by date modified and take the newest; that is the backup you just made. In Finder, the device page also shows the time of the latest backup, which you can match against the folder.
- The .zip is enormous
- A full backup includes photos and app data, so several gigabytes is normal. The upload goes to secure storage in parts and shows a percentage; a dropped connection resumes rather than starting again.