7 ways to send a text from your computer

For tech-savvy people in the modern world, having a mobile phone within arm’s reach is basically a given. You don’t need to get out of bed to text from an iPhone or Android phone. 

But when you’re already deep into your workday or chatting with your company’s VIP customers, the best device to use for business texts isn’t always the one that fits in your pocket — it’s your computer. 

In this article, we’ll share seven ways you can text from your computer so you can keep conversations flowing without moving from your desk. We’ll also highlight two methods you should avoid.

How to text from a computer: 7 methods

Texting from a computer isn’t a new concept. The first text message ever was sent from a personal computer to a phone. 

While some ways to send texts from computers are pretty outdated, others can provide far more than the texting features you’d expect from modern smartphones. We’ll explain how to text from computers in seven different ways, as well as why VoIP texting stands above the rest.

Comparing the best methods to text from a computer

Here’s a high-level breakdown of how each method stacks up, broken down by its capabilities:

Texting method	Automate texts	Text a number	Text templates	Schedule texts	Access analytics	Collaborate on texts	Online platform	Google Voice
OpenPhone	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	✓	x
iMessage	x	✓	x	x	x	x	✓	✓
Android	x	✓	x	✓	x	x	x	x
Google Messages	x	✓	x	✓	x	x	Some do	x
Phone Link	x	✓	x	x	x	x	x	x
Google Voice	x	✓	x	x	x	x	✓	✓
Business texting services	✓	✓	✓	Some do	x	✓	✓	x
Email	x	x	✓	x	x	x

Read on to find out each method’s advantages and drawbacks.

1. Send a text with a VoIP phone provider

If you’re running a small business, VoIP phones are the best option to send a text with a computer. 

Many VoIP solutions give you the ability to share your number with your team, which means you can share responsibility for incoming calls and texts. VoIP platforms also give you access to advanced messaging features like auto-replies, scheduled messages, and automated text flows, all of which are available on their desktop and web apps.

OpenPhone is a reliable, collaborative, easy-to-use VoIP platform you can use to send texts from your computer and smartphone. With OpenPhone, you’ll be able to:

• Respond to customer texts with auto-replies (even outside business hours)
• Respond to customers in their timezone with scheduled messages 
• Deliver automated texts at the right time with our Zapier integration
• Respond to common questions with snippets (text templates)
• Collaborate with team members on crafting text responses
• Send photos, videos, and GIFs to customers with MMS messages

How to send a text from your computer using OpenPhone

To send a text from your computer, you can use OpenPhone, a business phone system that allows you to send and receive text messages directly from your computer. Here are the steps:

1. Open the OpenPhone web or desktop app on your computer.
2. Click the chat bubble icon.
3. Enter a phone number or an existing contact’s name in the To field.
4. Type your message and click Send.

2. Send texts from a Mac via Messages

If you have an iPhone and a Mac, you can easily send texts from your computer to other Apple devices using Messages, a service that uses WiFi or cellular data to transmit texts. Here’s how:

1. Open your Messages app on your Mac. Keep in mind your Mac must be running OS X Yosemite or later. Plus, your iPhone needs to be on and connected to the same WiFi network the first time you launch Messages.

2. Sign in on your Mac with your Apple ID using the same credentials you use on your iPhone.
3. On your iPhone, open Settings > Messages.
4. Toggle on iMessage to allow Apple devices to send and receive messages from the same number. 
5. Turn on Text Message Forwarding for your Mac.
6. Now you can start sending texts. Click File > New Message to compose a new message. In the + field, enter an existing contact’s name or a specific phone number. Then you can type in a message along with the option to drag photos, videos, or audio files to add them to your text.

Using iMessage on your computer is exactly like sending texts on your cell phone. It’s simple and efficient, but it doesn’t come with any standout features that help you make the most of your business texts. 

