iMessage is an instant messaging service developed by Apple in 2011. With this message app, you can send unlimited free messages to one or multiple people at a time via Wi-Fi, with photos, videos, locations, contacts, or link attached. Compared to common text messages like SMS or MMS which is priced according to each message, iMessage is free and unlimited. Everyone can send text messages via Wi-Fi using an iOS device or a Mac with iMessage. However, if you accidentally delete some important iMessages, how can you recover them? In this tutorial, 4 effective ways to restore deleted iMessages will be listed and introduced, some of which can even recover deleted iMessages without backup.

Part 1: How to Find Deleted iMessages from Other Apple Devices?

After the release of iOS 11.4, iMessages will be synced to iCloud when you turn on the Message syncing feature. It means that if you turn on the feature, your iMessages will be viewable on each of your Apple device. This is an excellent method because it doesn’t required a complete reset. In addition to finding deleted iMessages from other Apple devices, you can also view them in iCloud. To find and view deleted iMessage on iCloud, read the steps below.

  • Step 1: Log into iCloud.com using your Apple ID and password.
  • Step 2: Click on Text Messages, then you can find and view all synced iMessages.
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  • Step 3: If you want to restore them to your iPhone, now, head to Settings > [your name] > iCloud. Toggle off Text Messages button. On the pop-up dialog, select Keep On My iPhone option.
  • Step 4: Now, turn it back on, and tap Merge. Then, deleted iMessages will reappear on your iPhone.
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However, if you find iMessages accidentally deleted after a few days, then it is likely that those iMessages have been deleted on iCloud. In such case, you have to find a way out from the following methods.

Part 2: How to Restore Deleted iMessages from iTunes Backup?

If you regularly back up your iPhone on iTunes, then you can easily restore data from backup to your device, including deleted iMessages. However, it will only restore the most recent backup, which may result in the loss of data in the intervening days.

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Steps:

  1. Connect your iPhone to the computer containing the backup. Then, open iTunes or Finder.
  2. In iTunes, click the iPhone icon appear in the top-left corner. In Finder, select your device from the left sidebar.
  3. Click the Restore Backup button in the right panel. In Finder, you can find this button under General tab.
  4. After restore, the deleted iMessages will be recovered on your iPhone.

Part 3: How to Recover Deleted iMessages from iCloud Backup?

If you can’t find a suitable backup on iTunes, or if you regularly back up your iPhone to iCloud instead of iTunes, you may be able to restore deleted iMessages from iCloud backup. However, as with iCloud, using iTunes to recover deleted iMessages will overwrite any data on your iPhone that is newer than the backup.

  • Step 1: Go to Settings > General > Reset > Erase All Content and Settings to erase your device before restoring from iCloud backup.
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  • Step 2: Reboot you device and you should see a Hello Screen. Follow the onscreen setup steps until you read the Apps & Data screen. Then, choose Restore from iCloud Backup option.
  • Step 3: Sign in to your iCloud with your Apple ID and password. Then, you can see a list of available backups. Choose the most relevant backup to restore.
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  • Step 4: After your iPhone is set up, open the Messages app and you can see the deleted iMessages.

Part 4: How to Recover Deleted iMessages Without Backup?

The methods of recovering deleted iMessages from iTunes or iCloud backup can only do an entire restoration. If you want to selectively recover deleted iMessages from iTunes or iCloud backup and recover deleted iMessages without backup, or none of above methods outlined can restore deleted iMessages back, then it’s time to employ third-party software. Among various iOS recovery software, Leawo iOS Data Recovery have a good online reputation. This software is used to recover lost data from iOS devices as well as iTunes and iCloud backups. Without syncing and overwriting, all existing data won’t get lost after recovery. Read the steps below to learn how to retrieve deleted iMessages with Leawo iOS Data Recovery.

Step 1: Download Leawo iOS Data Recovery

Click the download button below to download and install this software to your computer.

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  • Leawo iOS Data Recovery

    - Recover lost or deleted data from iOS devices, iTunes backup and iCloud backup
    - Retrieve files from iTunes and iCloud backup even for lost or broken iOS devices
    - Restore 12 types of data, including photos, videos, SMS & MMS messages, contacts, call history, notes, calendar, etc.
    - Fully support all iPhone, iPad and iPod touch models
    - 100% safe, accurate and speedy recovery
    - User-friendly interface and simple operations

Step 2: Choose a recovery mode

Launch the software and connect your device to computer via USB cable. The software will recognize your device automatically. Then, on the main interface, you can choose to recover data from iOS device, iTunes backup, or iCloud backup. Here, if you want to recover deleted iMessages without backup, choose Recover from iOS Device.

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Step 3: Start to recover deleted iMessages without backup

After scanning, all categories of your device will be listed in the left sidebar. Click the Messages library, and you can find all deleted iMessages in the right panel. You can check the box of messages to be retrieves, or search messages via the top-right search box. Then, click the Recover button in the bottom-right corner.

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Step 4: Choose output directory

In the pop-up window, you can confirm the output directory to store the deleted iMessages on your computer. Alternatively, you can click the Open button to browse and choose another directory to save exported messages. Once the recovery process is complete, you can find and view deleted iMessages from the folder you set just now. If you want to transfer recovered iMessages to your device, continue reading the following steps.

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Step 5: Download Leawo iTransfer

Click the download button below according to your computer system. Then, follow the onscreen instruction to install this software on your computer.

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  • Leawo iTransfer

    - Transfer files among iOS devices, iTunes and PCs with ease.
    - 6x faster than iTunes
    - Transfer up to 14 kinds of data and files without iTunes.
    - Support the latest iOS devices like iPhone 12, iPhone 12 Pro, etc.
    - Play back, view, and delete data and files on iOS devices.
    - Support Windows & Mac OS

Step 6: Transfer recovered iMessages from computer to iPhone

Under your iPhone name section, choose SMS library, and you can see all messages on your iPhone in the right panel. Then, click Add > Add File in the top-middle to browse and import messages from computer to your iPhone. When the process terminates, deleted iMessages will be recovered to your iPhone without backup.

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Apart from transferring messages from computer to iPhone, iTransfer can also transfer up to 12 kinds of files between iOS devices, computer and iTunes, such as photos, videos, ringtones, eBooks, and more.