Start on the iPhone: on iOS 16 or later, Messages keeps deleted conversations in Recently Deleted, and Apple says you can recover messages deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. If that window has passed, your best chance on a Windows PC is an older iPhone backup made before the messages were deleted, because a backup holds the messages that were on the phone when it was made. BackupPaper opens that backup on your PC without restoring it to the phone and saves the conversation you need as a PDF or CSV. It does not recover deleted messages; it reads what the backup already holds.
Here is the order to try things in, and what each one can and cannot do.
Open an older iPhone backup on your PC and save the conversation you need.
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Can you recover deleted texts from Recently Deleted?
Yes, if you act soon. Apple’s page on recovering deleted text messages gives the steps:
- In Messages, tap Filters on the conversations page. On iOS 18, tap Edit.
- Tap Recently Deleted.
- Choose the conversations with the messages you want, then tap Recover.
Apple lists three limits. You need iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1 or later. You can only recover messages and conversations deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. And a message deleted before you updated to iOS 16 cannot be recovered.
If the messages are there, recover them now and stop here. Everything below is for when they are not.
Does an iPhone backup on my PC still have deleted texts?
It depends on when the backup was made. A backup is a snapshot: it holds the messages that were on the iPhone at the moment it was made. So:
- A backup made before the deletion may still contain the messages.
- A backup made after the deletion should not be counted on to hold them.
Two things can make an older backup less useful than it looks:
- Messages in iCloud. Apple says a backup made on a computer leaves out iMessages and texts that already sync to iCloud. If Messages in iCloud was on, the backup may hold few or no conversations. Our guide to whether an iPhone backup includes text messages explains how to tell.
- The backup may be newer than you think. A new backup of the same iPhone can update the folder you are counting on, so the older copy may already be gone.
To find what is on your PC, see where iPhone backups are stored on Windows. If you have an old PC or drive, getting texts from an iPhone backup on an old hard drive covers where else to look.
What should you do before you connect the iPhone again?
Protect the backup first. If you believe an older backup holds the messages:
- Find the backup folder under
MobileSync\Backupin your user profile, the location iTunes and Apple Devices use. - Copy the whole folder to another drive or folder, before anything else.
- Avoid making a new backup of that iPhone to the same PC until you have the messages out, so the older backup is not updated.
Working from the copy keeps the original safe whatever happens next.
Should you restore the older backup to the iPhone?
Restoring puts the messages back on the phone, but it is a big step. Apple’s page on restoring from a backup says that on a PC you use the Apple Devices app on Windows 10 or later, choose Restore Backup, and pick the backup by date. Restoring returns the device to the state saved in that backup, so anything newer that is not saved elsewhere, such as recent photos and messages, is at risk.
If you only need to read or keep a conversation, for a family record, a dispute or your own peace of mind, you do not need to restore anything. You can read the older backup on the PC and leave the iPhone as it is.
| Option | Gets deleted texts back if | Cost or risk |
|---|---|---|
| Recently Deleted on the iPhone | Deleted within the last 30 to 40 days, on iOS 16 or later | None |
| Restore an older backup | The backup was made before the deletion | Newer data on the phone may be lost |
| Read an older backup on the PC | The backup was made before the deletion | None to the phone; you get a file, not messages on the phone |
How do you read an older backup without restoring it?
BackupPaper is a Windows app that saves one text conversation from an iPhone backup as a PDF or CSV. It reads backups made by iTunes or Apple Devices, including encrypted backups.
- Choose the backup folder, ideally your copy.
- Enter the password if the backup is encrypted. It is used on your PC only and is not saved. Our guide to opening an encrypted iPhone backup on Windows covers forgotten-password questions.
- Pick a conversation and read it: time, sender, text, reactions, replies and attachment names.
- Export PDF or CSV and name the new file.
- Check the SHA-256 shown for the file against the result of the Windows
certutilcommand.
The PDF is on US Letter pages with a header naming the device, participants, service and date range, and page numbers. The CSV is UTF-8 with one row per message and per reaction, with UTC and local times. iMessage and SMS are both covered, including group conversations, and contact names appear when the backup includes the address book.
BackupPaper opens the backup folder read-only and never changes it, refuses to save inside it, makes no network connections and has no iCloud sign-in. The iPhone does not need to be connected.
Turn the conversation in a backup into a PDF you can keep, print or send.
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What BackupPaper will not do
Be clear about the limits before you buy:
- It does not recover deleted messages. It shows the messages the backup holds.
- It reads the Messages app only: iMessage and SMS, not WhatsApp or other chat apps.
- Attachments are listed by name; photos and videos are not placed in the PDF.
- One conversation per export.
- An encrypted backup needs its password. BackupPaper cannot recover or bypass it.
The free trial lets you open your backup and see what it holds before you pay anything.
Frequently asked questions
Can I recover iPhone texts deleted months ago?
Not from Recently Deleted, which covers 30 to 40 days. Your chance is a backup made before the deletion, on a PC or elsewhere.
Does deleting a conversation delete it from my PC backup?
Not from a backup that was already made. A new backup made afterwards reflects the phone as it is then.
Will reading the backup change it?
Not with BackupPaper, which opens the backup folder read-only. Working from a copy adds a second layer of safety.
Is an export from a backup accepted as evidence?
BackupPaper makes no claim about how a court or anyone else will treat an export, and this is not legal advice.
Try BackupPaper
BackupPaper is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store, with every feature free for 15 days first; the listing shows the current price. It runs on Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11. Open a copy of your oldest backup and see which conversations it still holds. More detail is on the BackupPaper product page.
Save the texts in an old iPhone backup before it is gone.
Get it from Microsoft
iPhone, iMessage and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc. Automata Labs is not affiliated with Apple.
Last updated 23 October 2026. Published by Automata Labs, a software company in Canada.