If you are using an iOS device, you must definitely have heard of iTunes. Whenever you sync your device with iTunes, it creates a backup of your entire device. It even allows you to download the backup file and then use it later to restore data. However, the downside is that the backup file isn’t readable. This means that there is no use of the file if you don’t know how to extract data from the file.
Of many things you would want to extract from iTunes backup, SMS always has a high priority. There can be plenty of reasons for that. You might accidentally delete the text messages on your iPhone. You might also want to transfer the text messages between your Apple devices. Since there are some important and personal messages you would want to extract, learning how to do it from your iTunes backup is very important.
There are different ways of restoring or extracting SMS from your iTunes backup. All you need is your Apple device and your PC. Remember, you must have administrator privileges on your computer. No matter which iOS device you are using, the extracting method works easily.
Method 1: Extract SMS Directly
This is a direct method of extracting SMS through the iTunes backup file directly. However, there is one problem: you will have to extract all the data from your backup first. If you are more concerned about extracting only the SMS, you should follow the second method.
Step 1: Connect your device to your PC via a data cable
Step 2: iTunes should start automatically after you connect your iPhone. If it does not start, you need to launch it manually.
Step 3: Choose the ‘Summary’ tab
Step 4: You will find ‘Restore Backup’ at the bottom right of the tab. Click on it.
Step 5: Locate the iTunes backup file you wish to restore from
Step 6: Click on ‘Restore’. The process will start soon, wait until its completed.
You must note that through this method, all the existing data on your iOS device will be overwritten by the data in the backup file. You should use this method only if you have no issues with your present data being overwritten. Otherwise, this method is of no use to you.
Method 2: Extract SMS using iTunes Backup Extractor
It might so happen that you have every other data on your device intact, with only the SMS had been deleted by mistake. In that case, restoring entire data from your backup is pretty inconvenient. You should rather depend on iTunes Backup Extractor to just restore the SMS, without touching any other data.
Step 1: Open iTunes Backup Extractor On Your Computer
Go ahead and download iSeePassword iTunes Backup Extractor if you haven’t already. Then, install it on your PC. The process of installation is as simple as it gets. It only takes a few clicks. Once you have the app installed, open it and select the ‘Recover from iTunes Backup’ mode. The program will then detect the backup files that have been generated by iTunes.
Step 2: Preview Text Messages
After the program is done scanning, it displays all the content stored in your iTunes backup in a properly organized catalogue. For only extracting SMS from your backup file, you need to check only the ‘Message’ and ‘Messages Attachments’ box. The app will then preview all the messages from your backup file. You can check each messages individual before extracting it.
Step 3: Recover Selected Messages
To begin extracting, click on ‘Recover’. The program will then start extracting SMS from your iTunes backup file. Do not interrupt the process and keep the software opened until the extraction is finished. Do not terminate the program to avoid interruption. Once the process is done, you will have your SMS extracted. You can check the extracted files yourself. You can preview the messages with the appropriate application.
This is indeed a very helpful and convenient method to easily extract your text messages from iTunes backup file. So, if you have accidentally deleted your SMS, iTunes Backup Extractor can come to your rescue. You can seamlessly browse the SMS that was previously backed up by iTunes.
