Export iMessage conversations to Markdown

Each conversation becomes a Markdown file with a heading per day, kept in sync.

A group chat, as a file.

A group's file name carries its conversation id, so a new member never renames the file. The Messages docs explain every line.

Cabin crew-57.md

---
title: "Cabin crew"
id: "57"
created: 2025-11-02T19:40:03
modified: 2026-03-08T21:12:55
source_url: "sms://+14155550123"
participants: ["[[contacts/Anna Kowalski]]", "Ben Ortiz", "Me"]
is_group: true
message_count: 1204
service: "iMessage"
---

# Cabin crew

## Sunday, November 2, 2025

**[Ben Ortiz]** [open](sms://ben@example.com) (2025-11-02 19:40:03)
Who has the key this year?
^msg-2B9F6C1D8E4A

What comes out

A heading per day

Then one block per message: who sent it, when, and a link that opens the conversation in Messages.

Replies as links

A reply links to the message it answers, inside the same file.

Edits with their history

The current text, and every earlier version as a footnote.

Reactions

On one line under the message they react to.

Photos

Copied beside the conversation. iPhone HEIC photos are converted to JPEG so Obsidian and other editors can show them.

People linked

With Contacts exported too, each participant links to their contact card, and each card lists its conversations.

How it works

1Connect Messages
A panel opens in ~/Library/Messages: press Select this folder. Exporter reads only that folder, with no Full Disk Access.
2Pick conversations
People and Groups tabs, and a filter for what you have not read. Export all of them, or tick the ones you want.
3It syncs
Press sync now. The first pass over a long history takes minutes; after that only conversations with something new are written again.

How it works: Messages docsGuides: Back up Messages Messages in Claude

Questions

Still have questions? Get in touch

Do my messages leave my Mac?

No. Exporter reads the Messages database and writes the files on your Mac. No account, no server.

What is free?

Your 10 most recent conversations export and keep syncing free. Unlocking Messages is its own one-time purchase in Exporter. After it, the next sync writes every conversation.

Why is a photo missing?

Media that was never downloaded to this Mac cannot be copied, so the file lists it by name instead of embedding it.

Can Claude read my conversations?

Yes. Exporter's local MCP server serves the exported conversations to Claude, and a search for a person's name finds your conversation with them. Connect it.

Against the alternatives

Messages has no export of its own.

Feature	Exporter	imessage-exporter (GitHub)	Screenshots and copy
Every conversation at once	Yes	Yes	No
Markdown with front matter	Yes	HTML or text	No
Kept in sync as messages arrive	Yes	One-time	No
People linked to contact cards	Yes	No	No
Price	10 conversations free, then a one-time purchase	Free	Free