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Windows 10 & Windows 11 Updated 2026-10-05

Save iPhone text messages as a PDF, from the backup already on your PC.

BackupPaper is a Windows app from Automata Labs that reads an iPhone backup already on your PC and saves one text conversation as a PDF or CSV file. It opens backups made by iTunes or Apple Devices, including encrypted ones when you type the password. It opens the backup read-only, makes no network connections and shows the SHA-256 of every file it writes. It is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store with a 15-day free trial.

One-time purchase · 15-day free trial in the Microsoft Store · One-time purchase. No subscriptions. Local-first.
Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

How it works Installation & support

read-only · nothing uploaded · encrypted backups · pdf and csv

Sold and installed by the Microsoft Store under the Microsoft Standard Application License Terms. Publisher: Automata Labs. Privacy policy.

The problem

The conversation you need is inside a backup Windows cannot open.

Someone asked for the texts, an old phone is gone, or an old backup is about to be deleted. Apple’s guides for iTunes and Apple Devices cover backing up and restoring a phone, not reading the messages inside a backup, and screenshots of a long thread take a long time.

With BackupPaper

Open the backup, pick the conversation, save it as a file.

BackupPaper lists every conversation in the backup and writes the one you pick to a new PDF or CSV: every message with its time and sender, plus reactions, replies and attachment names. Nothing leaves your PC, and the backup stays exactly as it was.

Key benefits

Local, read-only, and checkable

A PDF or CSV you can keep

The PDF has a header naming the device, participants, service and date range, and page numbers on every page. The CSV keeps every message and reaction in UTF-8, with UTC and local times.

Nothing is uploaded

BackupPaper makes no network connections. There is no account, no iCloud sign-in and no crash reporting, and the iPhone does not need to be connected.

Your backup stays as it is

The backup folder is opened read-only. Every export is a new file that you name, and BackupPaper refuses to save inside the backup folder.

Encrypted backups work

Type the password you set for encrypted backups. It is used on this PC only and is not saved.

A SHA-256 for every file

BackupPaper shows the SHA-256 of each export, so you or anyone you send it to can check the file later with certutil -hashfile.

How it works

From backup folder to PDF in four steps

  1. Step 1

    Choose the backup folder

    iTunes and Apple Devices keep each backup in a folder under MobileSync\Backup. BackupPaper shows the device name and backup date once it opens.

  2. Step 2

    Type the password if it is encrypted

    Use the password you set for encrypted backups. It is used on this PC only and is not saved.

  3. Step 3

    Pick the conversation

    Every conversation is listed with its message count and last date, newest first. Group conversations work the same way.

  4. Step 4

    Export PDF or CSV

    Name the new file in the standard Windows Save dialog. BackupPaper shows its SHA-256 when it is written.

See it in action

The thread, the PDF, and the hash

BackupPaper showing a conversation from an iPhone backup with time, sender and message columns and the Export PDF button.
Pick a conversation to read it: time, sender, text, reactions, replies and attachment names.
The first page of a PDF exported by BackupPaper, with a header listing device, participants, service and date range.
The exported PDF: a header with the device, participants, service and date range, then every message with its time and sender.
BackupPaper export panel showing the new file path, its SHA-256 and the certutil command to check it.
The finished export shows its SHA-256, which you can check with certutil. The backup was not changed.
BackupPaper listing the conversations in an iPhone backup with message counts and last dates.
Open the backup folder and BackupPaper lists its conversations with message counts and last dates.

Screenshots use a synthetic backup with fictitious names and numbers.

Good to know before you buy

  • Apple says a computer backup leaves out iMessages and texts that already sync to iCloud. If Messages in iCloud is on, the backup may hold few or no conversations.
  • 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 a password.
  • It shows the messages the backup holds and does not recover deleted messages.
  • Arabic and Indic scripts print in the PDF as separate letters. The CSV keeps the text exactly.

Apple explains what a computer backup includes in Backup methods for iPhone or iPad. The free trial is the easiest way to see what your own backup holds.

Try it on your own backup first.

The Microsoft Store runs a 15-day free trial with every feature, no watermark and no message limit. Open your backup, find the conversation, export it, and check the hash. If it does the job, buy it once. There is no subscription.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

Who uses it

  • People who need one text conversation as a file for their records: a tenancy, a contractor job, a claim or a workplace issue
  • Families keeping a parent’s or partner’s messages from an old iPhone backup as a file they can print
  • Anyone clearing old iPhone backups off a PC who wants to keep one or two conversations first
  • Assistants, paralegals and family helpers who prepare a conversation for someone else and want the original backup left untouched

FAQ

Quick answers about BackupPaper

What is BackupPaper?

BackupPaper is a Windows app that saves one conversation from an iPhone backup on your PC as a PDF or CSV file. It reads backups made by iTunes or Apple Devices, including encrypted ones, makes no network connections, and never changes the backup.

How do I export iPhone text messages to PDF on Windows?

Open BackupPaper, choose the iPhone backup folder, pick the conversation, choose Export PDF, and name the new file. If the backup is encrypted, type its password first. The PDF lists every message in the conversation with its time and sender, plus reactions, replies and attachment names.

Where are iPhone backups stored on Windows?

iTunes from Apple’s website stores backups in %APPDATA%\Apple Computer\MobileSync\Backup. Apple Devices and iTunes from the Microsoft Store use %USERPROFILE%\Apple\MobileSync\Backup. Each backup is a folder named with the iPhone’s long device ID; choose that folder in BackupPaper.

Does an iPhone backup on my PC include my text messages?

