When you use iMessage you may need to forward ports in your router. By forwarding ports you allow connection requests coming from the internet to be directed to iMessage.
Routers are not designed to allow incoming network requests. By forwarding a port you can overcome this limitation.
Before Forwarding a Port Checkoff This To Do List
Before you can forward a port you need to know the following things:
- Your router's internal IP address.
- Your computer's IP address.
- The list of the TCP and UDP ports that you need to forward.
Use a VPN Instead
Have you considered using a VPN instead of forwarding a port? For most users, a VPN is a much simpler and more secure choice than forwarding a port.
We use and recommend NordVPN because not only is it the fastest VPN, it includes a new feature called Meshnet that makes forwarding a port no longer necessary for most applications. With NordVPN Meshnet, you can connect to your devices from anywhere in the world, completely secure, over a highly encrypted VPN tunnel.
When shopping for a VPN, make sure that they meet the following criteria:
- Your VPN provider should have a no-logs policy. This means that they do not keep any logs of any kind.
- Make sure that your VPN provider has lots of exit nodes all around the world.
- Check that your VPN will not affect your speed.
- Verify that your VPN provider uses WireGuard as the underlying protocol.
- Many people prefer a VPN provider that is not based in the United States.
This is the list of requirements that we used when we were shopping around for a VPN provider. There are lots of free, shady VPN providers out there that we looked at and dismissed.
Based in Panama, using diskless servers, and with over 6,100 servers in 61 countries, we can safely say that NordVPN satisfies all of these requirements.
Once you've set up your NordVPN account on multiple computers and enabled Meshnet, you can seamlessly access all of your devices as if they were on the same network. You don't even have to log in to your router. It's very simple.
Every time you click on one of our affiliate links, such as NordVPN, we get a little kickback for introducing you to the service. Think of us as your VPN wingman.
How to Locate Your Router's IP Address
The easiest way to locate your router's IP address is to run our free Router Detector utility. It is part of our Network Utilities suite of tools and is free for you to use it.
Otherwise, you can follow our guide Find Your Router IP Address.
How To Set Up Port Forwarding for iMessage
We have Network Utilities software that can forward ports for you. Our Network Utilities software allows you to add port forwards and also remove them when you no longer need them to maximize your network security.
Alternatively you can do it by hand. The normal process for forwarding a port is:
- Log in to your router.
- Locate the section in your router that deals with port forwarding.
- Type the IP address of your computer into the correct box in your router.
- It is now time to type the TCP and UDP ports that you are forwarding for iMessage in the correct boxes in your router.
Some routers need to be rebooted in order for the changes to be saved.
You can choose your router from our list to see exactly how to forward ports for iMessage:
List of Routers - Customized for iMessage
Forwarding Ports for iMessage
The ports that need to be forwarded for iMessage are listed here:
iMessage - PC
- TCP: 80, 443, 5223
- UDP:
That's all it takes to forward your ports for iMessage.
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