Sending iMessages from your Mac is easy – unless something goes wrong and it stops working. If your iPhone messages don’t look right on your desktop or laptop, don’t panic. There are a few steps to solve the problem you can take to get iMessage running again on your Mac.
Restart your Mac
Your first phone port when you get Messages not delivered to Mac is also very simple. Restarting your Mac may be enough to clean the cobwebs and activate iMessage again. A reboot will erase the current software conditions, including any deceptive code of misconduct. That may be enough to make iMessage run on Mac repair again.
To restart your Mac
- Click the Apple menu, with the Apple logo, which can be found at the top left of the Mac display
- Click Restart to perform the restart process
- Once macOS is restarted, open the iMessage app and try sending another message
- Make sure iMessage is turned on
- There may be nothing wrong with iMessage, but just that you are not ready to receive messages on your Mac.
- To enable iMessage:
- Open the messaging app on your Mac
- Click on the message menu, located at the top left of the screen next to the Apple logo
- Open Favorites, then select the iMessage tab
- Check that the Allow Messages box is checked and that the Apple ID in the list is correct
- If everything seems OK, you might try logging out again
Make sure your internet connection is working
Unlike iPhone and other iPad models, your Mac does not have a mobile network used to send and receive iMessages. If you are having trouble finding iMessages on your Mac, there is a possibility that the problem with broadband internet connection is a specific iMessage problem. An easy way to check if you have an active internet connection is to open Safari, or another web browser of your choice, and then try to open a web page.
Make sure it is a problem with your Mac, not Apple
Apple’s services and software are often highly trusted. But there is still the possibility that the problem is with Apple, not you. First and foremost, make sure iMessage is up and running, right now, in your area. Visit the Apple System Status web page, and make sure the circle around iMessage is green, indicating that it works well. If not, consider waiting a little longer or contacting Apple. Another problem may include a macOS error that stops iMessage from working properly. Checking to see if any other developers using the same macOS version have encountered the same problem may answer your question. If there is a bug that includes iMessage, you may want to wait until Apple releases the bug fix (which the company usually does very quickly when there is a problem) or, in an emergency, downgrade it to the previous macOS version where possible.
Make sure macOS is up to date
If you are using an older version of macOS, this may affect the reliability of iMessage. To update to the latest version of the macOS operating system, follow these steps:
- Select System Preferences from the Apple menu
- Click Software Update to check for any updates available
- When updates are available, click the Update Now button to perform the installation.
Make sure you set the time and date correctly
Your Mac should automatically select the correct time and date when performing your first Mac setup. However, if for some reason this information is incorrectly installed, it may stop iMessage from working properly. (It may also lead to problems when your iMessages appear to be malfunctioning in the application to make the conversations seem confusing.)
- To adjust the time and date, take the following steps:
- Select System Preferences from the App menu
- Click Date and time, then set the date and time automatically or manually. You may need to click on the padlock icon to make changes
Try clearing the message archive
To delete any remaining login data to restore Messages to a clean slide, first login to Messages and iCloud. After this, delete the folder entitled “System / Library / Messages.” If you want to save cached messages if possible, consider copying a folder to your desktop or elsewhere. Losing the ability to send iMessages to your Mac can be a headache. But by following the steps outlined here, you can correct the problem, and return to messages from the comfort of your keyboard.
