7 simple ways to send a text message from your computer

Technically, all you need to text your customers is a phone and data plan.  

But, learning how to send a text message from a computer can spare your hands some killer cramps from tiny keyboards. Multitask with ease using a larger screen and send your SMS messages from a computer.

Let’s look at the easiest ways to send and receive texts from your computer.

7 ways to send a text from your computer:

1. Send a text from an online texting platform
2. Text from your Mac with messages
3. Send a text with messages by Google
4. Text from a computer with Google Voice
5. Send a text on a PC with Microsoft’s Phone Link app and Windows
6. Text from a computer via email
7. Text from a computer using free SMS websites

1. Send a text from an online texting platform like SimpleTexting

You can use a computer texting app like SimpleTexting to send text messages from a computer to one or more phone numbers. This is convenient if you want to mass text your clients or respond to text message conversations quickly.

What you’ll need:

• Paid SimpleTexting plan (you can sign up for a free 14-day trial first) 
• Computer (Mac or PC)

How it works:

1. Once you’re logged in to your SimpleTexting account, click on the Inbox tab in the left-hand menu. Then click on New.

2. Choose who you want to text. You can enter a phone number directly or import a contact list.
3. Type your message in the “Message” field, click the Send SMS button to send your text immediately, or choose the clock icon to schedule your message.

No matter which business texting platform you use, make sure it has two-way texting and mass texting (since some of the options on this list only let you send one text at a time).

Whether you’re sending individual texts through the inbox or a mass text, you always have the option to schedule your message for a future date and time. 

You can also set up automatic replies using:

• The away message feature in the inbox
• Triggers on keywords 

SimpleTexting also offers lots of integrations to help you combine SMS with your existing tools for an easy-to-manage workflow. Pro tip: Add your staff to your account as team members to help you handle the workload. 

You can run all your texting from your computer or with a mobile device using our app for Android and iOS. 

Pros and cons: Business texting platforms work well for people who want to text for, well, business. SimpleTexting offers all the features you need to take advantage of business texting, as you can read in the review below. But, if you just want to text family or friends, another option might be a better choice.

"Texting has made a big difference for us. It’s made it a lot easier for me to get the word out there. It’s easy to add a contact, it’s easy to import, it’s easy to send a text."

Rebecca Saltsman

Community Outreach Manager, Allies for Every Child

2. Text from your Mac with Messages

If you’re an iPhone user, you can easily text your clients from a Mac computer.

What you’ll need: 

• iPhone
• Apple ID
• Mac computer or laptop that’s connected to Wi-Fi or cellular data

How it works: While the Messages app on your computer lets you send and receive iMessages (blue texts) automatically, you can enable all SMS and MMS messages (blue and green texts) by:

1. Opening the Settings app on your iPhone and navigating to Messages.
2. Tapping Text Message Forwarding and selecting your Mac.

After opening the Messages app on your Mac and signing in with your Apple ID, you’ll:

1. Click on the New Message button at the top of the app. 
2. Enter the name, email, or number of the contact you want to text. You can also click the plus symbol in the “To” field to add a contact.

Pros and cons: Apple’s computer messaging app offers the right amount of features for someone looking to perform one-on-one texting and fits right in with your other Mac software, as you can see from John Voorhees’s take on the app below. But, it doesn’t support mass texting or advanced business uses like automated texts.

“Messages has become a lot more than just Apple’s take on text messaging. For me, it’s how I communicate with my family and friends and coordinate MacStories projects. The app touches nearly everything I do in some way, which is true for a lot of other users too.”

– John Voorhees, MacStories

3. Send a text with Messages by Google

Have an Android phone? Text customers from your computer using Google’s browser-based Messages app.  

What you’ll need: 

• Android phone with a Wi-Fi or data connection
• Latest version of the Messages mobile app
• Computer with a Wi-Fi connection
• Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari, or Microsoft Edge web browser

How it works: 

1. Open the Messages app on your Android phone, tap your profile picture, and tap Device Pairing.
2. On your computer, open Messages for web in your browser and sign into the Google account you use for your phone.
3. Tap the emoji on your phone that matches the emoji on your computer screen. You should now be able to send and receive text messages on your computer.

“A compact and complex app with lots of features, but it is so simple to use Fairly fast, and responsive. Allows for scheduled texting options. Sending short audio texts is fun. I tried other text apps, but I always come back.”

