TL;DR
To delete messages on MacBook:
- Deleting a Single Message: Right-click the specific message in the conversation and select Delete to remove it.
- Deleting Multiple Messages: Hold the Command key, select multiple messages, and right-click to delete them all at once.
Tried and Tested ✅: The methods and steps mentioned in this article have been tried and tested firsthand by Ojash Yadav on his MacBook Pro M3 and rechecked for errors on Hashir’s MacBook Air M2.
Over time, our Messages app can become a chaotic mix of old conversations and random texts. When I found my MacBook’s app overflowing, I knew it was time to clean it up. In this post, I’ll show you the quick and easy steps to delete messages and keep your app organized. Let’s get started!
How to Delete Messages on MacBook
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Below are the step-by-step methods to clear out messages on your MacBook:
1. Deleting a Single Message
Follow these steps to delete a single message on Mac:
- Launch the Messages app by clicking the Messages icon in the Dock or find it using Spotlight.
- Navigate to the conversation containing the message you want to delete.
- Find the message you want to delete, right-click (or Control ^ – Click) it, and select Delete from the drop-down menu.
2. Deleting Multiple Messages
Here’s how to delete multiple messages from the Messages app:
- Open the Messages app and navigate to the messages you wish to delete.
- Hold down the Command ⌘ key on your keyboard.
- While pressing the Command ⌘ key, click each message you want to delete. This will allow you to select multiple messages simultaneously.
- Once you’ve highlighted all the desired messages, right-click any one of them.
- From the context menu, select the Delete option.
- A prompt will appear asking if you’re sure about removing the selected messages.
- Click Delete to confirm the deletion to finalize the process.
Remember that once you’ve deleted these messages, they’re permanently gone from the Messages app on your Mac unless you have a backup.
3. Deleting a Conversation on Mac
Follow these steps to delete a conversation on your Mac:
- Click the Messages app icon in the Dock. If it’s not there, you can use Spotlight (Command ⌘ + Spacebar) and type Messages to find and open it.
- On the left sidebar of the Messages app, you’ll see a list of your conversations. Locate the one you wish to delete and click to select it.
- Right-click (or Control ^ – click) the highlighted conversation in the sidebar and select Delete.
- Alternatively, select the conversation you want to delete, click Conversation in the menu bar, and select Delete Conversation.
- Depending on your Mac’s settings, you might be prompted to confirm the deletion. If so, click Delete on the pop-up to confirm you want to delete the conversation.
Once you’ve deleted a conversation, it’s removed from the Messages app on your Mac. However, it may still exist on other devices if you use iCloud to sync Messages.
Delete Messages on Your Mac Using Finder
Here’s how to delete multiple messages on Mac via Finder:
- As a precaution, back up your Messages data or entire Mac before proceeding. This ensures you can recover any accidental deletions.
- Ensure the Messages app is completely closed. Right-click its icon in the Dock and select Quit if it’s open.
- Click the Finder icon in the Dock to open it.
- With a Finder window open, click Go in the menu bar and hold down the Option ⌥ key. This will reveal the hidden Library option in the dropdown menu. Click on it.
- Navigate through the following path: Library > Messages.
- In the Messages folder, you’ll primarily find files with the .db extension, such as chat.db, chat.db-wal, and chat.db-shm. These are databases containing your messages.
- If you want to delete all messages, you can delete or move these database files to the Bin. But remember: this will remove ALL your messages.
- If you’ve deleted any files, they’ll be moved to the Bin. Ensure you empty the Bin to finalize the deletion.
Proceed with caution when deleting or modifying files in the Library folder. These changes can be permanent, and you risk data loss without proper backups.
Delete Messages on Your Mac Using Terminal
Here’s how to delete messages on MacBook using Terminal:
Caution: Using Terminal to delete messages involves advanced system commands that can permanently erase data. Ensure you have a full backup of your messages and other important data before proceeding to avoid irreversible loss.
- Before proceeding, ensure you’ve backed up your data, especially your Messages. Mistakes in the Terminal can result in irreversible data loss.
- Navigate to Applications > Utilities > Terminal, or use Spotlight (Command ⌘ + Spacebar) and type Terminal to find and open it.
- In Terminal, type the following command and press Enter:
rm -r ~/Library/Messages/chat
This will permanently remove all Messages without the need to empty the Trash on Mac.
If the Messages app was open during this process, close and reopen it to see the changes.
Deleting these files will remove all your messages. If you only wanted to remove specific messages, you would need more advanced SQL commands to modify the chat.db file.
How to Automatically Delete Messages on Mac
Automatically deleting old messages can be an efficient way to manage storage and maintain privacy on your Mac. Here’s a step-by-step guide on setting this up:
- Click the Messages app icon in your Dock to launch it.
- In the menu bar, click Messages and choose Settings from the context menu.
- A new window will pop up showing various settings for the Messages app. Click the General tab.
- Look for the section labeled Keep messages. By default, it’s set to Forever.
- Click the dropdown menu next to Keep messages and choose your preferred duration: 30 days, 1 year, or Forever.
- After selecting your desired duration, close the Settings window to apply the changes. Messages older than the specified duration will be automatically deleted depending on your selection.
Automatic deletion based on the duration you set applies to all messages in the Messages app on your Mac. Before enabling this feature, ensure there are no old messages you want to retain indefinitely.
How to Delete All Messages from iCloud
Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you clear out messages from iCloud:
- Before deleting anything, consider backing up any essential messages or threads you might want to reference later. This can be done using iCloud itself or iTunes on your computer.
- Click the Messages app icon in your Dock.
- In the menu bar, click Messages and select Settings.
- Go to the iMessage tab.
- Uncheck the box next to Enable Messages in iCloud. This action will stop messages from syncing between your Mac and iCloud momentarily.
- Click Disable This Device on the prompt to disable messages in iCloud for your Mac.
- Go back to the main Messages app window. Right-click a conversation you want to delete and select Delete.
- Repeat this for all conversations. Remember, this step will remove these conversations from your Mac, but they might still reside on iCloud until the next sync.
- Head back to the iMessage tab in Settings within the Messages app.
- Check the box next to Enable Messages in iCloud. Now, when your Mac syncs with iCloud next, it will update iCloud to match the now-empty Messages app on your Mac, effectively deleting all messages from iCloud.
Proceed cautiously when deleting all messages, especially if they contain valuable or sentimental information. It’s always a good idea to back up significant data before making significant deletions.
Delete Messages on MacBook Like a Pro
Now that you know how to delete messages on your Mac, you may want to learn other ways to declutter your Mac and improve your focus and productivity.
Here are some tips for you:
- Consider uninstalling unused apps on your Mac to free up space and improve performance.
- Delete old Time Machine backups to recover valuable storage on your Mac.
- Declutter your Mac by removing unnecessary files and organizing your digital workspace.
