How to Recover Deleted iMessages on PC/Mac: Review

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There is nothing more frustrating than losing precious data like the iMessages you exchanged with your family or loved ones. The reality is, however, it happens now and then due to accidental deletion, sync-up failure, or MacOS update error. Thankfully, it’s pretty easy to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC using a third-party software.

How to retrieve deleted iMessages on Mac or PC

Recovering iMessages you have deleted on Mac can be quite challenging. If you’ve backed up your machine with iCloud or iTunes you may be less concerned but still unsure about how to recover deleted iMessages on Mac without losing other precious data.

If you haven’t got an iCloud or iTunes backup for your device, you may be wondering how to restore deleted iMessages on Mac or Pc. In this article, I’ll show you how to recover deleted iMessages on your Mac or PC in a few simple steps.

Why might I need to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC?

The vast majority of people will have deleted precious data from their Mac or PC at some point. It’s easy to inadvertently hit ‘delete’ when highlighting messages or conversation threads. Even an MacOS update can sometimes lead to data loss.

iMessages are often throwaway pieces of communication, but sometimes they are extremely valuable. Imagine erasing a precious conversation thread from the beginnings of a relationship, or deleting the address your contact sent you for a job interview.

If you are in a situation where you just have to know how to restore deleted iMessages on Mac or PC then continue reading. We’ll walk you through the options and methods that will help you to recover iMessages to your Mac or PC with, or without, a backup file.

How to get back deleted iMessages on Mac or PC

There are two main methods to consider when looking at iMessage recovery on Mac or PC. The first method is for those with iTunes or iCloud backup. The second is the best solution for those who have not backed up their Mac or PC to either iCloud or iTunes. It uses third-party software to quickly scan your device for the lost iMessages, which are still in the back-end memory of your device despite being deleted. They remain there until the space is needed for fresh data, so it’s best to retrieve the deleted iMessages as soon as possible after erasing them.

Part 1: How to recover Deleted iMessages on PC/Mac Using iCloud

If you have iCloud or iTunes backups, then you can use them to restore your machine to an earlier state before those messages were deleted.

There are several problems with this method, however. If your backups don’t go back very far, they may not have the information you want. For instance, if you want to restore a conversation from three months ago, but your backup file only goes back three weeks, that conversation won’t be available.

The major problem, however, is that in order to apply a backup to your Mac, you have to erase your machine and restore it with older data from an earlier point in time. This means you will lose any newer data between now and the time the backup was made (not to mention waste a lot of time waiting for the Mac to restore from backup).

To recover iMessages from iCloud:

Step-1: Start by signing out of iMessage on your Mac and quit the app
Step-2: Launch Finder
Step-3: Click Go from the Finder menu
Step-4: Locate your library
Step-5: Find a file named ‘messages’ from an iCloud backup date that is before the day the files you are looking for is deleted
Step-6: Open this messages folder
Step-7: Click restore

It’s safe to say that this method is far from ideal, as few people are going to want to wipe their devices clean and spend the time restoring from backup for messages that might still be there (while removing any new data in the process). This begs for a less destructive, more elegant solution.

Part-2: How to recover deleted iMessages On PC/Mac with no backup

If you want to recover deleted iMessages on your Mac or PC quickly, use a third-party data recovery tools. These software not only scans your iCloud backups and iTunes backups but they can also “deep scan” the device itself to find deleted but not-yet-overwritten data.

We tested a range of data recovery tools but settled on iBeesoft Data recovery and FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. They were the fastest and had reliable results.

Recovering deleted iMessages Using iBeesoft Data Recovery for Mac

What is iBeesoft Data recovery? Why should you download it

iBeesoft Data Recovery is a data recovery software program that allows us to recover permanently deleted iMessages even after they have been deleted from our Mac or if we don’t have a backup. The iMessages are still there, but we just can’t see them.

iBeesoft Data Recovery Features

  • Support different types of file recovery from Mac
  • Offers two scanning modes to recover deleted files
  • Offers an option to preview before recovery
  • Offers an option to selectively restore data
  • Easy to use
  • Available on windows and PC

Please follow these steps to recover iMessages with iBeesoft Data Recovery software:

Step 1: Download and launch the iBeesoft Data Recovery software for Mac.

By default, all file types are selected. You will need to only check the file type you intend to recover. This will accelerate the scanning process for deleted iMessages on Mac.
Next, click on Start.

Step 2: Select the appropriate disc where your iMessages were saved. Now, click on Scan.