For instance, if you wanted to create text message templates to avoid retyping the same message for thousands of conversations, you wouldn’t be able to do so. OpenPhone lets you send snippets that help you save time with templates.

iMessage also doesn’t give you a second phone number you can share with your colleagues. Without shared numbers, you might miss more calls from customers and you won’t be able to share the responsibility of responding to texts. It’s an inefficient way to communicate with your customers.

3. Send texts with Google Messages

There’s no need to fight over whether Apple or Android users have it better. Google Messages for Web allows you to send texts from your computer as easily as you would with Messages.

To send a text from your computer using Google Messages:

1. On your phone, open Google Messages.
2. Tap the profile circle above your conversation list and select Device pairing.
3. Tap QR code scanner. 
4. Scan the QR code displayed at messages.google.com. 
5. Your chats will load automatically in your browser. Select a conversation and send a message.

Similar to iMessage, Google Messages uses your personal number to send texts to your contacts. When you use your personal number as your business number, you risk getting spam calls and texts since your number is widely available. 

The other disadvantage? You can’t share your number with your team with Google Messages, which means a higher risk of missed calls and siloed conversations.

4. Text from a computer with Google Voice

One popular online platform teams use to make calls and send texts from computers is Google Voice for Google Workspace.

With plans starting at $10 per user per month, you can get SMS in the US. However, you must be based in the US to use text messaging with Google Voice. You’ll also need an active business workspace account (starting at $6 per month) to be able to subscribe to Google Voice for Google Workspace. 

To text from a computer with Google Voice:

1. Create a Google Voice and Google Workspace account at voice.google.com. 
2. Log in to your account using a web browser.
3. Select Messages in the left pane of the app.
4. Select Send a new message. 
5. Enter the name or number of the person you wish to message.
6. Type your message in the text box at the bottom of the app and hit Send. 

While you’ll get the added perk of calling features and integrations with select Google tools, this “all-in-one” solution actually gives you far fewer texting features than a texting-only platform. 

For example, you can’t set up auto-replies or collaborate on texts. Google Voice doesn’t offer any integrations that make texting easier, more effective, or more enjoyable. Using Google Voice on a desktop is a bit more advanced than texting on your mobile device.

5. Text from a PC with Microsoft Phone Link

If you’re looking for a PC-friendly option to pair your phone and send texts from your computer, Microsoft Phone Link is a solid choice. 

The best part about Microsoft Phone Link is you can use it with both Android and iOS, so it’s a great option for someone who wants to text from their PC.

To send a text from your computer with Microsoft Phone Link and an iOS device:

1. Download the Link to Windows app on the App Store.
2. Download the Phone Link app for your PC.
3. Open the Phone Link app and scan the QR code provided.
4. Pair your phone and your PC over Bluetooth.

5. Select the Messages tab.
6. Click on New Message to start a new conversation with any of your contacts.
7. Enter the name or phone number of your contact to look up someone on your list.
8. Select the contacts you wish to message. A new thread will open.

To send a text from your computer with Microsoft Phone Link and an Android device, follow the same steps as above, except you’ll have to download the Link to Windows app from the Play Store. 

Microsoft also provides the following guidance for setting up Phone Link messages from your Android phone:

While setting up the Phone Link, you’ll be prompted to enable access to your Android device’s messages, but if you choose not to do so at that point, you can always turn it on later in the Phone Link settings. 

To do this, open the Phone Link, go to Settings > Features > Messages and turn on the toggles for:

• Allow this app to show text messages from my phone
• Allow this app to send MMS attachments from my phone
• Allow this app to receive MMS attachments from my phone
• Automatically download MMS attachments from my phone

You can also manage your notifications and alerts for messages by turning on the other toggles in the list:

• Show notification banners
• Badge on taskbar

The drawback of using Microsoft Phone Link is it doesn’t give you a new number to text from, like VoIP providers. This means you risk giving out your personal number when communicating with your customers, increasing your risk of getting spam calls and texts. Phone Link also doesn’t let you share your number with your team, which means siloed conversations and juggling multiple business numbers to contact your customers.

