How to forward iPhone text messages to email

How this destination works

Fwrd’s action, Forward Message to All Destinations, takes the incoming text from your Shortcuts automation and passes it to the next action. The Email action that follows in Apple Shortcuts performs delivery; Fwrd does not send it directly.

Before you begin

• Mail configured on the iPhone
• The address that should get your texts
• Fwrd installed on the iPhone that receives the messages

1. 1

   Choose Email in Fwrd’s setup

   On the iPhone, open Fwrd and tap Set Up Forwarding at the end of the intro. When it asks where your texts should go, choose Email Address.

2. 2

   Type the address

   Under Send To, type the address that should get your texts, then continue.

3. 3

   Add Fwrd to Email

   Choose which texts to forward. Tap Get Shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap Add Shortcut, then ◀ Fwrd at the top left. Fwrd to Email already holds Send Email, which sends to the address you typed in Fwrd.

4. 4

   Switch it on

   On iOS 27, tap Open Shortcut. In Shortcuts, tap Edit, then the small › at the end of the first line, “When I receive a message where” (not the ×), and turn on Automation, as in the picture. On iOS 26, Fwrd calls this step Make it automatic: tap Open Shortcuts, then New Automation or +, then Message. Type one space in Message Contains and tap Done. Choose Run Immediately, tap Next, and tap the shortcut you just added, under My Shortcuts.

   

5. 5

   Allow the first run

   Fwrd runs the shortcut once with a sample text. Shortcuts asks twice the first time: tap Allow, then Always Allow.

6. 6

   You’re all set

   That’s it. New matching texts now go to the inbox you chose on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked. After the iPhone restarts, unlock it once and forwarding carries on.

Build it yourself

Rather build the automation yourself? Follow these steps instead.

Watch the setup

Every tap in Fwrd and Shortcuts on iOS 27, in about a minute and a half. Pause on any step, or choose one below to jump to it.

Watch on YouTube

1. 0:02In Fwrd, tap + and choose Email Address
2. 0:05Scroll down and add the address to forward to
3. 0:17Tap the tick to save
4. 0:20Open Shortcuts. Tap Automation, then +
5. 0:24Tap Edit
6. 0:27Tap Automation, then Message
7. 0:31Change Sender to Message, then type a word your texts contain. Or type a space “ ” to forward any text with a space in it
8. 0:39Tap the arrow. Confirm Before Run should be off
9. 0:45Search Forward, then add Forward Message to All Destinations
10. 0:52Tap Message and choose Shortcut Input
11. 0:58Search Send Email and add it below Fwrd
12. 1:05Tap Message and pick Forward Message to All Destinations
13. 1:11Tap Recipients and add the same address
14. 1:20Tap Subject and type one, like Forwarded text. Left blank, Shortcuts stops to ask for one
15. 1:28Tap the arrow and turn off Show Compose Sheet
16. 1:35Tap back to save. The automation is on
17. 1:38That’s it

Shown on iOS 27 with Fwrd 1.1. The addresses and numbers are examples.

1. 1

   Add Email in Fwrd

   In Fwrd, tap + at the bottom of the screen and choose Email Address. Scroll down to Recipient Reference, type the address that should get your texts, and tap + to add it. Then tap the tick to save. Fwrd shows the Shortcuts steps as a checklist on the same screen.

   

2. 2

   Create a Message automation

   Open Shortcuts and go to Library → Automation, then tap +. If you see Describe a shortcut, tap Edit. Tap Automation, then Message. Change Sender to Message and type a word your texts contain, such as code. Then tap the arrow beside the trigger and check that Confirm Before Run is off, so it runs without asking. Under ⓘ, then Privacy, check that Allow Running When Locked is on. On iOS 26 the screens differ: the automation guide covers both.

   Message contains ← your word · Confirm Before Run ← Off · Allow Running When Locked ← On

   

3. 3

   Add Fwrd’s action

   Search for Forward and choose Forward Message to All Destinations, so it sits right below the trigger.

   Fwrd · Forward Message to All Destinations

   

4. 4

   Hand Fwrd the incoming text

   Tap Message in Fwrd’s action, tap Select Variable, and choose Shortcut Input. Shortcuts then adds a Receive block at the top; leave it as it is. On iOS 26, set Message to Shortcut Input too.

   Message = Shortcut Input

   

5. 5

   Add Send Email

   Search for Send Email and tap Apple’s Send Email action. It goes below Fwrd’s action. This action, not Fwrd, sends the message.

   Send Email

   

6. 6

   Pass Fwrd’s output forward

   Tap Message in Send Email. In the bar above the keyboard, pick Forward Message to All Destinations: that’s the output of Fwrd’s action. Select Variable works too, if you choose the blue output under Fwrd’s action.

   Message = Forward Message to All Destinations

   

7. 7

   Set the recipient

   Tap Recipients and add the same address you saved in Fwrd, then tap the tick.

   Recipients ← the address saved in Fwrd

   

8. 8

   Type a subject

   Tap Subject in Send Email and type one, such as Forwarded text. If you leave it blank, Shortcuts stops and asks for a subject every time it runs, so nothing is sent while the iPhone is locked.

   Subject ← Forwarded text

   

9. 9

   Turn off the prompt

   Tap the arrow at the end of Send Email and turn Show Compose Sheet off. With it on, Mail opens a draft and waits for you, which can’t happen while the iPhone is locked.

   Show Compose Sheet ← Off

   

10. 10

    Save, and you’re all set

    Tap back to save. The automation appears under Automation, switched on. In Fwrd, tick off the destination’s checklist. That’s it: new texts with your word now go to the inbox you chose on their own, with the iPhone unlocked or locked.

    Automation ← On

    

The Shortcuts screens differ between iOS 26 and iOS 27. The automation guide walks through both.

If a message doesn’t arrive

Shortcuts asks for a subject

Type a subject in Send Email, such as Forwarded text. With Subject blank, Shortcuts stops to ask for one every time, and nothing is sent while the iPhone is locked.

A draft opens instead of sending

Turn off Show Compose Sheet in the Send Email action.

Nothing is sent

Send Email uses the Mail app. Check that Mail has an account set up that can send, and that Send Email has a subject.

The forwarded email lands in spam

Mark it as not spam, add the sending address to your contacts, or make a filter for it. The subject you typed in Send Email, such as Forwarded text, makes the filter easy.

Email’s status in Fwrd doesn’t change

That’s normal. Mail does the sending, so your forwards show up in Mail rather than in Fwrd’s Activity.

Problems that apply to every destination, like texts that never trigger the automation, are in the troubleshooting guide.

Common questions

Each answer opens on the Email overview page.

• Can I automatically forward iPhone text messages to email?
• How do I forward text messages to email from my iPhone?
• Can I forward text messages to Gmail or Outlook from my iPhone?
• Can an iPhone forward texts to email by itself?
• Why are my forwarded texts going to spam?
• Does forwarding to email work when my iPhone is locked?
• Is it free to forward iPhone texts to email?
• Which email account sends the forwarded texts?
• Can I choose which texts get forwarded to email?
• Does Fwrd see or store the texts I forward to email?

Popular ways to use Fwrd

• Executive assistants who need an executive’s sign-in codes
• Bookkeepers who need a client’s bank codes
• Living abroad and keeping your US number
• NRIs receiving Indian bank OTPs abroad
• Keeping your UK number abroad for bank codes
• Helping your parents with bank codes from far away
• Reading iPhone texts on a Windows PC or Chromebook

More help

• How to Forward iPhone Texts to Email Automatically
• Can You Read Your iPhone Texts Online?