# How to export many or all chats on Mac

## Quick answer

In TextPort for Mac:

- **Some chats:** hold **Command** and click each chat. Then click **Export**.
- **All chats:** choose **File › Export All**.

Click **PDF**, **Spreadsheet**, **Text File**, or **Attachments**. Pick a folder and click **Export**. TextPort saves one file for each chat.

## What you need

- TextPort for Mac, set up with Messages access

## Steps

### Some chats

1. Hold **Command** and click each chat

   They turn blue in the list on the left.

2. Click **Export**

   It is the blue button in the top right. **Export Chats** opens.

   Tip: Or press **Command-E**.

### All chats

1. Choose **File › Export All**

   It is in the menu bar at the top of the screen. **Export Chats** opens.

   Tip: Or press **Command-Shift-E**.

### After that, on every path

Numbers continue from Some chats.

3. Click **PDF**, **Spreadsheet**, **Text File**, or **Attachments**

   The sheet says how many chats it will export. A folder window opens.

4. Pick a folder and click **Export**

   TextPort saves one file for each chat in that folder.

5. Click **Show in Finder**

   The sheet says **Export complete.** Finder opens the folder.

## Done

You have one file for each chat in the folder you picked.

## Problems

| What you see | What to do |
| --- | --- |
| It says **Skipped** some chats. | Those chats had nothing to export. For **Attachments**, they have no photos or files on this Mac. |
| It says some chats **couldn’t be exported**. | The other chats are saved. Export that chat by itself. See [how to export one chat](https://textport.com/guides/export-one-chat-to-pdf-csv-or-txt-on-mac.md). |
| It says **Waiting for Messages to load**. | TextPort is still reading your chats. Wait. To stop, click **Cancel**. |
| Photos show as placeholders in the PDFs. | Click **Choose Attachments Folder…** in the sheet. In the picker, click **Choose Attachments**. Then export again. |
| The files have only photos and files, and no text. | You clicked **Export** in the toolbar on the **Attachments** tab. Click **Messages** at the top of the chat. Then export again. |
| None of these match. | Email [support@textportapp.com](mailto:support@textportapp.com). Say which step you were on. Say what you saw. We usually reply within a day. |

## Tips

- You can also right-click a selected chat. The menu says how many chats, like **Export 3 Chats**.

## Questions

### Can I export only some dates?

For some chats, yes. Select them, click the date range in the toolbar, and pick the dates. Then click Export in the toolbar. Export All, Command-E, and right-click save every date.

### What are the files called?

Each file name has the chat name and today's date. For example, Messages_Grace Liu_export_2026-11-05.pdf.

### What does Attachments save?

One ZIP file for each chat. See [how to save photos and files](https://textport.com/guides/save-all-attachments-as-a-zip-on-mac.md).

## Next guides

- [How to export one chat to PDF, CSV, or TXT on Mac](https://textport.com/guides/export-one-chat-to-pdf-csv-or-txt-on-mac.md): You will get a file of one chat on your Mac, as a PDF, a spreadsheet, or plain text.
- [How to save all photos and files from a chat on Mac](https://textport.com/guides/save-all-attachments-as-a-zip-on-mac.md): You will get one ZIP file with every photo, video, and file from a chat.
- [How to filter a chat by date on Mac](https://textport.com/guides/filter-a-chat-by-date-on-mac.md): You will see only the messages from the days you pick.

## On other platforms

- On Windows: [How to export all conversations at once on Windows](https://textport.com/guides/export-all-conversations-on-windows.md)

TextPort guide for Mac. Updated 2026-11-05. Web page: https://textport.com/guides/export-many-or-all-chats-on-mac