How To Forward A Text On Android

Tips
1

I’m trying to forward an important text message on my Android phone but I can’t figure out the exact steps. I don’t see a clear forward option in my messaging app, and I’m worried about accidentally deleting the message instead. Can someone walk me through how to forward a text on Android and mention if the steps differ between default and third-party messaging apps?

2

Here is how you forward a text on most Android phones without deleting it.

  1. Open your Messages app
    Use Google Messages or your phone’s default SMS app.

  2. Go to the conversation
    Open the chat that has the message you want to forward.

  3. Long press the message
    Press and hold your finger on the exact text bubble.
    Do not tap the trash icon or menu yet.
    After a second, the message should highlight or get a check mark.

  4. Look for “Forward”
    At the top or bottom of the screen you should see icons.
    Common layouts:
    • A curved arrow icon for Forward
    • Or three dots menu, then tap Forward

    Example on Google Messages:
    Long press message → tap three dots in top right → tap Forward.

  5. Pick who to send it to
    After you tap Forward, it will open a new message screen.
    Type the contact name, number, or pick from recent contacts.
    Check the message text looks right.

  6. Send
    Hit the Send button like a normal text.
    Your original message in the old chat stays there, not touched.

If you do not see Forward at all, try this workaround:

  1. Long press the message.
  2. Tap Copy.
  3. Open a new chat or existing chat with the person.
  4. Long press in the text box, tap Paste.
  5. Send.

That does the same thing as forwarding, just manual.

Quick notes, so you do not delete by mistake:

• “Delete” or a trash bin icon only appears if you tap that icon.
• Long press itself does not delete anything.
• If you see options like Delete, Copy, Forward, pick carefully.
• Some apps ask for confirm when you tap Delete, so you still get one more chance.

If your phone is Samsung:

  1. Open Messages.
  2. Open the conversation.
  3. Long press the message.
  4. Tap “More” if needed.
  5. Tap “Forward”.
  6. Select contact, send.

If you use a third party app like Textra or Pulse, the steps are almost the same. Long press, find Forward, pick contact, send.

If something looks different, say which phone model and what messaging app name you see at the top, someone here will prob point to the exact buttons.

3

If the Forward option is hiding from you, that’s honestly pretty normal. Android messaging is weirdly inconsistent between brands.

@jeff covered the “long press → Forward / Copy” basics, so I’ll skip rehashing that and add a few extra angles that might actually help you find the thing or avoid nuking the message by accident:

  1. First, figure out what app you’re actually using
    Look at the top of the screen in your SMS app. You’ll probably see something like:
  • “Messages” with a colored chat bubble icon → usually Google Messages
  • “Messages” with a yellow/green icon on Samsung → Samsung Messages
  • Some other name (Textra, Pulse, etc.) → third party app

The exact buttons change a bit based on this.

  1. Try tapping the message once first
    On some phones, a single tap on the bubble selects it, then:
  • A small toolbar appears either at the top or bottom
  • You might see icons only, like:
    • Curved arrow (forward)
    • Double-page icon (copy)
    • Trash can (delete)

If you only see trash and copy, look for:

  • A three dots menu in the corner after the message is selected
  • A “More” text/button near the icons

Forward is sometimes annoyingly buried in there instead of on the main row.

  1. If you’re super worried about deleting it, do this “safe mode” first
    Before touching anything risky:
  • Screenshot the message
    • Hold Power + Volume Down at the same time
    • This gives you a backup of the text in your gallery
  • If you delete by accident later, at least you still have the info on the screenshot

I know @jeff said long press alone doesn’t delete, and that’s true, but some skins make the trash icon way too easy to hit right after. Screenshot = cheap insurance.

  1. On older or weirder Android skins
    Some older phones or carrier-skinned apps do this nonsense:
  • Long press message
  • A tiny “share” icon shows up instead of a forward option
  • Tap Share → choose your Messages app → it opens with that text, same result as forwarding

So if you don’t see “Forward” by name, look for “Share” or the three-dot “More” menu.

