Key Takeaways
You possibly can delete particular person messages and full conversations or set automated deletion for the Messages app in your Mac.
Keep in mind that deletion is everlasting and would possibly have an effect on synced units, so again up your Mac first.
Disable “Messages in iCloud” to delete messages and texts out of your Mac however not your iPhone.
You have got a number of choices if you happen to’re trying to clear up the Messages app in your Mac. You possibly can delete messages individually, clear whole conversations, or activate automated deletion. We’ll stroll you thru the steps for all of them.
Deleting Messages on Your Mac
There are a number of choices for deleting messages in your Mac. First, you’ll be able to delete a single message—maybe it accommodates bank card particulars or another delicate data. Second, you’ll be able to choose and delete a number of messages inside a dialog with out clearing the entire thing. Both manner, we’ll present you the very best and quickest strategy to get it executed.
Deleting messages in your Mac can even delete them in your synced iPhone and iPad (until you disable Messages in iCloud first). This motion is everlasting and irreversible, so you must solely do it if you happen to’re completely certain you need to. We strongly advise you to
again up your Mac
first in case you delete one thing vital.
To delete a single message, open a dialog within the Messages app, Management-click the textual content bubble you want to delete, and select Delete from the context menu.
To delete a number of messages, maintain Command in your keyboard, choose the messages you need to delete, and press the Delete key. You will see a immediate confirming that you just need to delete it from all of your units; click on Delete if you happen to’re okay with that.
If you wish to take away the messages solely out of your Mac however not your iPhone (or different Apple units), you may need to disable it within the Messages settings window:
With the Messages app open, mouse as much as the menu bar and click on Messages. Click on Settings within the ensuing menu and choose the iMessage tab. Toggle off the Allow Messages in iCloud field. Select Disable This Gadget.
If you happen to want to
unsend a message on a Mac
as a substitute, you need to delete it inside quarter-hour of sending it. In any other case, deletion will solely be in your finish, and the recipient will nonetheless have a duplicate of the messages.
Clearing an Total iMessage Dialog
To delete a whole dialog, open the Messages app and search for the dialog you need to delete on the left sidebar. You possibly can both scroll by your conversations manually or click on the Search area on the high of the checklist and kind in a contact’s title.
The,n you’ll be able to proceed with any of those choices:
Use your two fingers to swipe left on the dialog and click on Delete. Management-click on the dialog and choose Delete Dialog from the popup window. Choose the dialog, then click on Dialog within the menu bar and select Delete Dialog.
Deleting iMessage Attachments on Your Mac
The opposite half of deleting iMessages can also be deleting the attachments that got here with the messages. You are able to do that in Finder by following these directions:
Launch a Finder window, then click on Go within the menu bar and choose Go to Folder. Copy and paste this into the enter field: ~/Library/Messages/Attachments Drag the contents to the trash. If you happen to do not need to delete all of the attachments, you’ll be able to browse the folders and delete the attachments individually.
It’s also possible to open your Mac’s Settings app, go to Basic > Storage, and click on the Data (i) icon. From there, you’ll be able to see a user-friendly breakdown of all of the attachments saved by the Messages app.
Choose what you need (maintain Command for a number of), and click on Delete within the bottom-right nook to take away them. It’s also possible to preview what precisely it’s by hitting area bar in your keyboard.
Setting Your Mac to Mechanically Delete Messages
If you happen to’re uninterested in manually deleting outdated messages and conversations in your Mac, you’ll be able to set the Messages app to robotically delete messages after a selected interval. Comply with these steps:
Launch the Messages app. From the menu bar, head to Messages > Settings. Choose the Basic tab. Click on the dropdown menu subsequent to Maintain messages and select how lengthy you need to preserve your messages.
Now, your Mac will solely retailer messages for the period you set, and you will not must manually delete them.
You possibly can rapidly delete particular person texts or whole iMessage threads in your Mac utilizing any of the strategies we mentioned. However do not forget that deleted messages can even disappear out of your different units if you happen to’ve enabled iCloud for the Messages app. So, watch out whereas tidying up the Messages app, and ensure you have a backup simply in case you by accident delete one thing worthwhile.