Do you want to learn how you can delete messages on your Macbook? Whether it’s for privacy reasons, free up space, or reduce clutter. The Mac allows you to remove unnecessary texts, conversations, and attachments easily. So, in this blog, you will find various ways to delete the messages and all iMessages.

The best thing about the Mac Messages App is that it saves all of your text message histories for you. When you shut down your Macbook, you can choose whether to keep a conversation or delete it. Sadly, MacBooks have no option to auto-delete your message app logs after a specific number of days. Now let’s move to the next section to learn more about deleting the messages on your Macbook.

Why Should You Delete iMessages From Your Macbook?

Firstly, the best way to ensure your Conversation stays private on your devices is to use apps that allow end-to-end encryption, which stops anyone, including the service provider, from spying on anything you say. Apps like WhatsApp, iMessage, and Telegram already use end-to-end encryption to secure the data. Moreover, it is better to be protected than sorry. Even with the encryption, someone who takes permission to use your phone can also read anything. So that’s why deleting messages is essential. So, in the next section, we will discuss how you can easily delete your iMessages on your Macbook.

Quick Ways to Delete Messages on MacBook

Mac messaging app automatically secures all of your conversations. Several ways of messages may consume lots of space, including videos, music, and photos. If you want to free up space or you’re your Conversation private. So, you can quickly delete the messages by following the given steps.

• Open any Conversation within your Mac messages app.
• Then, locate a message you wish to remove, so right-click on it and choose Delete.
• After that, choose Delete to verify.

Remember that when you remove an iMessage on Mac, it only deletes the message from your side. The receiver will still be able to see all the messages on their devices.

Deleting Conversations on a MacBook

If you wish to remove all messages on your Mac quickly, you can do it by deleting the conversations. So let’s move to steps to delete the whole Conversation.

• Launch the messaging app on your Mac and find out the Conversation.
• Next, select File > Delete Conversation. Command+Delete, Tap on Delete Conversation.
• After that, tap on Delete.
• Now, the whole Conversation will vanish.

 Removing a Part of a Conversation

If you want to delete a part of your Conversation, not a complete chat, you can do it by following the given steps.

• First, locate and tap on the particular text that you need to erase. Then, ensure you choose the whole message bubble, not just its text.
• Second, enter the Command+Click to add other text selections. Then, your selections become gray.
• After that, right-click and choose Delete from the menu. In case you do not see the Delete option, you perhaps chose the text rather than the message bubble.
• Then, Mac will ask you to verify that you wish to delete the messages and provoke you that this action is unattainable.
• Next, click on Delete to verify it. Then Mac will delete those text selections from the messaging app.

How to Auto-Delete Old Messages on Your Macbook

As you see above, deleting a message or a conversation Is easy. Moreover, Mac also has the feature that can auto-delete the old messages in a specific period of time. So here, in this section, we will go through the steps to automatically remove the old messages on the Mac.

• Launch the messages Application.
• Then, choose Preferences from the menu.
• Next, choose the time interval from the Keep Messages Then, your Ma can auto-delete the messages according to your set time interval.

Deleting Conversation Transcript

When you remove all the messages in a conversation, the chat tab for that person will fade away. After that, you will have to open a new window to chat with that particular person. But, if you do not wish to delete the chat tab, then Apple has given a solution by using a “Clear Transcript” feature. You will be able to remove all messages but carry on the conversation tab. So let’s move to the steps to clean the Conversation transcript.

• Launch the Messages app from the Finder, Spotlight, and Finder.
• Then, Choose a
• Next, tap on “Edit” from the menu.
• After that, tap on the “Clear Transcript” & verify it by tapping on “Clear.”

The Conversation will disappear from the bar by following the steps, but you will see the contact if you tap on the search bar. Then, tap n the contact to view the chat window to Start the Conversation.

How to Disable Messages in iCloud

If you want to erase messages permanently from your Mac but want to save them on other devices, you will need to disable messages on iCloud. If you keep it enabled, the messages you remove will be deleted from all the devices synced with the Apple ID. So let’s move to the steps to disable the option.

• Go to the Messages app and choose preferences from the menu.
• Then, choose iMessage and unmark the box next to “Enable Messages in iCloud.”
• Next, close the Preferences

Now, if you remove messages, they will stay removed. Although it also means when you have conversations in messages on your Mac, they will not sync them with your new devices.

How to Delete Messages Attachments on MacBook

Attachments are known as videos, pictures, GIFs, and other files, and they are also part of the messages. So you can also erase them in the messaging app. However, it just deletes them from your message but not from your Mac. To comprehensively delete all these attachments on your Mac, follow the given methods.

Remove Message Attachments from Storage

• First, view the Apple Menu from the Mac section.
• Then, open the storage> Manage> Messages. So here is a complete list of message attachments on the device.
• After that, if you want to choose all attachments, choose the first one and, press the shift button & tap on the Last one.
• Next, enter Delete to complete the deletion process of attachments.

Remove Messages Attachments with Terminals

• Locate the terminal in Applications and open it.
• Then, insert the command: rm –r ~/Library/Messages/Attachments/??
• After that, push the return key on the keyboard.

Then, it will locate all the message’s attachments and remove them.

How to Delete All Your Messages on MacBook

If you wish to delete the whole SMS text on your Mac, you do not have t delete each Conversation. Despite this, you can clear everything by moving the files & folders that hold your messages into the trash. Keep in mind that, If you use Messages in iCloud, it will cause the deleted messages to come back on Mac. So, to ignore that, ensure to disable the iCloud before you start.

• First, right-click the Messages icon on the Dock & choose Quit.
• Then, launch Finder and choose to Go>Go to Folder from the menu bar.
• Next, enter in the following path and hit Enter.
• After that, on the finder window, choose the folder & files while pressing the Command key on the finder window:
• Attachments
• db
• db-shm
• db-wal
• Next, move the files into the Waste icon on the Dock & right-click any of the highlighted items & choose Move to Trash.
• Then, restart your system and again open the Messages app.

Note:  you can also select the Deactivate Mac’s Messages app and discontinue getting messages entirely if you want.

How you Can Temporarily Delete Conversations

The Messages app also offers you the option to remove the Conversation without removing any messages temporarily. If someone is using your Mac, but you do not wish anyone to see a particular chat, you can conceal it. But, remember that the chat will appear once the other person in the convo sends any text. So let’s explore the steps to close the Conversation temporarily.

• Open the Messages app from the Launchpad, spotlight, or Finder.
• Then, tap on Messages from the menu bar.
• Next, tap on “Preferences.”
• After that, verify the box beside “Save history when conversations are closed.”
• Open the Messages app and touch over a conversation.
• Then, you will see a small “X” button emerge, then tap on it to conceal the Conversation.

Note: Sadly, if your Mac is updated to macOS Big Sur, this feature is erased, and you can no longer conceal conversations in the Messages app.

Wrapping Up

If you are a user of the Mac, then you have various ways at your disposal to remove your chat history. You can delete bulk messages, individual messages, whole conversations, and attachments on your MacBook. So, keep in mind that either of these ways will permanently erase that data or temporarily by following the methods mentioned above. Do not forget to share your views and queries about the blog in the comment section.