Messages

Unlimited messages with iMessage. When you sign in with your Apple ID, you can exchange unlimited messages—including text, photos, Live Photos, video, and more—with anyone with a Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Apple Watch. The Messages app uses iMessage to send encrypted messages to these devices that appear in blue bubbles in your conversations. For setup information, see the Apple Support article Use Messages on your Mac.

Send SMS/MMS. If you’re not using iMessage, you can send and receive SMS and MMS messages on your Mac if your iPhone (with iOS 8.1 or later) is signed in to Messages with the same Apple ID as your Mac. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages, tap Text Message Forwarding, then tap the name of your Mac to turn on Text Message Forwarding. On your Mac, you’ll see an activation code if you’re not using two-factor authentication for your Apple ID. Enter the code on your iPhone, then tap Allow. SMS and MMS messages aren’t encrypted and appear in green bubbles in your conversations.

Unsend and edit messages. When communicating in Messages, you can unsend a recently sent message for up to 2 minutes after sending it or edit a recently sent message up to five times within 15 minutes after sending it. Control-click any sent message and click either Undo Send or Edit.

Mark a conversation as unread. You can mark a message as unread so you can return to it later when you have time to respond. Control-click the read message in the messages list, then click Mark as Unread.

Keep favorite conversations at the top. Pin your favorite conversations to the top of the messages list by dragging them to the top. New messages, Tapbacks, and typing indicators appear above a pinned conversation. When there are unread messages in a group conversation, the most recent participants appear around the pinned conversation.

Manage group conversations. Make it easier to identify a group by setting a photo, Memoji, or emoji as the group image. In a group conversation, you can direct a message to an individual by typing the person’s name or swiping right on any message, and you can respond to a question or statement earlier in the conversation by adding your comment as an inline reply. When a conversation becomes too active, you can hide alerts for the conversation. To set a group image and see options for managing a conversation, select the conversation in the list, then click the Details button in the top-right corner of the Messages window. To receive a notification when you’re mentioned, go to Messages > Settings, click General, then select the “Notify me when my name is mentioned” checkbox.

Make messages fun. Liven up discussions by responding to messages with stickers, Tapbacks, trending GIFs, or special effects like fluttering confetti, balloons, and more. Stickers you create on your iPhone can sync with iCloud so they are available on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. To add a sticker to a conversation, click the Apps button , click Stickers, then click the one that best expresses your mood. You can also drag and drop any sticker to a specific message in the conversation. To add a Tapback, such as a thumbs-up or thumbs-down, click and hold a message, then choose a Tapback. To add a GIF or special effect, click the Apps button , choose #images or Message Effects, then click the one you want to use. And look out for Digital Touch, invisible ink, and handwritten messages that your friends send you from their iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch.

Create your own Memoji. Design your own personalized Memoji—choose skin color and freckles, hairstyle and color, facial features, and more. To use a personalized Memoji as your Messages photo, go to Messages > Settings. Click “Set up Name and Photo Sharing,” click Continue, then click Customize. Click the New Memoji button , then click each feature to design your look. When you finish, click Done to add the Memoji to your sticker collection. To add more Memoji to your collection, open a conversation, click the Apps button , click Stickers, click the New Memoji button , then have fun designing.

Send a file, photo, or video. Easily share files by dragging them to Messages. Or quickly find and send photos and videos from your Photos library. In a conversation, click the Apps button , click Photos, then click a photo to add it. Type a keyword—for example, a person’s name, date, or location—in the search field to help you find a specific photo.

Easy photo management. When someone sends you multiple photos, two or three photos appear as a collage you can view at a glance, and four or more photos are gathered in a stack. If you have a trackpad or Magic Mouse, swipe left or right on the stack with two fingers to see each photo without opening it. Control-click a photo to open it, reply to it, or add a Tapback. To quickly save a photo to Photos, click the Save Photo button next to it. To open all the photos in the stack, double-click the stack.

Find the right message. Find the message you’re looking for faster by combining search filters to quickly narrow your search. Quickly search your conversations by different criteria, such as person or keyword, and see your results organized by category, such as conversations, messages, and photos.

Shared with You. Content sent to you over Messages by people in your Contacts automatically appears in a new Shared with You section in the corresponding app, so you can enjoy it when it’s convenient for you. Shared with You content appears in Photos, Safari, Apple News, Apple Podcasts, and the Apple TV app. Alongside shared content in the corresponding apps, you can see who sent it, and with a click, open the associated conversation in Messages so you can continue the conversation while you’re enjoying what was shared with you.

Collaborate on projects. You can send an invitation to collaborate on files, Keynote presentations, Numbers spreadsheets, Pages documents, Notes, and more. In the app you would like to use to collaborate, click the Share button, make sure that Collaborate is selected, then click Messages. Choose the name of the group you want to add as participants, and everyone on the thread is automatically added to the document, spreadsheet, or other shared file. When someone makes an edit, you see activity updates at the top of the Messages thread.

Share your screen. You and a friend can share screens and even open folders, create documents, and copy files by dragging them to the desktop on the shared screen. Click the Details button , then click the Screen Share button .

Watch and listen together. Join a SharePlay session via Messages to watch and listen together on Mac. You can also share your screen during a FaceTime call. See Connect with others.

Filter your messages with Focus. See only the messages you want to during a particular Focus. For example, for a Gaming Focus, just see conversations with friends you usually play with in multiplayer games. Choose Apple Menu > System Settings, then click Focus in the sidebar. Select a Focus on the right, click , and choose Add Filter under Focus Filters. To learn more about adding or customizing a Focus, see Set up a Focus on Mac.

Learn more. See the Messages User Guide.