How to turn off iMessage on Mac

what to know

• Sign out: Open Messages > click Messages > Preferences > iMessage > Sign out > Sign out .
• Or: System Preferences > Notifications > Messages > Deselect Allow notifications from Messages .
• Temporarily block notifications: Notification Center > Notifications > Do Not Disturb .

This article explains three ways to manage or turn off iMessage on Mac.

This article was written using macOS 10.15 (Catalina). The basic concepts apply to earlier and later versions of macOS, but the specific steps may vary slightly depending on your operating system version.

As mentioned before, you have two options when turning off iMessage on Mac: disable the program entirely or just hide notifications.

If you don't want to receive text messages via iMessage on Mac, follow these steps to close the program

1. Open the Messages app.

2. Click Messages .
   

   

3. Click Preferences .
   

   You may see this option as a Settings in macOS versions.

4. Click on the iMessage tab.
   

   

5. Click Logout .
   

6. In the confirmation pop-up, click Sign Out again.
   

   Signing out turns off iMessage; you won't receive any more messages on your Mac until you sign in to your account again.

   

If you still want to receive and send texts on your Mac, but just don't want to be bothered by iMessage notifications, follow these steps to disable these notifications:

Want to temporarily block notifications from iMessage, or schedule when messages are blocked and when messages are allowed? You need Do Not Disturb, a feature built into macOS. Learn everything you need to know about using Do Not Disturb on your Mac.

1. Click on the Apple menu.

   

2. Click System Preferences .
   

   You may see this option labeled "System Settings."

3. Click Notifications .
   

   

4. Click Messages .
   

   

5. Move the Allow notifications from messages slider to Off/White. Now you can keep your logged in messages and still receive and send texts, but you won't get notifications popping up to distract you.
   

   Alternatively, the slider might be labeled "Allow Notifications."

Maybe you want to use iMessage on your Mac, but want to keep the messages you send and receive on your Mac separate from those on your iPhone. It's tricky, but it can be done.

Apple's basic assumption when designing the Messages app is that you want to access your messages on every device you're signed in to: Mac, iPhone, and iPad.

Therefore, there is no setting that can prevent iPhone from syncing messages to Mac. That said, it will work if you follow the steps below.

Taking this approach may end up giving you a confusing experience and may lead to fragmented conversations between the two devices. If you agree with this, please continue.

1. First, on your Mac, go to the Messages app > Preferences > iMessage .

   Or, select Messages > Settings > iMessage .

   

2. On that screen, uncheck your phone number to prevent text messages sent to your phone from showing up on your Mac.
   

   

3. Next, make sure you only check email addresses. All messages sent and received on your Mac will be tied only to an email address.
   

4. Now, on your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive .
   

5. Uncheck any email addresses that appear here, and make sure only your phone number is checked to prevent syncing to your email address.
   

   

6. In the "Start a new conversation" section, make sure to check only your phone number.
   

   Changing this setting will tie all messages on your iPhone only to your phone number and prevent them from syncing to your Mac.

FAQ

• Open the Messages app > Select Edit > Spelling & Grammar > and deselect Autocorrect spelling . To turn off AutoCorrect for all applications on your Mac, go to System Preferences or System Settings > Keyboard > Text or Text Input > Editing > and toggle AutoCorrect Spelling .

• To turn off iMessage notification sounds, go to System Preferences > Notifications or Notifications & Focus . In the Notifications tab, select the Messages app from the list of apps and check the option next to Allow notifications . Then uncheck the box next to "Play notification sounds."

• Just like turning off message preview on iPhone, you can hide message content on Mac. Open System Preferences or System Settings , then select Notifications or Notifications & Focus > Notifications > Messages . Find the Show preview drop-down menu and select Never .