Your iMessages.
Ready to export.
Save a conversation. Upload it to your AI.
Open it in a spreadsheet. Keep it for yourself.
| 1 | timestamp | sender | text |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2026-09-13 13:09:00 | Me | I'll bring a blanket and some apples. |
| 3 | 2026-09-13 13:12:00 | Carolina Smith | Perfect. I'll make sandwiches and bring apple cider. |
| 4 | 2026-09-13 13:24:00 | Carolina Smith | [photo] |
A clean file.
Ready for anything.
Export to CSV, Markdown, or JSON for your AI, spreadsheet, or personal archive.
Choose dates. Strip reactions and emojis. Keep the conversation.
Three steps.
One clean file.
- Open your Messages database.
- Pick a chat and date range.
- Export to CSV, Markdown, or JSON.
Search the chat
you’re actually in.
Messages has no dedicated in-chat search box. And global results can miss the message you’re looking for.
Search one chat or all your local messages. See every keyword match. Jump to the next.
Before you start.
Installing on your Mac
Unzip the download and move Chat Harvest to Applications. Requires Apple Silicon and macOS 13 or later.
The app is not notarized by Apple. If macOS blocks it and you choose to trust the app:
- Try opening Chat Harvest, then dismiss the warning.
- Go to System Settings → Privacy & Security and look for Open Anyway.
- Confirm that you want to open the app.
Prompts can vary, and managed Macs may restrict this option. See Apple’s instructions or the source-build guide.
Where is my Messages database?
Usually at ~/Library/Messages/chat.db. Follow the setup guide to make a consistent copy, then choose it with Open database….
macOS protects that folder; Terminal may need Full Disk Access to create the copy. Only messages already stored on your Mac are included. Chat Harvest reads the copy without changing it.
The copy is a snapshot, not a live sync. For newer messages, make a fresh copy and open it. Reload Database (⌘R) rereads the selected file; it does not fetch new messages from Messages or iCloud.
What stays private?
Everything stays on your Mac until you share an export. No account, analytics, or automatic AI uploads. Review message text before sharing; replacing speaker names doesn’t redact it.
What gets exported?
Messages in the database you open. Media uses placeholders such as [photo]. No iCloud-only history, deleted-message recovery, or media files.
Take your chats with you.
Clean files. Your choice of what happens next.
Download Chat Harvest