How to Delete Text Messages and iMessages on Mac: 5 Methods

How to Delete Text Messages and iMessages on Mac

The easiest way to delete text messages and iMessages on Mac is to allow macOS to do it automatically after a certain period. Just go to Messages Settings > General > Keep Messages and choose your preferred time. Also, you can right-click the message or conversation and delete it manually. If you want to delete messages from your Mac but not your iPhone, you must disable Messages in iCloud. Once deleted, your messages are moved to a Recently Deleted folder and stay there for up to 30 days. Let’s have a look at each method in detail.

How to Delete Text Messages and iMessages on Mac

It’s worth knowing that the steps to delete text messages and iMessages on the Mac are the same. You can delete messages manually or even allow macOS to do that automatically for you. We’ve discussed both methods below.

1. Delete Text Messages and iMessages Manually on Mac

Time needed: 1 minute

Just like iPhone, it’s super-easy to delete text messages and iMessages on your Mac. Here’s what you need to do:

  1. From the Dock, open the Messages app on your Mac.

  2. Go to the conversation with the message you want to delete.

  3. Right-click the message you wish to delete from your Mac.

  4. From the list of options, choose Delete.

    Delete message on Mac

  5. From the dialog box that appears, hit the Delete button.

    Message deletion confirmation on Mac

2. Delete Text Messages and iMessages Automatically on Mac

To keep your Messages app clutter-free, you can set your Mac to delete old messages and attachments after a certain period automatically.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Mac.
  2. From the top menu bar, go to Messages > Settings.
    Message settings on Mac
  3. Click the General tab.
  4. Here, click the dropdown menu next to “Keep messages”.
  5. You can choose from the available options: 30 Days, One Year, and Forever.
    Automatically delete messages on Mac

Once you select 30 Days or One Year, your messages will be automatically deleted after the chosen period. In my opinion, this is a great way to manage storage without having to clean up your message history manually.

How to Delete an Entire Conversation on Mac

To delete an entire conversation on your Mac, Apple also offers a quick Delete Conversation feature so you don’t have to delete messages one by one. This will remove the entire message thread from your Mac.

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. From the left sidebar, locate the conversation.
  3. Right-click the conversation and select Delete.
    Delete a conversation on mac
  4. Click Delete again to confirm the deletion.
    Conversation Deletion Confirmation Mac

How to Delete Multiple Messages on Mac

If you wish to delete more than one message, macOS also lets you delete multiple messages at once in the Messages app. Here’s how to do it:

  1. Hold down the Command key and click each message.
  2. Right-click (or two-finger click on the trackpad) on any selected message and select Delete.
  3. Alternatively, after selecting the messages, you can click Edit in the top menu bar and select Delete.

How to Delete Messages on Mac but not iPhone

To remove messages from your Mac but not your iPhone, you must disable Messages in iCloud. If the iCloud syncing is turned on, deleting a message on one Apple device will automatically delete it from other devices. Here’s how to keep them separate:

  1. Open the Messages app on your Mac.
  2. From the menu bar at the top, go to Messages > Settings.
    Message settings on Mac
  3. Click the iMessage tab.
  4. Uncheck the box that says “Enable Messages in iCloud.”
    Disable Message in iCloud on Mac

How to Recover Deleted Messages on Mac

When you delete a message or attachment, it is moved to the Recently Deleted folder, where it remains for up to 30 days or until you manually remove it permanently. This makes it easy to recover a message that you might have deleted accidentally. To permanently delete some messages on your Mac, follow the steps below:

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. From the menu bar at the top, choose View > Recently Deleted.
    Recently Deleted Messages Mac
  3. Select the conversations whose messages you want to delete permanently.
  4. Click Delete.
  5. Click Delete Message to confirm your action.
    Permanently Delete Messages on Mac

The latest iOS 26 adds several new features to the Messages app. Here are all the details.

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