Can I simply delete all those subfolders in the Attachments folder?

Thanks very much!

Hi Morgan,

We’ve never tested this, but since those messages were on your iPhone previously and then deleted, it’s likely that the sync process will erase those messages by turning on your iCloud backup on your work laptop.

If you want those messages on your iPhone, you can forward them to yourself from your work laptop.

Alternately, if I want to copy the archive and attachments directory from my work to my home laptop in order to preserve the conversation there, how can I get the attachments to remain connected to the various locations within the .ichat files inside the archive?

I have iCloud backup turned on for my home laptop and iPhone, but my work mac does not.

I tried restoring my iPhone from an icloud backup from a few days ago, but that did not restore all the message history for some reason.

However the full, entire conversation is still preserved on my work laptop.

If I turn *on* iCloud backup for my work laptop, will that sync the missing conversation, or will that erase it?

Hi Ben

Unfortunately, you cannot combine old iMessage databases with new ones.

I’m wondering if there’s any way to restore the chat.db file from Time Machine on my Mac, and somehow preserve the intervening messages on my iphone and ipad — by, I suppose, merging the backup database with the current database on my devices. I imagine it’s not possible, but I thought I’d ask.

Thank you.

Ben

Good evening Liz,

I will follow your recommendation: print what ever messages I really need.

Many thanks for your info.

Hi Robert,

Unfortunately, Apple offers no way of restoring old messages back into the Messages app. You can see the contents of the messages by opening the individual files and reading the contents–you can also print those messages for record-keeping, as needed.

There are some third-party apps that claim their services will restore your old messages. We have not tested these services and do not have a recommendation. If you go this route, make sure you read reviews of the third-party before purchasing/downloading their product. Ensure that the services do what they claim and do not also install malware onto your Mac.

Good Luck!

Liz

Previously, I had deleted the messages in iMessages from one contact only. By following the above process, I did find my old messages.

It was a bit difficult, but I’ve followed the instructions with success.

Now how can I restore them in the application iMessages, so that I can see them? Many thanks for the info.

Hi Mary,

Go to your iCloud settings on your Mac and toggle on Messages app in iCloud–that will sync your Mac’s Messages app to your iPhone–as long as you sign in with the same Apple ID!

Thank you!

Hi Yoralie,

Yes, you can delete the content of that folder–but don’t delete the folder itself.

Usually, it’s the attachments folder that takes the most storage, so you could empty that folder’s contents and then empty the trash and restart.

If you use macOS Sierra and above, there’s some nice storage recommendation tools available to help streamline your mac’s storage. We suggest giving these a try too to see where else you can save on data.

Congrats on keeping above 10% free–that’s a good strategy to follow.

Liz

Hi Michael,

Wow, what an adventure and a frustration. Sorry, this simple thing is taking so long.

In speaking with some of my colleagues and other Mac people, one suggestion that I did not raise (nor Apple Support) is to try updating/reinstalling macOS on your Mac using the High Sierra combo update

A few folks think that maybe there’s some missing code in your update to High Sierra–and by reinstalling it via the combo update (which is a full version of macOS) that any missing code will transfer over.

You seem to know the drill, but just as a reminder, back up your Mac first before reinstalling macOS.

What a pain in the xxOO!

Keep us posted, if you can.

Liz

I’ve deleted almost all I could to free up space.

I now have a 10% free disk space.

However, I want to maintain a minimum of 15% free space.

In the manage storage tab from About this Mac, I noticed, in the left sidebar, that Messages was occupying almost 800Mb.

But I’m not using Messages on my Mac anymore (I did some time ago though).

I’m not even connected to my Messages app.

How can I delete those files? Should I simply delete the content of my Library/Messages folder?

Thank you!