Apple's iMessage service is a vivid and excellent way of keeping in touch with other Apple device users without incurring additional charges from your network provider. I of its most useful features is the ability to send and receive messages from whatsoever device continued to your iCloud account, including your Mac.

Sometimes, however, it can be a niggling flake besides much. If y'all're in an office with your iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and all of them alert you lot to an incoming message, with a slight filibuster betwixt them, the sound of all those alerts tin be, well, allow's say, a distraction.

How to delete an iMessage conversation

Messages is an Apple app that's installed every bit a part of macOS, so y'all tin can't but delete information technology. You can, notwithstanding, delete individual messages and attachments. The easiest manner to practice that is to use CleanMyMac X's Privacy tool, which allows you lot to specify which conversations and attachments you want to remove and then delete them all in a click.

CleanMyMac X - Privacy module

Tip

If you need to delete or uninstall other, not-Apple tree apps, don't simply drag them to the trash — they'll get out lots of files backside on you lot difficult bulldoze. It'southward all-time to apply a dedicated uninstaller tool, like CleanMyMac X. You can download CleanMyMac and effort it out for free here.


Fortunately, you can turn iMessage off on your Mac either permanently, or just for a little while so you can get some work done.

How to disable Messages in iCloud

  1. Launch the Letters app on your Mac.
  2. In the Messages menu, click Preferences.
  3. Select iMessage tab.
  4. Uncheck the box next to "Enable messages in iCloud."

That will stop syncing your messages to iCloud. You can now click Disable This Device — this will disable syncing on your Mac. Alternatively, you lot tin select Disable All to turn off syncing on all your devices.

If you want to stop receiving messages on Mac, y'all tin can sign out of your iCloud account in Messages altogether. This volition only touch the Letters app and won't stop yous, for example, using iCloud Drive or Photos with iCloud. Effectively, it deregisters iMessage from your account.

How to sign out of iCloud in Messages

  1. Launch Messages.
  2. Click Preferences in the Messages menu.
  3. Choose the account y'all desire to sign out of in the left hand window.
  4. Printing Sign Out next to your Apple ID.
  5. In the pop-up window that appears, confirm by clicking Sign Out.

If you sign out and afterward decide that you lot desire to utilise Messages on your Mac, after all, yous tin add your account by going to Letters > Preferences and clicking the '+' at the bottom of the Accounts pane, and then blazon in your Apple ID and countersign. If yous have two-factor hallmark turned on, y'all may need to type in the passcode sent to your trusted device.

In that location is another option if y'all desire to be able to send letters from your Mac but don't want notifications.

How to turn off notifications

  1. Click on the Apple carte du jour and choose Arrangement Preferences.
  2. Choose the Notifications pane.
  3. Click on Letters in the left mitt sidebar.
  4. Toggle off Let Notifications.

Now, you lot'll however exist able to send and receive messages, simply won't exist pestered by abrasive alerts.

If yous want to disable iMessage on your Mac considering you lot're selling information technology or giving it abroad, yous'll need to sign out of iCloud altogether, in addition to signing out of Messages.

  1. Click on the Apple tree carte and choose Arrangement Preferences.
  2. Click on iCloud.
  3. At the bottom left hand corner of the window, click Sign Out.

How to fix Messages when information technology's non working properly

If the reason you lot want to de-activate iMessage and stop messages showing on your Mac is that information technology'southward not working properly or that they're not syncing properly on your iPhone or iPad, at that place are a few things you lot tin can try.

  • Turn off iMessage using the steps above, and so turn it back on again.
  • Sign out of Messages, using the steps described earlier, then sign back in again.
  • Brand sure you're using the same phone number on your Mac as on your iPhone.
  • Make certain the electronic mail addresses y'all've enabled in Messages on the Mac are those associated with your Apple ID.
  • If you accept more than 1 Apple tree ID, make sure you're signed in to the same ane on Messages on all your devices.

If Letters from your friends aren't displaying their name or photograph correctly, become to the Contacts app in your Applications binder and search for their name. Check that the entry has the telephone number or email accost they're using for Letters. If not, add together information technology.

How to block someone on iMessage

It may exist the case that you want to block specific people from contacting you via Letters, rather than switch it off altogether. Hither'southward how to exercise that:

  1. If the person or company you want to block isn't already in your Contacts, become to the Contacts app in the Applications folder. If they are already in your Contacts app, skip to footstep iii (you'll know if they are, because Messages will display their name instead of but a phone number or electronic mail accost)
  2. Click '+' and New Contact then fill in the details on the contact card. Remember to include the phone number or email address they've been messaging y'all from.
  3. Launch Letters and choose Preferences from the Messages menu.
  4. Click on the Account you apply for iMessage.
  5. Click the Blocked tab.
  6. Click '+' at the bottom of the window. You'll see a window slide down that has your Contacts in it. Get-go typing the proper name of the contact y'all want to block into the search box.
  7. Click on the name when information technology appears.
  8. You will at present see that all their phone numbers and email addresses have been added to your blocked list.

As you lot tin can encounter, while you can't uninstall Messages on your Mac, it's like shooting fish in a barrel to plow it off or disable it. Alternatively, you can just plow off notifications, then it carries on working simply doesn't disturb you lot. If you lot need to delete the messaging history and all the attachments, you can do that too, using a defended app like CleanMyMac X.

Thanks for reading! Stay tuned!