# Export iMessage conversations to Markdown

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

[Download for Mac](https://apps.apple.com/us/app/exporter-notes-to-markdown/id6741618455?mt=12)

## 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](https://exporter.dev/docs/messages#the-file) explain every line.

`Cabin crew-57.md`

```markdown
---
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](https://exporter.dev/contacts), and each card lists its conversations.

## How it works

1. Connect Messages: A panel opens in `~/Library/Messages`: press Select this folder. Exporter reads only that folder, with no Full Disk Access.
2. Pick conversations: People and Groups tabs, and a filter for what you have not read. Export all of them, or tick the ones you want.
3. It 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 docs](https://exporter.dev/docs/messages) · Guides: [Back up Messages](https://exporter.dev/guides/messages/back-up-messages) · [Messages in Claude](https://exporter.dev/guides/messages/messages-in-claude)

## Questions

### 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](https://exporter.dev/docs/mcp).

## Against the alternatives

Messages has no export of its own.

| | 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 |

## Ask Claude about your conversations

Exporter's local MCP server serves your exported conversations. [Set it up](https://exporter.dev/docs/mcp).

Connect Claude Code. Then ask: “What did Anna and I agree about the trip?”

```sh
claude mcp add --transport http exporter http://localhost:8744/mcp
```

## Related

- [Contacts](https://exporter.dev/contacts): Every contact card as a Markdown file
- [Back up Messages](https://exporter.dev/guides/messages/back-up-messages): Every conversation as a file, kept current
- [CLI](https://exporter.dev/docs/cli): Every command, flag and exit code

---

human version: https://exporter.dev/messages
every page: https://exporter.dev/llms.txt