6. Send texts with a business text messaging service 

Business text messaging services are a popular way to send texts from your computer to your customers. Some examples of SMS messaging services include SimpleTexting, SlickText, and TextMagic. 

What makes business texting services different from VoIP providers is they focus more on mass texting campaigns. They’re better suited to consumer businesses focused on SMS marketing, but they might not be the right choice if you’re a service-based business focused on building long-term one-on-one relationships with your customers. 

To send a text with a business text messaging service like SimpleTexting:

1. Log in to your texting service.
2. Choose who you want to text by entering a phone number directly or importing a contact list.
3. Type your message in the Message field, click Send SMS to send your text immediately, or choose the clock icon to schedule your message.

The big limitation with these services is they don’t offer calling as well. Unless you really need to send mass text campaigns, you might be better served by choosing a platform that offers both calling and texting in one place.

7. Send a text through email

If you’re like the average office employee, you probably check your email inbox a million times a day. But sending and reading emails isn’t the only thing you can do on your email platform — you can also send free text messages.

Here’s how to send texts through your email account:

1. Log in to your email address.
2. Compose a new email.
3. In the To field, enter the 10-digit phone number of the person you want to text and combine it with their carrier’s gateway address (some carriers have different ones for SMS and MMS).
   1. AT&T numbers: @txt.att.net for SMS or @mms.att.net for MMS
   2. T-Mobile numbers: @tmomail.net for SMS and MMS
   3. Verizon numbers: @vtext.com for SMS or @vzwpix.com for MMS

Here’s what texts sent through your email will look like for recipients:

One drawback of this method is that texts sent with it won’t show they’re coming from an actual phone number. They’ll either show as coming from your email address or as a string of numbers starting with a non-existent area code, which won’t be the best experience for your customers. 

Another drawback to keep in mind is you always need to know your recipient’s carrier every time you use this method. It’s fine for a one-off message when you’re in a pinch, but it isn’t sustainable, especially as your business grows.

2 texting methods you should avoid

When texting customers from your computer, you should know which methods to adopt and which to avoid. These two texting methods are outdated and can backfire if you use them:

1. Send texts through your carrier’s website

Before VoIP platforms became popular, cell carriers offered users the ability to text through their websites. Users could sync conversations between a web portal and a mobile app. 

While T-Mobile still lets you use their DIGITS service to send texts through a desktop app, Verizon and AT&T have shut down their desktop and web texting services. Even T-Mobile’s service is pretty outdated and doesn’t offer any advanced texting capabilities. Considering how difficult it is to use, this is one texting method you should avoid. 

2. Send texts through a free SMS texting website

Back when texting relied on SMS credits and wasn’t Internet-enabled, if you wanted a totally free way to send text messages from an actual mobile number on desktop — no cell phone plan needed — you could use a free SMS website like Globfone or SendSMSNow.com.

On these sites, you only need to type your recipient’s phone number (and sometimes select their carrier and country) to send free texts — even internationally. 

Today, this texting method is outdated. First, most of these texting websites can’t guarantee whether your texts will be delivered to your recipients. They also only support SMS text messages, which means they can’t support group messaging or multimedia texts at all. 

Some of these free SMS sites are so bare-bones that you can’t even receive texts back. Even if the person you’re texting doesn’t want to leave you on “read,” they may ghost you through no fault of their own. 

So if you want to text with your computer, you should opt for trying out services like iMessage, Phone Link, and Google Messages if you’re using your personal number, or use a VoIP phone service if you need a second phone number.

Text faster and smarter with OpenPhone

If you want to know how to text from a computer, there’s no shortage of methods you can learn. But sending texts from your computer with a VoIP system like OpenPhone can help you work more efficiently and get more value out of your service. From automated texts to templates, you’ll get advanced texting features that help you serve clients (even when you’re not working).

Want to see OpenPhone for yourself? Start your free seven-day trial of OpenPhone today.

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