Usually, but not always. Apple says a backup made on a computer leaves out iMessages and texts that already sync to iCloud, so if Messages in iCloud is on, the backup may hold few or no conversations. BackupPaper shows what the backup holds; try it on your backup during the free trial.

Does BackupPaper work with encrypted iPhone backups?

Yes. Type the password you set when you turned on encrypted backups. On our test PC the password check took about five seconds. BackupPaper cannot recover, reset or bypass a forgotten password.

Does BackupPaper upload my messages?

No. BackupPaper makes no network connections. It has no account, no analytics and no crash reporting, and it reads the backup only on your PC.

Will BackupPaper change my backup?

No. It opens the backup folder read-only and writes each export as a new file that you name. It refuses to save an export inside the backup folder.

What is the SHA-256 shown after an export?

It is a fingerprint of the exported file. Run certutil -hashfile with the file name and SHA256 in a Command Prompt at any time; if the result matches, the file has not changed since BackupPaper wrote it. It says nothing about the messages before the backup was made.

Can I use the PDF in court or for a claim?

BackupPaper makes no claim about how a court, insurer or anyone else will treat the file. The PDF records the device, participants, date range and export time, and the SHA-256 lets anyone check the file later. Ask your lawyer what they need.

Does it export photos and attachments?

It lists attachments by file name, type and size next to their messages. It does not place photos or videos in the PDF or save them as files.

Does it work with WhatsApp or other chat apps?

No. BackupPaper reads the Messages app only: iMessage and SMS conversations.

How much does BackupPaper cost?

It is a one-time purchase in the Microsoft Store; the listing shows the current price in your currency. The Store runs a 15-day free trial with every feature, no watermark and no message limit, and there is no subscription.

Which versions of Windows does it run on?

Windows 10 version 2004 or later, and Windows 11.

Still stuck? Email [email protected] after checking the Support Center.

Technical specifications

Technical specifications

Spec Implementation
Data Sovereignty Reads only the backup folder you pick; decrypted working copies stay in the app’s own local cache while the backup is open and are deleted when it closes; exports are written only to files you name
Telemetry Status None; no account, no analytics, no crash reporting, and no networking code
Core Runtime .NET 10 and WinUI 3 (Windows App SDK), packaged as MSIX
Network Requirements Fully functional offline; the app makes no network connections
Deployment Compatibility Windows 10 version 2004 or later and Windows 11; one-time purchase on the Microsoft Store with a 15-day free trial
Inputs iPhone backups made by iTunes or Apple Devices on Windows, unencrypted or encrypted; Messages app only (iMessage and SMS)
Outputs PDF (US Letter, header with device, participants, service and date range, page numbers) and CSV (UTF-8, one row per message and per reaction, UTC and local times); SHA-256 shown for each file
Backup safety Opens the backup read-only and refuses to save an export inside the backup folder; every export is a new file
Encryption Encrypted backups open with the password you type; the password is not saved and cannot be recovered or bypassed
Limits One conversation per export; attachments listed by name, not embedded; messages that sync with Messages in iCloud are not in a computer backup, per Apple

Guides by task

Pick the job you need done

Read without restoring

IPhone backup viewer for Windows

BackupPaper is a viewer for the Messages part of an iPhone backup. It opens the folder read-only, shows every conversation, and exports one at a time.

Inside an iTunes backup

Read text messages from iTunes backup

You can read the texts, just not with iTunes or File Explorer. BackupPaper opens the backup's message database read-only and shows each conversation as a thread.

Texts in a spreadsheet

Export iPhone text messages to Excel

Choose Export CSV instead of Export PDF. You get a UTF-8 file that Excel reads directly, with each message and each reaction on its own row.

From phone to files

Save text messages from iPhone to PC

Back the iPhone up to this PC with Apple Devices or iTunes, then export the conversation with BackupPaper. No upload, no account and no Mac needed.

Texts on paper

Print iPhone text messages on Windows

Export the conversation from your iPhone backup as a PDF, then print the PDF. Every row has a date, time and sender, and every page a number.

Apple Devices, then export

Apple Devices app export text messages

Apple Devices cannot export text messages. Use it to back up the iPhone, then open that backup in BackupPaper and export the conversation you need.

Related Reading

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iPhone Texts With One Person Split Into Two Conversations? How to Export the Whole History

Why texts with one person can sit in two Messages conversations (phone number vs email address), and how to export all of them from a backup on Windows.

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Deep Dive

Tapbacks, Inline Replies and Edited Messages: What Survives When You Export iPhone Texts From a Backup

How Tapbacks, inline replies, edits and unsends behave in iPhone Messages, and what an exported conversation in PDF or CSV can show.

Deep Dive

Decipher TextMessage Alternative for Windows: BackupPaper Compared, Feature by Feature

Decipher TextMessage and BackupPaper both save iPhone texts from a PC backup. A fair comparison of formats, attachments, deleted messages, hashes and price.

One conversation, saved on your PC.

BackupPaper reads the iPhone backup you already have and writes the conversation you need to a PDF or CSV, with a SHA-256 you can check. Nothing is uploaded.

One-time purchase. No subscriptions. Local-first.

Pay once. Own it forever.

One-time purchase on the Microsoft Store · No subscription · Instant install

Get it from Microsoft

Buy through the Microsoft Store—instant install, automatic updates, and a Microsoft receipt for easy expensing. No account needed on our site, and no subscription on Store purchases.

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iPhone, iMessage and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries and regions. BackupPaper is not affiliated with or endorsed by Apple.