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Text messages
Every iMessage and SMS, complete with photos and voice notes. Read them here or print the whole thread as a PDF.
34,118 messages · 127 conversations
Pull the messages, photos, and voicemails out of any old iPhone backup — right on your own laptop. Nothing uploaded, nothing paid, nothing to sign up for.
Every iMessage and SMS, complete with photos and voice notes. Read them here or print the whole thread as a PDF.
All your camera roll, with original quality and the date, time, and place they were taken.
Listen to voicemails you thought you'd lost — including from people who aren't around to leave new ones.
The address book, including photos and birthdays. Export to import somewhere else.
Everything in Apple Notes, from shopping lists to recipes to that novel you started.
Who you called, when, and for how long. Simple spreadsheet you can search.
If you've ever plugged an iPhone into this computer, a backup is probably already on it and OpenExtract finds it automatically. If not, plug in your phone and make one — Finder on Mac, iTunes on Windows.
Encrypted backups need the password you set. OpenExtract handles this on your laptop; the password never leaves it.
Browse. Preview. Export. Text threads as PDF, photos as originals, everything as a neatly organized folder on your Desktop.
My dad passed in 2023. Apple wouldn't give me access to his phone, but his laptop had a backup. I have his voicemails now.
I cracked my phone on vacation and the Genius Bar said my photos were gone. They weren't. OpenExtract pulled 4 years back.
Switched to Android and realized I wanted my old texts with my mom. Free tool, fifteen minutes, done.
OpenExtract is open source — anyone can read the code. It doesn't have a server. It can't upload. It doesn't know who you are. We made it this way on purpose.
Can't find yours? There's a real human in the GitHub discussions who'll answer.
Yes. You don't need the phone at all — just a backup sitting on a computer you own. Any iTunes or Finder backup will do, even years-old ones.
No catch. It's MIT-licensed open source, built by volunteers. No account, no trial, no upsell. The code is public on GitHub if you want to verify.
Yes, as long as you know the password. Encrypted backups actually contain more data (saved passwords, Safari history), so they're usually the better choice when you have the option.
Messages as PDF, HTML, CSV, or plain text. Photos as originals (HEIC, JPEG, MOV). Contacts as vCard or CSV. Everything lands in a neatly organized folder on your Desktop.
No. OpenExtract only reads files that are already on your computer. It never talks to Apple's servers, your iCloud, or anyone else.
Download OpenExtract, point it at a backup, and see what's in there. Takes about two minutes.
brew install openextract