Step 3: When the scanning process is complete, you can filter out the useful files by deleting file types, then the file extension on the left side. When finding the “chat.db”, “chat.db-shm”, or “chat.db-wal”, select them all and click “Recover” to save them on your Mac.
Copy the recovered files to the ~/Library/Messages directory and restart iMessages to find deleted messages on Mac.
Now, my deleted iMessages were recovered within no time and pricing was also cheap and affordable.

How much does iBeesoft Data Recoverycost?

iBeesoft Data Recovery is available as a free download on Windows and Mac. The free version, however, won’t let you recover deleted iMessages. It only give you the ability to performing a scan and preview lost iMessages.

You can buy the full version at $55.95 for 1 Mac or $45.95 for 1 PC.

should I buy iBeesoft Data Recovery?

iBeesoft Data recovery for Mac is trusted by millions of users around the world and has also received tons of praise from reputable media outlets. Their product is easy to use; above all, it does the job very well.

iBeesoft Data recovery for Mac is a brilliant software . Actually, it might just be the best in its class in that respect.

How Do I Download iBeesoft Data Recovery?

The Windows and Mac versions of iBeesoft Data Recovery are available for download on iBeesoft website. Download iBeesoft Data Recovery and do give it a try.

Recovering deleted iMessages Using FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery

What is FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery? Why Should You Download It?

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a professional tool that lets you recover lost data from any iPhone, iPad, iPod or Mac. This software has so many features and is one of the most user-friendly apps out there. With FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery, you can recover lost data from iDevices directly, iTunes Backup, or iCloud Backup. Let’s take an overview at all the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software features.

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery Features

  • Support 30+ File Types Recovery from iOS devices
  • Offers three modes to recover lost files
  • Offers an option to preview before recovery
  • Offers an option to selectively restore data
  • Simple to use
  • Available on windows and PC

Below we’ll walk you step-by-step on how to recover deleted iMessages on Mac using FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery. Let’s get started.

Here’s how to retrieve deleted iMessages from Mac or PC when you don’t have a back-up file.

Step-1: First, you need to download the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software on your Mac or PC.

Homepage of FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery

Step-2: After installing the FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery, choose the data type and the location of lost data you want to recover. For deleted iMessages, choose “Other”. And select the hard disk drives that possibly store the deleted iMessages to continue.

Step-3: Click on “Scan” located at the right bottom to scan for files that contain deleted iMessages.

Step-4: FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery will automatically start the quick scan. It also offers a “Deep Scan” mode for more data search on the computer. But if you don’t want to use this option, simply jump to the next step.

Step-5: Once the scan process is complete, find the file named “chat.db”, “chat.db-shm “, and “chat.db-wal “. Make sure the iMessages files are created before your iMessages are deleted. Select the files and click on “Recover” to the path of “Library/Messages” on the Mac.

Next, launch Messages app on your Mac and sign in using your credentials. The deleted iMessages should be restored and seen.

View iMessages:

Using an app like FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is far more convenient, less time consuming, and less risky than wiping your device and restoring from a backup—though it is paid for. The cost may very well be worth it if it means you can recover an important conversation, photos, or contacts without resorting to the more nuclear option.

How much does FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery cost?

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery costs $59.95 for the Windows version and $69.95 for the Mac version.

Should I Buy FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery?

If you need to recover deleted photos, WhatsApp messages, iMessages, videos, or any files that maybe have been accidentally lost,FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a great choice. FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is incredibly user-friendly — at any point in the process, you’re only just a few clicks away from recovering data of your choice.

Furthermore, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery software retrieves deleted iMessages on Mac very quickly. Each time I initiated the recovery process, it was finished in seconds. If you’re in need of a fast solution to recover lost iMessages, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery is a great option.

How Do I Download FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery?

The Windows and Mac versions of FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery are available for download on FonePaw website. Download FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and do give it a try.

Recover deleted iMessages on PC/Mac Made Easy!

FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and iBeesoft Data recovery are great softwares that makes it easy to recover deleted iMessages on Mac or PC. If you’re looking for an intuitive and powerful Solution that can help you to recover lost data on iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Mac, FonePaw iPhone Data Recovery and iBesoft Data Recovery are the best options.

We are sure that these data recovery softwares are the best software to recover deleted iMessages on Mac. Did you like this? Share your feedback with us in comment box below.

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GeeksModo Staff is a team of iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch experts led by Moses Johnson. We're passionate about all things Apple!
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