How to delete iMessages on Mac

Delete messages on Mac

There are several options for deleting messages on Mac. First, you can delete a single message - perhaps it contains credit card details or some other sensitive information. Second, you can select and delete multiple messages in a conversation without deleting the entire thing. Either way, this article will show you the best and fastest way to do it.

Warning : Deleting messages on your Mac will also delete them on your synced iPhone and iPad (unless you disable Messages in iCloud first). This action is permanent and irreversible, so you should only do it if you are absolutely sure. It's a good idea to back up your Mac first in case you delete important content.

To delete a single message, open a chat in the Messages app, hold down the Control key, click the text bubble you want to delete, and select Delete from the context menu.

To delete multiple messages, hold down the Command key on the keyboard, select the message you want to delete and press the Delete key . You'll see a prompt confirming that you want to delete the message from all your devices; Click Delete if you agree.

If you only want to delete messages from your Mac but not your iPhone (or other Apple devices), you'll have to turn this feature off in the Messages settings window:

1. When the Messages app opens, hover over the menu bar and click Messages .
2. Click Settings in the resulting menu and select the iMessage tab .
3. Turn off the Enable Messages in iCloud box .
4. Select Disable This Device .

Tip : If you want to unsend a message on your Mac, you must delete the message within 15 minutes of sending it. Otherwise, deletion will be done solely by you and the recipient will still have a copy of the message.

Delete entire iMessage conversation

To delete an entire conversation, open the Messages app and find the conversation you want to delete on the left sidebar. You can scroll through conversations manually or click the Search field at the top of the list and enter a contact's name.

You can then continue with any of the following options:

1. Use two fingers to swipe left on the conversation and click Delete .
2. Hold down the Control key and click on the conversation and select Delete Conversation from the pop-up window.
3. Select the conversation, then click Conversation on the menu bar and select Delete Conversation .

Delete iMessage attachments on Mac

The other half of deleting iMessage is deleting the attachments that come with the message. You can do that in Finder by following these instructions:

1. Launch a Finder window, then click Go on the menu bar and select Go to Folder .
2. Copy and paste this into the input box:
   

   ~/Library/Messages/Attachments

3. Drag the content to the trash. If you don't want to delete all attachments, you can browse folders and delete individual attachments.

You can also open your Mac's Settings app , go to General > Storage and click the Info (i) icon . From there, you can see a user-friendly breakdown of all attachments saved by the Messages app.

Select the file you want (hold Command to delete multiple files) and click Delete in the lower right corner to delete the file. You can also preview the file accurately by pressing the spacebar on the keyboard.

Set your Mac to automatically delete messages

If you're tired of manually deleting old messages and chats on your Mac, you can set the Messages app to automatically delete messages after a specific period of time. Follow these steps:

1. Launch the Messages app .
2. From the menu bar, go to Messages > Settings .
3. Select the General tab .
4. Click the drop-down menu next to Keep messages and choose how long you want to keep the messages.

Now, your Mac will only store messages for the amount of time you set, and you won't need to manually delete them.

You can quickly delete individual messages or entire iMessage threads on your Mac using any of the methods discussed. But remember that deleted messages will also disappear from other devices if you have iCloud enabled for the Messages app. So be careful when cleaning up your Messages app and make sure you have a backup in case you accidentally delete something valuable.

Micah Soto

Update 01 August 2024