Use Letters on your Mac

Use the Letters app to send unlimited messages to any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using iMessage, Apple's secure-messaging service. If yous have an iPhone, you can also gear up upwardly text message forwarding to send SMS and MMS letters.

Ship a message

  1. Open Messages. Yous might exist asked to sign in with your Apple ID. Can't sign in?
  2. Click the New Message button at the top of the Messages window.
  3. Type the proper noun, e-mail address, or phone number of one or more than recipients. Or click the Add button and choose from your contacts.
  4. Press Tab or click the message field at the bottom of the window, and so type your bulletin.
    • To include emoji, click the Emoji Picker push.
    • To include an paradigm or other file, drag or paste it into the message field.
    • To include an sound recording, click the Record Audio button and record your bulletin.
    • To include other items, such as Memoji stickers, GIFs, and bulletin effects such every bit balloons or confetti, click the Apps button. This feature is available in macOS Big Sur or after.
    • To assistance bring your message to the attending of a recipient, include @ before their proper noun, similar @John. Or click their proper noun after you blazon it. Their proper name is and so highlighted in the message, and they will receive a notification letting them know that they accept been mentioned. This characteristic is available in macOS Big Sur or later.
  5. Printing Return to send the message.

Messages window after clicking the apps button

Add a Tapback or inline reply

A Tapback is a quick response that expresses what you think most a message, such as that you like it or think it's funny. Your Tapback is visible to everyone in the conversation who is using iMessage.

  • Control-click a message bubble to open a shortcut menu, then choose a Tapback from the card.
  • Or click a message chimera and press Command-T.

Messages window showing Tapback options

In macOS Big Sur or afterward, you can create an inline reply to make it clear which specific message you're replying to in a conversation.

  • Control-click the bulletin to open a shortcut menu, then choose Reply.
  • Or click a message bubble to select it, then press Control-R.

Observe photos and other attachments from conversations

To see all of the photos, links, and other attachments that were exchanged in a chat, select the chat in the sidebar, then click the Details button in the upper-correct corner of the window, or printing Command-I.

In macOS Monterey, yous can also see these items in the Shared with You section of the corresponding app. For example, photos and videos you lot receive automatically appear in the Shared with You lot section of the Photos app, and links to websites announced in the Shared with You section of the Starting time Page in Safari.

Pivot important conversations

In macOS Large Sur or later, you can pin a chat to the top of the conversation list in the sidebar so that you tin can chop-chop get to it.

  • Control-click the conversation to open a shortcut menu, then choose Pin.
  • Or drag the conversation to the superlative of the sidebar.

Pin attachments

In macOS Monterey, you can pin links and other content that you receive, such as podcasts and TV shows. Control-click the item, and then choose Pin from the shortcut menu. The detail is then elevated in the Shared with You section of the respective app, in Messages search, and in the Details view of the conversation.

Mute conversations

If yous don't want to be disturbed by notifications related to a conversation:

  1. Select the conversation in the sidebar.
  2. Click the Details button in the upper-right corner of the window.
  3. Select Hide Alerts.

If a recipient is using Focus to silence notifications, their status appears automatically in Messages, so others know not to interrupt. To set up Focus for yourself, choose Apple tree card  > Organisation Preferences, click Notifications & Focus, so click the Focus tab. This feature is available in macOS Monterey.

Message window showing the Focus status message below the chat bubble

Commencement a FaceTime telephone call from Letters

Share your screen or location

Select the conversation in the sidebar, then click the Details button  in the upper-correct corner of the window.

  • Click the screen sharing button to share your screen.
  • Click Share My Location to share your location temporarily or indefinitely. Or click Send My Current Location to send your current location at this moment. You can also see the recipient's location—if they're sharing their location with you.

Customize your info or the group

Settings for irresolute your own name and photo are available by choosing Messages > Preferences from the menu bar. Y'all tin click your photo to edit it, and choose whether to share your name and photo with others.

To customize the grouping, select the grouping conversation in the sidebar, then click the Details button in the upper-correct corner of the window. You tin then have these deportment:

  • Click Change Group Name and Photograph.
  • Control-click a name, so choose Remove from Conversation. This is available for groups of four or more members.
  • Click Leave this Conversation to remove yourself from the group conversation.
  • Click Add Member to add a new person to the conversation.

Messages window showing what you see when clicking the Info button

Prepare text message forwarding

Utilise Siri to send messages

You lot tin utilize Siri to transport, read, and answer to Letters. Examples:

  • "Transport a message to Susan and Johnny saying I'll be late" or "Tell Johnny Appleseed the bear witness is about to start" or "Text a message to 408 555 1212."
  • "Read the last message from Brian Park" or "Read my new messages."
  • "Answer that'south swell news" or "Tell him I'll be at that place in 10 minutes."

Delete a message or conversation

When yous delete a message or conversation, it's permanent: You can't become it back.

  • To delete a bulletin, Command-click the bulletin bubble, and so choose Delete from the shortcut carte du jour. Or select the message and cull Edit > Delete from the menu bar.
  • To delete a conversation, Control-click the conversation in the sidebar, and then choose Delete Conversation from the shortcut menu. Click Delete to confirm.

FaceTime is not available in all countries or regions.

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