Change iMessage preferences in Messages on Mac
In the Messages app on your Mac, use the Settings pane of iMessage preferences to change options for your iMessage account.
To change these preferences, choose Messages > Preferences, then click iMessage. If you’re not signed in to iMessage, enter your Apple ID and password, then click Next. If you don’t have an Apple ID, click Create Apple ID.
Option | Description | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Sign Out | Click to sign out. | ||||||||||
Enable Messages in iCloud | If you use Messages on more than one device, select this to store your messages in iCloud so that you can see the same text messages on all devices. For more details, see Use Messages in iCloud. | ||||||||||
Sync Now | When “Enable Messages in iCloud” is turned on, all your texts appear on all your devices automatically. However, if you want to make sure you’re seeing the most up-to-date messages on your Mac—for example, if you just switched to a new Mac—you can click Sync Now. | ||||||||||
You can be reached for messages at | Select the checkboxes next to the email addresses and phone numbers that other people can use to send you messages. You can update this list on the Apple ID account website. See the Apple Support article Add or remove your phone number in Messages or FaceTime. | ||||||||||
Send read receipts | If you enable read receipts, people who send you messages see when you’ve read them. You can also send read receipts for a conversation only. The per-conversation setting overrides the preferences setting. | ||||||||||
Start new conversations from | If you have more than one email address or phone number listed under “You can be reached for messages at,” choose the email address or phone number that you want to use for starting new conversations. When you start a new conversation with someone, the person receives messages sent from the email address or phone number you choose. When someone starts a conversation with you, you send messages using the email address or phone number the person used to start the conversation. | ||||||||||
About iMessage and FaceTime & Privacy | Click to learn how iMessage and FaceTime are designed to protect your information and allow you to choose what you share. | ||||||||||
Blocked | Review addresses or phone numbers of people that are blocked. See Block messages for more information about how to add or remove addresses or phone numbers. | ||||||||||