Comments on: How Do I Delete Texts and iMessages on My Mac? https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/ Tools and Fixes for Mac, iPad, iPhone & iWatch Sun, 31 Jan 2021 16:33:48 +0000 hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.2.2 By: David D https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1537936 Sun, 31 Jan 2021 16:33:48 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1537936 I want to delete the 8gb of messages files from my Mac hard disk to free up space. But I don’t want the messages to be deleted in my iPhone or in iCloud. I don’t care about using messages on my desk top. What’s the best way to dot this? Turn off iCloud for messages on my Mac? Is that possible? Delete the messaging app on the Mac? If I delete the messages on my Mac with iCloud turned on, then the messages are deleted everywhere right? Can I move the messages file to operate on an external hard disk? Thanks for your help.

]]> By: Mike Kirwin https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1537371 Fri, 29 Jan 2021 20:09:42 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1537371 I’m using Big Sur and neither short cut works any one have any other ideas to removing multiple conversations at once?

Option+command+K and Command+delete do nothing on my computer.

thank you

]]> By: Laird https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1481598 Mon, 08 Jun 2020 18:10:21 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1481598 For deleting many conversations quickly, holding Command and alternating pressing Delete and D works well. The Command D substitutes for clicking the confirmation box.

]]> By: Ben https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1478638 Mon, 04 May 2020 04:25:41 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1478638 In reply to Elizabeth Jones.

That’s what I thought, Apple is not making it easy to improve our control over our Data…
Anyway, I have made a Quick Action on Automator for those who want to do it regularly and who use ICloud. This clears everything else that is not on your actual conversations.
1 Workflow receives: NO INPUT
2 Image: ACTION
3 Quit Application: MESSAGES, untick ASK
4 Get Specified Finder Items: Add the files seen above, chat.db ; chat.de-shm ; chat.db-wal ; Attachements ; Archive (all under Library Messages for each user)
5 Move Finder Items to Bin

After complete, restart your computer, start Imessages and under account click on sync Now.
You can access this service in every application name (top bar you click on safari for ex) then it appears under services.

Personally, I added it to my touch bar under the keyboard settings 😉

Simply-Ben.com

]]> By: Elizabeth Jones https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1476572 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 14:46:34 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1476572 In reply to Ben.

Hi Ben,

This process clears out all current information but does not prevent archiving of future messages.

Automator sounds like a great option to perform regular clearing!

]]> By: Ben https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1476515 Sun, 19 Apr 2020 05:55:36 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1476515 Hi Elizabeth,
Thanks for the great work!
I have a question about your last part: How-To Delete All Your Messages App Chat History Permanently
When you say permanently, do you mean that it will stop archiving or that it deletes all archives and therefore need to be done again?
I was thinking of Automator to clear it regularly.
Messages V13, MacOS 10.15.4

]]> By: Elizabeth Jones https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1472549 Thu, 12 Mar 2020 23:44:08 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1472549 In reply to Andrea E Hansen.

Hi Andrea,

Try Option+Command+K instead. It’s not as quick as the old method since you need to confirm each with the Clear button. But it works.

]]> By: Andrea E Hansen https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1472543 Thu, 12 Mar 2020 22:31:57 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1472543 this doesn’t work – my macbook air is 5 years old and this process “option” “command” “delete” does noting at all – what else is there for deleting multiple text messages off of my mac book – it is super annoying right now

]]> By: Jack https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1461885 Tue, 03 Dec 2019 16:49:49 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1461885 Hi,

I got the window ‘Messages updating” but the messages database is not being upgraded. Up to now, the process repair didn’t not start. Is it normal, I have only a small quantity of messages. I was using Outlook previously and I started with message recently.
Could you explain why the upgrade is so long?
Another thinks, the small icon – Share this file – small square with an arrow appears everywhere in my Mac with the name of my private correspondents! ? Is it normal oy a bug from the system El Capitan 10.11.6.
Thank you for more details if you have.

Jack

]]> By: Jack https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1461819 Tue, 03 Dec 2019 14:55:15 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1461819 Hi,
Few days ago I used Photos for MAC (OS 10.11.6) to send a picture to a friend.
The operation was successfull, the photo was sent from the App photos but using the application iM
essages from my MAC.
Now, when you click send in photo in the ribbon on the top of the page,( a small square with an arrow), the list of the trevious recipients appears. This is normaly used to select an application (mail, airdrop, outlook, etc…). When this window appear, in the bottom, in the field “Recent”, I find a list of the names of the previous recipients. I have tried all to remove the names but I can’t find a solution. This not really confidential but I share my Mac with the familiy and I consider my list of recipients as private.
If it’s possible, can you help me to sort this out?
Thanks in advance – Jack
Jacques

]]> By: Lesley https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1455856 Sun, 17 Nov 2019 17:55:05 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1455856 Has anyone else had the problem that a sent screenshot cannot be deleted from messages on a Mac? I click delete but they will not go away.

]]> By: Vinay Nair https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1437868 Fri, 11 Oct 2019 10:52:37 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1437868 Things have changed with macOS Catalina in 2019 and the easiest way is to hold CMD + delete and Cmd + D alternatively (or CMD + Del/D)

]]> By: SK https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1345280 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 20:31:01 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1345280 In reply to Damian.

Hi Damian,

Great question!

If the conversations that are in your ~/Library/Messages folder are on your iPhone, then yes, it will likely delete them from all devices you sync with Message in iCloud.

However, if those conversations are archived and not active or showing up in your iPhone’s message app, then you are simply clearing out any old conversations.

]]> By: Damian https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1345279 Fri, 15 Mar 2019 20:19:53 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1345279 If I want to delete all of my messages app chat history permanently, and I have iCloud synching enabled and I follow the steps above by deleting it from the ~/Library/Messages folder, will it also delete my messages from my iPhone that it is synched to?

]]> By: Evan https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1342008 Thu, 21 Feb 2019 22:09:10 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1342008 There actually is an option on the Mac to set a specific number of days you would like to keep all messages. If you open message preferences via iCloud (following the first example given) and instead of hitting the “iMessage” icon, if you select the “General” icon instead, there is a drop-down menu with options on how long you want to save your messages within your Mac. (3 options are available like in the iPhone settings — 30 days, One year, and Forever)

]]> By: learning2create.org https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1339426 Sat, 02 Feb 2019 15:00:45 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1339426 I see a red X mark next to the conversation.

If I keep clicking on that, it deletes the messages one by one.

Position your cursor right over that little X and then keep clicking continuously and it will then delete all the messages

]]> By: jeffvegasrealty.com https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1338132 Sat, 19 Jan 2019 00:04:02 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1338132 Set your Messages to sync to iCloud then use your iPhone to delete multiple messages at once.

]]> By: zmD https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1330824 Wed, 12 Dec 2018 22:55:40 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1330824 go to your library–messages archives and attachments are your files. Go delete all at once, no fancy keystrokes. Just highlight and delete

]]> By: SK https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1323674 Wed, 28 Nov 2018 17:58:36 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1323674 In reply to Shana.

Shana, Have you tried using the iMessage sync feature via the iCloud?

]]> By: Shana https://appletoolbox.com/how-to-delete-texts-and-imessages-on-your-mac/#comment-1323263 Wed, 28 Nov 2018 01:00:19 +0000 https://appletoolbox.com/?p=47117#comment-1323263 Is there a way to make it where when I delete the text conversation on my iPhone, it also deletes on my Mac?

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