How to Backup and Transfer SMS, Messages from Android Phones to PC

Bhavya Kaushik

Jan 11, 2024 • Filed to: Manage Device Data • Proven solutions

how to transfer Android SMS to PC

Texting message is pretty good for you to keep in touch with your families, friends, colleagues, and others. When you have an Android phone, you receive and send text messages every now and then. Some text messages are sent by your lover, parents, or friends, which are so memorable. Some contain important business information, and you should take care in case you should delete them accidentally.

However, phone memory where all text messages are stored is limited. That means you have to clean up the text box regularly to make sure you can receive and send new text messages. Considering these text messages mean a lot to you, you may want to backup and transfer SMS from Android to PC before deleting them. Here, this article tells you two ways to do it.

Method 1. Backup and Transfer SMS from Android to PC with a Desktop Android Manager

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Step 1. Run the software and connect your Android phone to computer

At the very beginning, download the right version of Dr.Fone on your computer. Install and launch it. Choose "Phone Manager" from all the functions and use a USB cable to connect your Android phone to the computer. After connection, your Android phone will be displayed in the main window.

save text messages on android to PC

Note: Both Windows and Mac versions work in a similar way. Thus, I just take the Windows version as a try. If you're using a Mac, you can follow the steps too.

Step 2. Backup and Transfer SMS, Messages from Android to PC

Select Information tab. Go to the left column and click SMS. In the SMS management window, select the message threads that you want to transfer. Click Export to save and transfer the messages from Android to your PC in .html or .csv format.

transfer sms from android to pc

Method 2. Transfer Android SMS to PC with an Android App

Apart from desktop software, there're also many android SMS backup apps that let you save SMS on an Android phone to an SD card and then transfer it to a computer. Among them, SMS backup & Restore stands out.

Step 1. Go to Google Play Store on and download SMS Backup & Restore app.
Step 2. Launch the app and tap Backup to backup SMS to SD card of your Android phone.
Step 3. Mount your Android phone as an external hard drive by using a USB cable.
Step 4. On your computer, find your Android phone and open the SD card folder.
Step 5. Find the .xml file, and copy it to your computer

how to backup and transfer android sms to pc

Further Reading: How to Read SMS.xml on PC

Usually, Android SMS you transfer to PC are saved as a .xml file, .txt file, or HTML file. The last two formats are easily readable. To read the SMS.xml file, you need to draw support from a third-party tool – Notepad++. It's a free source code editor, letting you read the SMS.xml file conveniently.

Note: Please don't edit the .xml file when using Notepad++. Or, the file might be damaged.

transfer sms to computer

Why not download it have a try? If this guide helps, don't forget to share it with your friends.

Bhavya Kaushik

contributor Editor

Android Manage

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