Forward a single text message right now

Open the Messages app on your Android phone and find the text you want to forward. Press and hold the message until a menu appears — do not tap it once, hold your finger on it for a second. A row of icons will show up above or below the message.

Look for an icon that looks like an arrow pointing right or a curved arrow, or tap the three dots (menu icon) if you do not see a forward button immediately. Select "Forward" from the menu. Your phone will open a new message window with the text already inside. Type in the contact name or phone number where you want to send it, then hit Send.

The forwarded message will show up in that person's inbox as a regular text, not marked as forwarded — they will see the original content but not know it came from someone else unless you tell them.

Key Takeaways

  • Press and hold a message in the Messages app to bring up the forward option; a single tap will not work.
  • Forwarded texts appear as regular messages to the recipient, with no indication they came from someone else.
  • You can forward one message at a time through the standard Messages app on most Android phones.
  • Some Android phones and third-party messaging apps have slightly different menu layouts, but the press-and-hold method works on nearly all of them.

Forward multiple messages at once

If you need to send several messages to the same person, you can forward them one by one using the method above, but there is no built-in way to select and forward multiple messages together on most Android phones. The fastest approach is to forward each message individually to the same contact — it takes about 10 seconds per message.

Some Android phones from Samsung, Google Pixel, or other manufacturers may have a "select multiple" option if you long-press one message and then tap others, but this feature is not standard across all devices. Check your Messages app menu (the three dots in the top corner) to see if a "select" or "multi-select" option exists on your phone.

What to do if the forward button does not appear

If you press and hold a message and no menu shows up, your phone may be using a different messaging app than the default Android Messages app. Check which app you are using by looking at the name at the top of the screen. Common alternatives include Google Messages, Samsung Messages, WhatsApp, or your carrier's built-in app.

Each app has a slightly different layout. In Google Messages, press and hold the message and look for a forward arrow icon. In Samsung Messages, the menu may appear as three vertical dots. If you are using WhatsApp or another third-party app, the forward option is usually in a menu accessed by pressing and holding the message or tapping three dots next to it.

If your messaging app does not have a forward option at all, you can copy the message text manually: press and hold the message, select "Copy," open a new message to your contact, and paste the text. This takes longer but works with any messaging app.

Forwarding messages from group chats

Messages from group conversations can be forwarded the same way as individual texts — press and hold the message and select Forward. The message will go to whoever you choose, and it will not include any indication that it came from a group chat. The sender's name will still appear with the message, so the recipient will know who originally wrote it.

If you want to forward an entire group conversation rather than one message, Android does not have a built-in feature for this. Your best option is to forward individual messages one at a time, or take a screenshot of the conversation and send that as an image instead.

Forwarding messages to multiple people

Android's Messages app does not have a feature to forward one message to multiple contacts at once. You will need to forward the message separately to each person. Open the message, select Forward, type the first contact's name, send it, then repeat the process for the next person.

This can feel slow if you have many recipients, but it takes only a few seconds per person. Some third-party messaging apps may offer a "forward to multiple" feature, but the standard Android approach requires individual forwards.

Why a message might not forward

Most text messages forward without any issues, but a few situations can cause problems. If the original message contains an image, video, or media file, some older Android phones may not forward it — the app might forward only the text part or show an error. Try forwarding just the text, or send the media separately.

If the message is very old (more than a year), some phones automatically delete old texts to save storage space, so you may not be able to find it to forward. Messages from blocked contacts cannot be forwarded on some Android versions. If you are trying to forward a message and nothing happens, restart your Messages app and try again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can the person I forward a message to see who sent it originally?

Yes, the original sender's name stays attached to the message when you forward it. The recipient will see the sender's name and know who wrote it, but they will not see that you forwarded it — it looks like a regular incoming text to them.

Does forwarding a message use my text message limit?

Yes, forwarding counts as sending a new message, so it uses one text from your plan if you have a limited number of texts per month. If you have unlimited texting, forwarding has no cost.

Can I forward a message to an email address?

No, the forward feature in the Messages app only works with phone numbers and contacts saved in your phone. To send a text message to an email, you would need to copy the message text and paste it into an email manually.

What happens if I forward a message to someone who has me blocked?

The message will not go through — it will either fail to send or sit in your outbox. You will not receive a notification that the message was blocked, so you may not know it did not arrive.

Can I forward messages from my old phone to my new Android phone?

Not directly through the forward feature. If you are switching phones, use your phone's backup and restore feature (Google Account backup for most Android phones) to move all your messages at once, or forward individual important messages manually before you switch.