Screen, filter, report and block text messages on Mac

You can prevent unknown senders from texting you directly. Their messages are filtered to another folder, and you don’t get notified about them unless you want to be.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Click  at the top of the sidebar, then click Manage Filtering.

   If you don’t see the sidebar, tap .

3. Tick the box next to “Screen unknown senders”.

4. If you want to allow notifications from some unknown senders, click Notifications, then select or unselect those categories. (Options vary by country and region.)

   For example, you can allow notifications for time-sensitive texts, like verification codes.

You can set up additional spam filtering and screening for unknown SMS, MMS and RCS messages. See Screen, filter, block and report messages in the iPhone User Guide.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Click  at the top of the sidebar, then click Unknown Senders.

   If you don’t see the sidebar, tap .

A known sender is anyone you’ve marked as known, added to the Contacts app or sent a message to. If a message from someone whose messages you want to see was filtered to Unknown Senders, you can mark the sender as known, and this allows their messages to appear in your conversation list. To open a link sent in iMessage by an unknown sender, you must also first make them a known sender.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Click  at the top of the sidebar, then click Unknown Senders.

   If you don’t see the sidebar, tap .

3. Do any of the following:

   • Click the message from the sender whose messages you want to see, then click Mark as Known.

   • Add them to Contacts.

Until you mark a sender as known or add them to contacts, any future messages are filtered to Unknown Senders.

When spam is detected, it’s moved to the spam folder and doesn’t appear in your conversation list. You can check to see if messages are inadvertently marked as spam.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Click  at the top of the sidebar, then click Spam.

3. Go to the conversation that isn’t spam, then click Not Spam. You can also click Add to add them to your contacts.

   The conversation moves to the conversation list, where you can send a reply. Click , then choose Messages.

Spam filtering is on by default. To turn it on or off, click , click Manage Filtering, then select or unselect “Filter spam”.

When you use iMessage, you can report spam messages to Apple.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Do one of the following:

   • If you haven’t opened the message: On a trackpad, swipe left with two fingers on the message, click , then tap Delete and Report Spam.

   • If you’ve already opened the message: A Report Spam link appears at the bottom of any message from any unknown sender. Click Report Spam, then tap Delete and Report Spam.

     Note: You can’t report a message after you’ve replied to it.

   • If you don’t see the option to report SMS, MMS or RCS spam messages forwarded from your iPhone: Contact your service provider. Depending on your service provider and country or region, reporting spam forwarded from your iPhone with SMS, MMS or RCS shares this information with your provider and its affiliates. See the Apple Support article Wireless service provider support and features for iPhone.

If you received the message with iMessage, it’s sent to Apple with the sender’s information, and the message is permanently deleted from your Mac.

If you accidentally report and delete messages, you can recover them.

Reporting spam doesn’t prevent the sender from sending messages, but you can block to stop receiving them.

To avoid getting incoming messages from new numbers, you can filter them. See Screen messages from unknown senders, above.

When you block a specific contact or phone number, messages from that person or number aren’t delivered. The person sending the message doesn’t know their messages are blocked.

1. Go to the Messages app on your Mac.

2. Select the conversation with the person you want to block.

3. In the menu bar, choose Conversation > Block Person, then click Block.

If you’re not getting someone’s messages, you can check if they’re in your Blocked Contacts.

1. Go to the System Settings app on your Mac.

2. Click Privacy & Security, then click Blocked Contacts. (You may have to scroll down.)

3. Do one of the following:

   • Block a contact: Click , select a contact, then click Block Contact in their contact card.

   • Unblock a contact: Select a name or number in the list of blocked contacts, then click .

A sender can’t find out if they’re blocked.