Here’s how to forward a text message on most phones, plus a quick “copy‑paste” backup method.

Quick Scoop: The Basics

On almost every phone, forwarding works like this: press and hold the message, choose Forward , pick a contact, then hit Send.

How to forward a text on iPhone

Steps may vary slightly by iOS version, but the flow is the same.

  1. Open the Messages app and go to the conversation with the text you want to forward.
  1. Press and hold the specific message bubble.
  1. Tap More… in the little menu that appears.
  1. You’ll see a checkmark next to the selected message; you can tap other bubbles to include more than one.
  1. Tap the arrow/forward icon (usually at the bottom right).
  1. A new message window opens with that text filled in; in the To: field, type the name or number of the person you want to send it to.
  1. Tap the Send arrow to forward.

You can also forward to an email address the same way—just type an email instead of a phone number in the To: field.

How to forward a text on Android

The exact look depends on your messaging app (Samsung Messages, Google Messages, etc.), but the logic is similar.

  1. Open your Messages or SMS app and open the conversation that has the message.
  1. Tap and hold the message bubble you want to forward.
  1. After it’s selected, look at the top or bottom of the screen for options. Tap Forward or an arrow/“share”‑style icon.
  1. Choose the contact (or type the phone number or email address).
  1. Tap Send.

On many Android phones, the three dots (⋮) menu in the corner also has a Forward option if you don’t see it right away.

Copy‑paste method (works almost anywhere)

If you can’t find a Forward button, copy‑paste is the universal fallback.

  1. Press and hold the text message until you see Copy.
  1. Tap Copy.
  1. Open a new message to your contact (SMS, WhatsApp, email—whatever you like).
  1. Press and hold in the text field and tap Paste.
  1. Hit Send.

This method also makes it easy to add a note like “Forwarded from Mom” so the recipient knows the context.

Quick etiquette + privacy tips

Forwarding is handy, but it’s good to be respectful about what you pass along.

  • Check that the message doesn’t include private details (addresses, medical info, personal drama) the original sender wouldn’t want shared.
  • Ask for permission before forwarding sensitive or personal messages.
  • Avoid forwarding rumors or “too good to be true” info without checking it; it’s easy to spread misinformation by accident.

A good rule of thumb: if you’d be uncomfortable seeing your own message forwarded without warning, treat others’ messages the same way.

TL;DR

  • iPhone: Messages → press and hold message → More… → forward arrow → pick contact → Send.
  • Android: Messages app → long‑press message → Forward (or three dots → Forward) → pick contact → Send.
  • Anywhere: Long‑press → Copy → paste into a new message → Send.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.