How to Send Mass Text Messages From a Computer: Three Routes and the Steps for Each

Three ways to send mass text messages from a computer

You can send mass text messages from a computer in three ways: log in to a web-based broadcast service, pair an Android phone with Google Messages for web, or use the Messages app on a Mac linked to an iPhone. The first is the one built for lists. The other two send through your own phone number and carrier plan.

Route 1: a web-based broadcast service, using TXT180 as the example

Prerequisites and plan. TXT180's FAQ says the only equipment needed is a computer with internet access, because its control panel is web based. You can start on the 15-day trial, which includes 50 messages, a dedicated number and one keyword with no credit card. The smallest paid plan is 500 credits for $24.95 month-to-month, as read on 3 October 2026. The steps below follow TXT180's How It Works page.

1. Sign up, choose a keyword and choose a toll-free number.
2. Publish the keyword and number where your people will see them: a newsletter, a notice board, your website.
3. People text the keyword to the number to opt in. Each one gets an automatic reply, which you can edit, and is added to your list.
4. Log in from your computer, write the message, pick the list or group, and send it now or set it in the scheduler for a later date.
5. Read replies in the inbox. They arrive as individual messages and are not shown to the rest of the list.

TXT180's own pages disagree on the number type: the pricing and How It Works pages describe a toll-free number, while the FAQ still refers to short codes. If you already have a list, the FAQ says contacts can be added one at a time or imported from a spreadsheet, provided opt-in rules have been met. The features page says importing has to be enabled by the support team. TXT180 shows the control panel in short demo videos; exact button names are not written out on its public pages, so follow the videos for the clicks.

Routes 2 and 3: your own phone, driven from a computer

Google Messages for web. Google's help page gives these steps: on the phone, open Google Messages, tap the account menu, then Device Pairing. On the computer, open Google Messages for web in Chrome, Firefox, Safari or Edge, sign in with the same Google Account, and tap the matching emoji on the phone. Google states that messages are sent through a connection from the computer to the phone, so carrier fees apply as they do on the phone.

Messages on a Mac. Apple's support page says that with Messages in iCloud or Text Message Forwarding turned on, SMS, MMS and RCS messages sent and received on the iPhone also appear on the Mac. Forwarding is switched on in the iPhone's Messages settings under Text Message Forwarding, with both devices signed in to the same Apple Account.

Both routes send a normal phone message. Neither adds a keyword for opting in, automatic handling of opt-outs or a private inbox for a list. If you use them for a group, check how replies behave first: see sending a group text without showing numbers.

A worked example: 250 contacts, four texts a month

This is the example on TXT180's own pricing page. Multiply contacts by sends: 250 times 4 is 1,000 credits a month. That is the 1,000-credit plan at $39.95 month-to-month, or $29.95 a month billed annually. If one of the four sends is a picture message, that send uses 750 credits instead of 250, because an MMS takes three credits per contact, and the month needs 1,500 credits, which is the $54.95 plan. Work through your own figures with the credit budget guide.

A mistake to avoid: uploading numbers that never opted in

A mistake to avoid is treating any spreadsheet of phone numbers as a list you may text. TXT180's pricing page says it does not sell lists and that every contact must opt in by texting the keyword or by giving consent. Its terms allow only permission-based lists, and say an account can be closed if spam complaints run above industry norms. Before importing, confirm how each person agreed to texts. The import readiness guide has the checks, and the general rules are outlined in is it illegal to send mass text messages.