ThreadKeep
ThreadKeep
// macOS · iMessage archiver
ThreadKeep pulls your iMessage history out of a database you can't see and into a library you own — browsable, fully searchable, and stored on your Mac. The conversations that would otherwise quietly disappear.
macOS 13 Ventura+ · Apple silicon & Intel · works fully offline
Your most important conversations live inside Messages — a format you don't control and can't easily read, search, or keep. A new phone, a skipped backup, an OS update, and they're gone. ThreadKeep makes a real copy: every conversation imported into a clean, searchable library of plain records on your own machine. No cloud account. No monthly fee. No one else holding your history. Just messages you can actually find, read, and keep for as long as you want them.
Type a name, a date, a link — even a single word — and ThreadKeep searches every conversation at once, then jumps you straight to the match. It finds tapbacks and reactions too, so a moment you remember but can't quite place is one search away.
Turn any thread into a paginated, print-ready document with every timestamp intact. Save it as a PDF, file it, or print it — a record that outlives any phone, account, or platform change.
Your library never leaves your Mac. ThreadKeep has no account, makes no network calls, and collects nothing — there's no telemetry to opt out of. Exports happen only when you ask. Using contact names is optional, and you can change it later.
A short guided import brings your conversations in automatically — everything, or just the ones you choose. Set it up once in under a minute, then never think about it again.
Secure one-time payment. Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, and Venmo appear automatically where supported. Your download link and license arrive by email the moment payment clears.
After purchase you'll get ThreadKeep-1.0.dmg by email and on the download page.
Double-click ThreadKeep-1.0.dmg, then drag ThreadKeep into your Applications folder.
Open ThreadKeep from Applications. It's signed and notarized by Apple, so it opens normally. If macOS ever hesitates, right-click the app and choose Open once.
macOS asks your permission before any app can read Messages. In System Settings → Privacy & Security, turn on the switch for ThreadKeep, then reopen the app. Access is read-only and never leaves your Mac.
Click Import Messages to build your library — everything, or just the conversations you choose. That's it.
No. ThreadKeep only reads the Messages database on your Mac. It never sends, edits, or deletes anything.
Entirely on your Mac, in a local library. Nothing is uploaded, and there's no account to create.
macOS keeps Messages in a protected area, so it asks your OK before any app can read it. You give ThreadKeep read-only access once, during setup — nothing is changed, and nothing leaves your Mac.
Yes — $18.99 buys the app outright, with free updates throughout version 1.x. No subscription, ever.
Independent product. Apple, macOS, Mac, iMessage, and Messages are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. ThreadKeep is an independent application and is not affiliated with, authorized, sponsored, or endorsed by Apple Inc.
Your data, your responsibility. ThreadKeep reads the Messages database on your own Mac and builds a local archive at your request. You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to archive, store, and export the conversations in your account, and for complying with applicable laws on storing and retaining electronic communications, which vary by jurisdiction.
Read-only. ThreadKeep does not modify, send, or delete messages, and it does not transmit your data anywhere. It makes no network connections and collects no analytics.
Compatibility. ThreadKeep relies on the local Messages data format, which Apple may change in future macOS releases. We support the latest macOS and the version below it; updates are issued as needed within your license.
Refunds. If ThreadKeep doesn't work for you, email within 14 days of purchase for a full refund.
No warranty. ThreadKeep is provided "as is," without warranty of any kind, express or implied. To the maximum extent permitted by law, the developer is not liable for any data loss or damages arising from its use. Always keep an independent backup of important data.
Payments and digital delivery are processed by our checkout provider, who acts as merchant of record and handles applicable taxes. Questions: michael.kushman@gmail.com.