How to Set Up iMessage on Mac? You need to have the iMessage set up on your Mac in order to start sending and receiving messages. The Messages app or the iMessage lets you connect with other iMessage users in your contact and send messages, media, emojis, and more. Before configuring your Mac to get text messages on Mac, here is how to set up.
- Mastering iMessage How to set up and activate iMessages for iPhone and iPad iMessage is Apple's exclusive chat service for iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, and Mac. Without it, we'd just be a bunch of gree bubbles.
- FaceTime is Apple’s built-in video and audio calling app. It pairs with your iPhone and allows you to make phone calls on macOS. You don’t need an iPhone to make FaceTime calls (or even use iMessage), but you will need one to make calls from a phone number.
- How to Set Up iMessage on Mac. When you first launch iMessage, you might be asked to sign in with your Apple ID and password. If you’re not sure how to connect iMessage to Mac, use the same Apple ID that you use for iCloud, iTunes, App Store, and your Mac account. IMessage also gives you the option to add a third-party messaging service, including Google, Yahoo, and AOL accounts.
- After a short set up, it's easy to send and receive iMessages straight from your Mac computer, instead of having to use your iPhone or iPad.
- We recommend you set up iCloud message sharing between your Mac and iPhone so no data is lost, and you can be sure you're responding to the most recent message.
- Syncing your iMessages to iCloud also allows you to download them to a new device at setup.
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iPhones, iPads, and MacBooks have made messaging family members, friends, and coworkers easier than ever.
And thanks to Apple's straight-forward software, you're able to keep the conversation going from any of your devices.
Stuck in a work meeting but really need to text your spouse to arrange dinner plans? Message them straight from your laptop with Apple's iMessage desktop app.
Want to try it out? Follow the simple steps below to get started.
How to set up iMessage on Mac
1. Open the Messages app from your app menu bar (also called the dock). If it isn't already there, you can find it in the Applications folder in Finder.
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Open the Messages app. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider2. Sign in with the same Apple ID you use on your iPhone to send iMessages. You may need to do some secondary authentication to complete the process.
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Enter your Apple ID information. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider3. On the upper menu bar, click 'Messages' and select 'Preferences.'
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Select 'Preferences...' from the Messages menu. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider4. Choose the 'Accounts' tab.
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Click the 'Accounts' tab to add your information. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider5. Enter the email addresses and phone numbers you want to be contacted at.
6. You can then choose what phone number or email address you want people to see when you start a conversation from your Mac.
7. You can now send an iMessage to any other iCloud account from your Mac.
How to enable iCloud message sharing
In order to avoid confusion and data loss, it's best to have your iMessages synced between your Mac and iOS devices. It'll also give you the ability to download all of your old messages straight onto a new device at setup.
This process involves a little setup on both your Mac and the iOS devices you use to send iMessages.
How to set up iCloud message sharing on your Mac
How To Get Imessage On Mac
1. Open the 'Messages' app from your dock or the 'Applications' folder.
2. In the upper menu bar, click on 'Messages' and then 'Preferences.'
3. Tick the checkbox next to 'Enable Messages on iCloud.'
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Enable the pictured box. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider4. You can then click 'Sync Now' to sync your iMessages.
How to set up iCloud message sharing on your iPhone or iPad
You'll now need to make sure that iCloud sharing is enabled on your iPhone or iPad so that they'll sync with your Mac.
1. Go to the Settings app on your iPhone (it looks like a grey gear).
2. At the top of your screen you'll see the name associated with the iCloud account. Click there.
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Click your iCloud account. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider3. Now tap 'iCloud.'
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Tap the 'iCloud' tab. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider4. Here, you'll see a list of everything that you can sync to your iCloud account from your iPhone or iPad. Scroll down to 'Messages' and make sure the switch next to it is flipped on (it'll be green).
© Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider Switch on the 'Messages' button if it isn't enabled. Christine Kopaczewski/Business Insider5. Go back to the main 'Settings' page by clicking on 'Apple ID' in the top left corner and then click 'Settings' in the top left corner.
6. Scroll down and click on 'Messages.'
7. Tap 'Sync Now' to sync your iMessages to the iCloud.
You'll now be able to send iMessages from your Mac and seamlessly continue your conversation on your iPhone or iPad.
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By Vernon Roderick, Last updated: January 22, 2021
If you own multiple iOS devices or a Mac, it’s natural that you’d use iMessage. After all, it has the ability to synchronize messages across your devices, as long as you use the same account. It’s quite convenient for multiple device users such as yourself.
Unfortunately, some people noticed iMessage not syncing when it’s supposed to. With this problem, quite frankly, there’s really no reason to use iMessage.
So in this guide, we will talk about how you can fix iMessage not syncing on your devices, be it iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Let’s start with the easiest solution.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #1. Check if it is Enabled
Before you complain about iMessage not syncing, you should first see if it is enabled in the first place. This is the most common mistake of users, they haven’t enabled iMessage but expect it to work.
Below are the steps to enable iMessage syncing for iOS devices and Mac:
- iOS Devices. Open the Settings Now go to Message and turn the slider beside the iMessage option so it becomes green.
- Open the Messages app. Now click on Messages from the menu bar and go to Preferences > Accounts. Now select iMessage from the list of Accounts and make sure that your Apple ID is entered and the box is checked.
Once you have done this, iMessage should work properly. If it didn’t, then we really are dealing with an issue here. So you will need to do some troubleshooting.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #2. Enable iMessages Again
Enabling iMessage on your device is good and all, but iMessage not syncing can happen even with a properly set up device. That’s why some users tried turning it off and on again, and somehow it worked.
