If you’re an iPhone user who frequently sends messages back and forth with other iOS users via Apple’s iMessage, you may be wondering how to use iMessage on your personal laptop or work computer.

In fact, you might not be sure whether you even can use iMessage on a PC. By the time you get done reading this article, you’ll know everything you need to know about what your options for using iMessage on a PC are.

Can You Use iMessage on a PC?

First things first: is there such a thing as iMessage for PC? The answer to that is a little bit complicated. Being an Apple-exclusive messaging service, iMessage technically only works on Apple devices (which run iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, or macOS). 

However, there is a workaround that allows you to send iMessages from a non-Apple PC device.

How to Use iMessage on Your Windows PC

The easiest way to start using iMessage on a Windows PC is to do so through a Chrome browser extension called Chrome Remote Desktop. 

But, there’s a catch: you’ll need to run the app on both your Windows
device and a macOS device, such as a Macbook Pro laptop or an iMac PC.

Follow these steps to add iMessage for PC to your Chrome browsers:

1. Go to the Chrome Web Store on your Windows device
2. Search for the “Chrome Remote Desktop” extension
3. Go to the extension’s home page and click “Add to Chrome”
4. Repeat steps 1-3 on your Apple device*

Once you have Chrome Remote Desktop installed on both your devices, you can access your Apple device remotely from your Windows machine to use iMessage.

*If you are logged in to a Google account and syncing it on both devices, Chrome will automatically install Chrome Remote Desktop on the other device after you install it on one.

Unverified Ways to Use iMessage on a Windows PC

Besides the above method, there are some additional unverified methods for using iMessage on Windows devices.

These methods all involve downloading and installing a different third-party app or extension that claims to make iMessage function on non-Apple devices.

However, information about how these other methods work and reviews about how well they work are hard to find, so we would advise caution when trying out any third-party platforms for using iMessage on your PC.

Be especially wary of any apps or services that ask you for your Apple ID login information, as there are surely phishing scams out there that are looking to steal your data.

What’s the Best Alternative To iMessage for PC?

So, now you know how to get iMessage working on your non-Apple PC using the above Chrome Remote Desktop method. But, accessing your macOS device remotely to use iMessage on a Windows PC is not always practical or even possible.

The main drawback of using this method is that you need both devices to be on, charged, and connected to the internet constantly for Chrome Remote Desktop to work.

Another possibility is that you don’t even have a macOS device to remotely access and that you just use iMessage on your iPhone, in which case the above method isn’t even doable.

So, what are your alternatives when you want the functionality of iMessage on your PC but the aforementioned method of using iMessage on PC via remote access doesn’t work for you?

Sure, there are always other instant messaging services you can use on a PC, such as Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp, but these aren’t ideal for professional communications. 

However, there is a web-based app that takes some of the best features of iMessage and brings them to your PC (and any other device you want to use it on).

Enter Spike: the World’s First Conversational Email App

Spike is a revolutionary new messaging service that turns your email messages into iMessage-style conversations.

When you sync your email accounts with Spike, you can instantly start sending and receiving messages in chat windows that are almost indistinguishable from iMessage chats.

You can also create group chats, just like you can in iMessage on your iPhone or other Apple device.

You and your team can use Spike from any PC or mobile device to communicate and collaborate in real-time, even more efficiently than when you use iMessage.

Besides the instant messenger functionality of Spike, it also has many other features that make it an even superior team chat tool than iMessage or any other instant messaging service.

For one, Spike has built-in video meetings, so you don’t have to open up and sign in to a separate video conferencing app every time you need to start a meeting.

Spike also has all the other following features that can drastically improve your professional communications and boost your productivity:

• Priority message filtering
• Collaborative notes (with integrated sidebar chats)
• Tasks and to-do lists
• Voice messages
• Advanced instant message search and filters
• File previewing (for email attachments)

The Bottom Line

There’s no simple way to use iMessage seamlessly on a Windows PC, but there is a powerful alternative to iMessage for PC: Spike.