# Sending emails as text messages **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 19, 2007, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563 "2007-12-19T12:29:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/21 "2025-08-31T01:09:24Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > While I can text her I am very slow preparing text messages on my phone, while reasonably fast composing emails. So is there an easy way to do this? You can go in the opposite direction and sync your phone to your laptop using [MS Phone Link](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/sync-across-your-devices?r=1). I compose lengthy text messages on my computer screen with a real keyboard. I’m sure there are other options besides MS. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/22 "2025-08-31T01:23:30Z")
I will draft a text message in email on my computer, send it to myself, open it in the email client on the phone and then copy and paste it to the text message client. Perhaps kludgy but it works for me. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 9:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/23 "2025-08-31T09:43:11Z")
Similar to **Telemark** ’s idea, I use my laptop to send and receive messages with WhatsApp. (You’d need to download the WhatsApp app !) ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/24 "2025-08-31T14:05:28Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I will draft a text message in email on my computer, send it to myself, open it in the email client on the phone and then copy and paste it to the text message client. Perhaps kludgy but it works for me. _Why_ do you do this? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 2:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/25 "2025-08-31T14:06:44Z")
Because I’ve been typing on a typewriter/computer keyboard for far longer than I have on a smartphone screen. ---
**Author:** ![markn\_1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f9ae1b/32.png) [@markn\_1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/markn_1)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/26 "2025-08-31T15:26:15Z")
I’ve done that too. Or sometimes I will ssh into my web server and type the message into a text file there, then access it via a browser on my phone. I can type on a real keyboard about 3x as fast I can type on the phone’s keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/27 "2025-08-31T15:32:21Z")
I envy those who are adept at typing on their phone screens. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/28 "2025-08-31T15:51:18Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Because I’ve been typing on a typewriter/computer keyboard for far longer than I have on a smartphone screen. But you can link your phone to your computer and type directly into the text app using your computer keyboard. No need to do those two extra steps. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/29 "2025-08-31T16:41:22Z")
How’d you do that ? ---
**Author:** ![echoreply](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/echoreply/32/3641_2.png) [@echoreply](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/echoreply)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/30 "2025-08-31T17:15:12Z")
- Android phone - Any device with a web browser (Mac, PC, Chrome book, IPad, etc.) - Use Google Messages as your text client, and [Google Messages for Web](https://messages.google.com/web/welcome) - It can work with your home and work computer. - This works very well. - Windows 11 - [Microsoft Phone Link](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/sync-across-your-devices) - I’ve never used this, as I don’t use Windows 11 as my daily desktop - There are also a variety of other solutions from other third parties, but I’ve not used any of them in the years since Google Messages for Web came out, because it is free to use, and works so well. - IPhone - Mac—if you have a Mac just use [iMessage on the Mac](https://support.apple.com/guide/messages/set-up-messages-on-mac-ichte16154fb/mac) - Windows 11 - [Microsoft Phone Link](https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/sync-across-your-devices) - There are limitations, such as only sending SMS messages, and the phone must be paired with Bluetooth to your PC - non-Mac computer (Windows, Linux, etc.) - [Bluebubble](https://bluebubbles.app/) - [AirMessage](https://airmessage.org/) - Both of these require a Mac someplace, and are just remote control systems for controlling iMessage running on the Mac ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/31 "2025-08-31T20:08:38Z")
As mentioned above I use MS Phone Link. Whenever my phone is in range of my computer it connects, and I have a window that allows me to compose, send, and recieve texts, view photos, and interface with other apps. This is particularly useful when dealing with two factor authentication for something I’m doing on my computer. They send the code to my phone, it shows up on my computer screen and I can cut and paste it into the browser window that I’m using for banking or whatever. ---
**Author:** ![pjd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pjd/32/3009_2.png) [@pjd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjd)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/32 "2025-08-31T20:24:39Z")
Thanks for that ! I’ll try it tomorrow… ---
**Author:** ![Andy\_L](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c67d28/32.png) [@Andy\_L](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Andy_L)\ **Post date:** [August 31, 2025, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563/33 "2025-08-31T21:10:29Z")
Yes, that (the shutting down of the service) was annoying. I had some use-cases for which text to email (and email to text) were convenient [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/sending-emails-as-text-messages/430563.md?page=1)