– Online reviewer

4. Text from a computer with Google Voice

Sending texts with Google Voice is an acceptable option if you’re specifically looking to have one-on-one text conversations using your computer. Just don’t use it for bulk text messages, or your account could be suspended.

What you’ll need:

• Google Voice account (free or business plan)
• Computer with Wi-Fi or cellular data

How it works: 

1. After creating a Google Voice account, go to your dashboard and open the Messages tab.
2. Click on Send a new message in the top left corner and enter your contact’s phone number in the “To” field.
3. Compose your message and click on the Send button to the right, or hit the Enter button on your keyboard.

Pros and cons: Google Voice has slightly more advanced features than Mac and Google’s basic computer texting apps, such as the ability to have multiple numbers and users. As the review below points out, it gives businesses of all sizes some solid one-on-one texting options. However, it doesn’t support mass texting campaigns, so you’ll need a different option if you want to send texts at scale.

“I love this software because it is good for all kinds of businesses from small to big to create a phone number people can call and text you on.”

– Neel P.

5. Text from a computer using Microsoft’s Phone Link app

Microsoft also offers a convenient way to text from a computer with their Phone Link app.

What you’ll need:

• Link to Windows app on your Android or Apple device
• PC that’s connected to the same network as your phone
• Microsoft account

How it works:

1. Connect your phone and PC using the QR code in the Link to Windows or Phone Link app.
2. Open the Phone Link app on your PC and choose whether you’re using an Android or iPhone, then link your phone by scanning a QR code and entering a code.
3. Once you’re signed in, click Messages.
4. Choose New Message (the pen and paper icon) to start a new conversation.
5. Type in the name or number of the contact you’re trying to reach and select the contact.
6. Write out your message and click Send.

Pros and cons: Microsoft Phone Link really does act as an extension of your phone with features like setting it to Do Not Disturb remotely. The below review illustrates as much. But, if you need to perform more advanced texting involving multiple users or automated messages, you’ll need a business texting platform.

“I just set it up. I love it so much now. Cell service in my area is spotty. Now I can just put my phone on the window as a receiver and do the calling/texting on my laptop.”

– Online reviewer

6. Text from a computer via email

As long as you have an email address and know the phone service provider of the contact, you can send a text through email.

Here’s how it works:

1. Open a new email.
2. In the “To” line, type your contact’s 10-digit phone number.
3. Combine their 10-digit number with the applicable service carrier domain (see the chart below).
4. Type your message and click send. When a user responds, their text will appear in your email inbox.

Here are the codes from some popular wireless carriers:

In the end, it will end up looking a little something like this:

Pros and cons: With this method, you don’t have to download a new app, making it a great option if you want to send a single one-off text. But, you have to know your recipient’s carrier, and it’s not the most convenient interface for frequent texting.

7. Text from a computer using free SMS websites

There are also a number of websites out there that will let you send SMS messages for free.

Sites like OpenTextingOnline allow you to send text messages directly from their website to recipients with a cell phone at no charge.

A word of caution: These websites do come with limitations. OpenTextingOnline, for example, does not support group messages

All that to say, do some research on your free SMS site to make sure it has all the features you need. And, as with anything free, read some reviews to make sure the site is secure and spam-free.

“Really wonderful, especially when we are abroad, it’s possible to send a message from anywhere in the world to Canada and the United States. The quality was exceptional.”

– Online reviewer

Sending texts from a computer FAQs

Try SimpleTexting today to text from your computer

Year after year, texting grows in popularity. It’s only natural that the ways to send and receive these messages grow and change as well. See how SMS marketing can benefit you when combined with the strength of an SMS texting platform like SimpleTexting. Reach your customers anywhere, anytime.

Texting from your computer is especially helpful for businesses who want to do more than just send the occasional message, whether that means managing opt-in methods, organizing contacts, or scheduling texts in advance. 

At SimpleTexting, we’ve been providing an elite SMS platform for more than a decade. With more than 17,000 happy customers and counting, we’re fully equipped to power up your communication strategy. Want to try streamlined business texting for yourself? Try out SimpleTexting for 14 days, totally free.

Meghan Tocci , Nathan Ellering, and Lily Norton contributed to this piece.