  1. If absolutely nothing works
    Honestly, at that point I’d stop fighting it and do the manual version, but a bit cleaner than a plain copy-paste:
  • Long press message → Copy
  • Open a new message to the person you want
  • Long press in the text box → Paste
  • If it’s something important like codes / addresses, add a quick “Forwarded from [whoever]” line so the person isn’t confused

Same outcome as forwarding, and zero risk of deleting the original thread.

  1. Optional: switch to Google Messages
    If your phone lets you:
  • Install “Messages” by Google from Play Store
  • Open it, set it as default SMS app when it asks

Forwarding in that app is usually:

  • Long press message → three dots → Forward

Not perfect, but at least the layout is predictable across devices, unlike some carrier bloat apps.

If you post which phone brand and what app name you see at the top, you’ll probably get someone who can say “tap this exact icon in this exact corner” instead of the usual Android treasure hunt.

4

Skip the hunt for a “Forward” button for a second and think in terms of safer workflows so you never risk deleting that important text.

1. Protect the message first (better than just screenshots)
I slightly disagree with relying only on screenshots like @jeff suggested. They work, but they’re annoying to search later and easy to accidentally crop. Instead:

  • Use Copy → Paste into a notes app or email as a permanent backup.
  • Add a clear title like “Important code from bank” so you can find it later.
  • Screenshots are still fine as a second backup, but text is searchable, which makes “How To Forward A Text On Android” situations way less stressful.

2. Check if your app supports “resend” inside the same thread
Some Android SMS apps have a subtle behavior:

  • Long press a message you originally sent.
  • Look for a “Resend” or “Share” icon instead of “Forward”.
  • Resend creates a new send event without touching the original message.

If you are trying to forward something you wrote to someone else, this can be cleaner than a forward feature and avoids confusion like “who said this first?”

3. Use “Share” as a stealth forward
In a lot of newer Android skins:

  • Long press the message.
  • Tap Share instead of looking for “Forward”.
  • Choose your SMS app from the share sheet.
  • It opens a compose window with that text ready to send.

Functionally, this is forwarding, just under a different label. This also works for sending it to WhatsApp, Telegram, or email instead of just SMS.

4. Be careful with batch selection
Here is where people accidentally delete things:

  • Some apps let you select multiple messages at once.
  • After long press, tapping another bubble adds it to the selection.
  • Hit trash at that point and you delete several at once, often with no detailed confirmation.

If your message is truly critical, intentionally keep only that single bubble selected before touching any icons. If you see a counter like “3 selected” at the top, stop and clear the selection first.

5. Avoid forwarding sensitive codes directly
If the text is a one-time password or account recovery code, forwarding can be risky:

  • Many services warn you never to share those.
  • A smarter move is to paraphrase if you absolutely must share context:
    • Instead of forwarding: “Your verification code is 123456”
    • Say: “They just sent me a 6 digit code by SMS, I’ll read it to you over the phone” (or do not share at all).

Think of “How To Forward A Text On Android” as a convenience topic, not a permission slip for security texts.

6. Pros & cons of the manual “copy / paste forward” method

This is basically using Android’s built in tools instead of hunting for a specific Forward button.

Pros:

  • Works in almost every messaging app.
  • Zero chance of auto deleting the thread.
  • Lets you edit the text first, add context like “Forwarded message from [contact].”
  • Easier to fix formatting or remove personal info before sending.

Cons:

  • Slightly slower than a one tap Forward if your app supports that.
  • Easy to miss part of the text if you do not long press correctly.
  • No “forwarded” label, so recipients might think you wrote it.

@jeff already laid out the classic long press → toolbar path. That is accurate, but Android skins change so often that focusing only on the UI icons can send you on a scavenger hunt. Treat forwarding as: “get text out of message bubble and into a new message in the safest way,” whether that is forward, share, or plain copy and paste.