Stay connected with FaceTime, Mail, and Messages
Your iMac offers built-in apps that empower you to stay connected with friends and family, near and far. Click the link in the table to learn more about FaceTime, Mail, and Messages.
![]() FaceTime Make and receive video and audio calls in the FaceTime app on your Mac. | ![]() Send and receive email messages and manage your mail accounts. | ![]() Messages Send and receive iMessages and SMS/MMS messages with the Messages app on Mac. |
FaceTime
With FaceTime, you can make video and audio calls to family and friends, and connect with up to 32 people in a Group FaceTime call. Not available to talk? Send a message or set a reminder to call back, right in the app.
![A FaceTime window with a group of invited users.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/b3a9f75dc6657faee5f4b6d3333ab119.png)
Sign in to FaceTime. Before you can make and receive video and audio calls, you need to sign in to FaceTime. Enter your Apple Account email or phone number and your password in the FaceTime window, then click Sign In. Don’t remember if you have an Apple Account? If you have an iPhone, go to Settings, then tap your name. The email you used for your Apple Account appears under your name at the top.
Siri: Say something like: “Make a FaceTime call to Sharon.”
Make a FaceTime call. Use the built-in 12MP Center Stage Camera on your Mac to make FaceTime video calls. Click New FaceTime, enter a name, phone number, or email address for the person you want to call, then click
Tip: Add up to 32 people to a group call. To make a unique link to share with a group, click Create Link at the top-left corner in the FaceTime window. Copy the link to your clipboard or share directly with friends in Messages or Mail, or add the link to a Calendar event to schedule a call for later. You can now use a link to join FaceTime calls on non-Apple devices.
Accept or decline calls. When you receive a FaceTime call, click Accept to join with video. To answer with audio only, click
![A FaceTime window showing video effects, including buttons to replace your background.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/a8455186f3ed2434d58f4ad1ee87c8dd.png)
Choose your background. With macOS Sequoia or later, you can choose a virtual background to express yourself or just hide the laundry behind you. To change your background, go to the FaceTime app, click
Learn more. See the FaceTime User Guide.
Read, write, and send emails from all your accounts—iCloud, Gmail, Exchange, Yahoo, Outlook, and more—all in one place.
![A Mail window showing the list of messages next to the sidebar, and the contents of the selected message on the right. A callout points to the search field.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/c5fbfa0d5d734603e3b1dc2915cdf1c0.png)
Set up your email accounts. Tired of signing in to multiple websites to check your email accounts? Set up Mail with all your accounts so you can see all your emails in one place. Choose Mail > Add Account.
Send or schedule an email. To start a new email, click
Send photos or other files. You can include photos, documents, and more when you write email messages. To add files, click
Siri: Say something like: “Email Laura about the trip.”
![A Mail window showing a new message being drafted. The pop-up menu shows options to attach photos, or take a photo, scan a document, or add a sketch from Danny’s iPhone or iPad.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/e62167b912d6f224a1d66cf67c9dc171.png)
Find emails fast. You can quickly find emails by searching using your own words. In Mail, click
Tip: Stay organized by setting up custom rules to filter emails—for example, you can block email from a specific sender by moving their emails directly to the Trash. To add a rule, click Mail > Settings > Rules, then click Add Rule.
Learn more. See the Mail User Guide.
Messages
Stay connected by sending and receiving messages and media right from your Mac. Search makes it easy to find messages in a snap, and you can pin your favorite conversations to the top so it’s quick to get in touch with the people you chat with the most.
![A Messages window showing search results for a contact and “ravioli” on the left. On the right, a conversation with a picture of ravioli.](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/19613360d934cea175751807a61d90b6.png)
Message anyone, on any device. When you sign in to your Apple Account, you can use iMessage to exchange unlimited messages with anyone with an Apple device. If you have an iPhone, you can also relay SMS/MMS messages from your iPhone to your Mac. Click to start a conversation.
See the Apple Support article What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS? for more information about different types of messages.
Siri: Say something like: “Message Mom that I’ll be late.”
Add photos, stickers, and more. In a conversation, click
Tip: With macOS Sequoia, you can now schedule a message to send at a specified time. Click
Find the right message. Find the message you’re looking for quickly by typing a person’s name or keywords into the search field. Combine search filters to further narrow your search. Your results are organized by category, such as conversations, messages, and photos.
![A Messages window showing a conversation. A message is scheduled to send Tomorrow at 10:00 am. The message reads, “Happy birthday! Told you I wouldn’t forget.”](https://help.apple.com/assets/6751DB23764B24F68702812D/6751DB30D84A8F1507088DA6/en_US/4a69f7fd870b623733e3069aa279b57f.png)
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.
Learn more. See the Messages User Guide.