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How to Select and Copy Part of a Text Message in iOS 26
Trimming down a long text to just the essential lines used to require workarounds on iPhone. With iOS 26, Apple finally added a way to select and copy only the words you need.
If you’ve ever wanted to grab just a phone number, address line, or specific snippet from a message without copying the entire bubble, you know how frustrating it has been.
Here's a Cool Tip: Copy a Part of a Text Message in iOS 26.
Prior versions of iOS forced you into awkward edits or managing a pasteboard cleanup after pasting everything you didn’t want. iOS 26 changes that by letting you highlight and extract the exact text you need straight from the Messages app.
Feature Explanation
In iOS 26, the Messages app introduces a new “Select” option when you long-press a message bubble. This lets you zoom in on parts of the text and choose just the portion you want to copy.
It works in both standard SMS and iMessage threads and matches copy behavior found in third-party messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.
What You’ll Gain
- Copy only the relevant text you need.
- Reduce editing time after pasting.
- Use extracted text in other apps or documents.
- Faster workflows for business or personal use.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's how to do it.
iOS
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Open the Messages app on your iPhone running iOS 26.
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Tap the conversation containing the message you need.
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Press and hold the message bubble until a menu appears.
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Tap Select in the menu.
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Drag the selection handles to highlight only the text you want.
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Tap Copy in the floating toolbar that appears above the selected text.
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Paste the copied text into your destination app.
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