Although the reason is unclear, it may have something to do with the device not being able to recognize that the feature is enabled, so you have to do it again.
Since you already know how to turn it on, you should know how to turn it off. Simply turn it off, wait for a bit, and then turn it on again. Afterward, check if the error still persists.
If so, then you may also try another method that follows the same concept.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #3. Sign Out and Back In
As you already know, in order to enable iMessages, you have to have an Apple account, and you have to use that account to sign in to iMessage. This applies to both Mac and iOS devices.
Usually, you are automatically signed in to your Apple ID once you enable iMessage, that’s why you might not know how to log in, which is not good this may be the reason for iMessage not syncing.
Below are the steps to sign out and sign in to iMessage with your Apple ID:
- iOS Device. Open the Settings Go to Messages > Send and Receive. Tap on the Apple ID that you’re currently using and select Sign Out. Now tap on Use Your Apple ID and enter the credentials for your Apple ID to sign in again.
- Open the iMessages app. Now click the Messages tab and go to Preferences > Accounts. There, select the Apple ID that you want to use and click on Sign Out. Once that’s done, sign in with the same Apple ID that you logged out of.
By signing out of the account, you are resetting the settings that were set on iMessage to default. So by signing in again, you are technically turning everything back to normal and hopefully, this will be the end of iMessage not syncing.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #4. Verify Phone Number
Have you ever visited the official Apple website to check if everything is in its proper place?
If not, then perhaps you didn’t know that you have to verify that the phone number you use on your device is associated with your Apple ID. If you didn’t know, then it’s time you did, since it might be the key to stop the iMessage not syncing issue.
Below are the steps to verify your phone number:
- Open a browser on your device.
- Go to the Apple
- Log in to your Apple ID.
- There will be lots of things here, but what you want to look at would be the Phone Numbers Here, you will see the phone numbers that you’ve verified before.
- If you can’t see your phone number, enter the phone number on the Mobile Phone
- Click on Save Changes once you are done.
Once you’ve done this, try disabling and enabling the iMessage again. This will make sure that any change that you’ve done is really saved into the system. Now check if you’ll no longer see iMessage not syncing.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #5. Check Email Address
In addition to a phone number, you should also ensure that the email address associated with the Apple ID is correct. So how can you check the email address?
- iOS Device. Open the Settings app and go to Messages > Send & Receive. You should be able to see the list of emails somewhere on the screen. If you can’t find what you want to use, tap on Add Another Email… Make sure that there is a check on its left.
- Open the Messages app. Click Messages from the menu bar and select Preferences. Go to the Accounts tab and make sure that the email address is listed here. Click on the Add Email button if you can’t find the correct email.
Remember that one email address and phone number can be used at a time, though you can enter others so it is already set up in case one doesn’t work.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #6. Enable FaceTime
While you may think that enabling iMessage is already enough, think again. You should also make sure that it is properly set up, and that can be done with these steps:
- Open Settings.
- Go to FaceTime.
- Turn off FaceTime so it doesn’t appear as a green slider.
- Restart your device.
Since FaceTime is sometimes required by some devices, this may be what will help you see the end of iMessage not syncing. You may also try turning it off if it is already turned on the first time you went to this setting.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #7. Enable Handoff
In addition to FaceTime, there’s also Handoff, a feature of Apple that allows you to leave what you’re currently doing on one device and continue it on another. Basically, it’s another feature that has something to do with syncing.
Although it was not meant to be, some users have reported that enabling this will help solve iMessage not syncing.
Below are the steps to enable Handoff:
- iOS Devices. Open your Settings. Go to General > Handoff. Turn the toggle On for Handoff so it becomes green. Restart your device.
- Go to the Apple Menu. Select System Preferences and on the General tab, turn on the slider for Handoff.
Although it is a free feature, you have to enable WiFi or at least have a stable internet connection to use this. This shouldn’t be a problem though, since using iMessage must mean you have internet.
iMessage Not Syncing Solution #8. Clear Up Some Space
Your last resort is to delete some threads on the iMessage app, mostly those that are old enough that you no longer remember them. So why would you need to do that, you may ask.
Download Messages On Mac
Experts have found out that iMessage not syncing might have something to do with storage space. Since iMessage is without a doubt an app, it may have some limits on how many threads it can store. As such, you should try deleting threads.
Unfortunately, this is a bit risky, hence why I saved this for last, but it shouldn’t matter much for the price of seeing the end of iMessage not syncing. After all, you’re only deleting threads that are no longer necessary.
Avoid Data Loss by Backing Up Your Messages
Although we’ve already discussed the last resort, the actual last resort is actually resetting your device so that iMessage can work properly again. However, that may lead to data loss, and that’s when FoneDog iOS Data Backup & Restore comes in.
FoneDog iOS Data Backup & Restore is a tool that allows users to create backups of their files in case they want to do some drastic measures such as resetting their device. If you ever decide to do just that, this software should be able to help.
iOS Data Backup and RestoreOne click to backup the whole iOS device to your computer.Allow to preview and restore any item from the backup to a device.Export what you want from the backup to your computer.No data loss on devices during the restore.iPhone Restore Won't Overwrite Your Data
Conclusion
There is no reason for you to tolerate iMessage not syncing. It hinders your communication with other people, which might be urgent. It can also delay things that should’ve been done already. Simply put, it’s very inconvenient.
With this guide, you should be able to escape from this tragic loop and hopefully, you can contact your acquaintances once you fix this issue.