Text Message Forwarding Not Working? See iPhone SMS on Your Mac

Q: My Mac isn't in the Text Message Forwarding list — why?

It only appears when it's signed in to the same Apple Account as the iPhone and has iMessage turned on. Fix the account in Messages settings, then check the list again.

Published ✓ Verified ⏱️ 3 min read October 19, 2025 · by Ryan Bennett

Your iMessages (blue bubbles) appear on your Mac, but regular SMS or MMS texts (green bubbles) only show up on your iPhone.

Why: Blue-bubble iMessages sync through your Apple Account automatically, but green-bubble SMS/MMS texts go through your carrier and only reach your other devices when Text Message Forwarding is turned on for them — and only when those devices share your iPhone’s Apple Account.

Fix 1: Turn on Text Message Forwarding

This is the switch that pushes SMS texts to your Mac and iPad.

On the iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding.
Turn on each device you want to receive texts (your Mac, iPad, or Apple Vision Pro).
If a device doesn’t yet use two-factor authentication, a verification code appears on it — enter that code on the iPhone to confirm.

Fix 2: Match the Apple Account on every device

A device only appears in the Text Message Forwarding list if it’s signed in to the same Apple Account as your iPhone.

On the Mac: Open Messages, choose Messages > Settings from the menu bar, click iMessage, and confirm the Apple Account shown matches the one on your iPhone.
On the iPad: Open Settings > Apps > Messages, make sure iMessage is on, tap Send & Receive, and confirm the Apple Account at the bottom matches your iPhone.

If the account is different, sign out and sign back in with the correct one, then re-check the forwarding list.

Fix 3: Confirm iMessage is on and the iPhone is online

On the iPhone, make sure it’s turned on and connected to Wi-Fi or cellular — forwarding needs the iPhone reachable.
On the Mac and iPad, make sure iMessage is turned on (Text Message Forwarding sends through it).
Restart the devices if a freshly toggled device still doesn’t receive texts.

Fix 4: Use Messages in iCloud instead

If you turn on Messages in iCloud on every device, your full message history — SMS, MMS, RCS, and iMessage — stays in sync automatically, and you don’t need to set up Text Message Forwarding separately.

On the iPhone, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud and turn on Messages.
Do the same on your Mac (Messages > Settings > iMessage > Enable Messages in iCloud).

FAQ

Why do only green-bubble texts go missing? Blue iMessages sync through your Apple Account on their own. Green SMS/MMS texts come from your carrier and only forward to other devices when Text Message Forwarding (or Messages in iCloud) is turned on.

My Mac isn’t in the Text Message Forwarding list — why? It only appears when it’s signed in to the same Apple Account as the iPhone and has iMessage turned on. Fix the account in Messages settings, then check the list again.

Sources: Apple Support — Forward text messages from your iPhone to other devices, Apple Support — If you can’t send or receive messages using Messages on Mac