How to send an imessage to an email address

By default, your iCloud account is your iMessage to/from address. If you own an iPhone, your phone number is enabled for iMessage and, as far as I can tell, becomes the default to/from address on every device.

You can also attach extra email addresses to your iCloud/iMessage to use as your default to/from address. I added my personal email (at chartier.land) and set it as the default on all devices. I think it’s easier to identify and remember than some random string of numbers, especially when I’m messaging someone new.

To do this:

• iOS: Log into appleid.apple.com with the iCloud account you use for iMessage. Under the Account > Reachable At section, click Add New and add any other email addresses you want to use with iMessage.
• Mac: Open Messages and go to Preferences > Accounts > your iMessage account. In the Reachable At section, click Add New. You can also use the iOS method if you prefer.

**Important Note**: Any email addresses you attach to your iCloud/iMessage account are no longer eligible to become Apple IDs. However, you _can_ detach these addresses later at appleid.apple.com to make them eligible again.

To set an email address as your default from for new conversations:

• iOS: Open Settings > Messages > Send & Receive, then make your selection in the Start New Conversations From section.
• Mac: Open Messages and go to Preferences > Accounts > your iMessage account. Make your selection in the Start New Conversations From section.

Now, when you iMessage someone new, or start new conversations with existing contacts, your messages will come from your email address instead of a phone number. Bonus points: if you set an email address you actually use, now your contacts also know your email address for sending more email-y stuff.

Amro writes: Is there a way to forward text messages and send an entire iMessage thread via email? Essentially I am trying to get an entire chat thread from my phone and forward it to a colleague. Any advice would be appreciated.

Hi Amro! Yes, there is a way to forward text messages or iMessages from your iPhone or iPad to an email address, but I warn you: it’s a bit clunky.

The method I’m about to explain will only forward the actual text in your message thread—meaning no date or time stamps, nor will there be any labels telling you who was “speaking” at any given time.

Oh, and if you want to forward a lengthy thread, prepare for a lot of tapping.

All set? Here we go…

• Open the Messages app, then open the thread with messages you’d like to forward.
• Tap and hold a message until a black bubble with “Copy” and “More…” buttons pops up, then tap “More.”
• A row a circles will appear on the left side of the screen, with each circle sitting next to an individual text or iMessage. Tap a circle to select a specific message, or tap them all to select the entire thread. (Sorry, folks—there’s no “Select All” button. Yep, I know.)
• Done selecting messages? Tap the little curly arrow in the bottom corner of the screen, then type in an email address into the “To:” form at the top. If you type in the email address for a contact in your iPhone’s or iPad’s address book, their address should appear as an auto-fill option as you type. Finished? Tap Send.
• The forwarded message should appear in the recipient’s email inbox as a “plain-text” email attachment. Also, keep in mind that the message itself will come from your carrier’s text-messaging service (complete with an email address like “[email protected]”) rather than from your regular email account. Just double-click the attachment to open it.

So no, not a perfect solution, Armo, but better than nothing. And if anyone else out there has a better idea, I’m all ears.

Note: You can only forward text messages to an email account with an iPhone or iPad with a cellular connection. If you try to forward text messages from, say, a Wi-Fi-only iPad, you’ll get an error message.

Bonus tips

• Just want to forward a few iMessages or text messages rather than an entire thread? You might be better off taking a screenshot of the messages and forwarding the image.
• Are you using the Messages app on the Mac? If so, you’ll find recent message threads stored in the Messages window, and you can copy and paste them quite easily. No, you still won’t get time stamps, but at least each message will be labeled with a name.

Click here for more iOS tips!