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From your Mac

Messages not sending on your Mac? Check these first.

Most of the time it's the connection, your Apple Account, or a setting on your iPhone. Here's what Apple suggests, in order.

Quick checks

  • Is iMessage down? Check Apple’s System Status page.
  • Are you online? Make sure web pages load and email arrives.
  • Restart your Mac and install the latest macOS updates.
  • Check the date and time in System Settings > General > Date & Time.
  • Check the address. Make sure you’re sending to the right phone number or email.

If iMessage won’t sign in

If your Mac says it couldn’t sign in to iMessage or couldn’t reach the iMessage server:

  1. Sign in at account.apple.com with the Apple Account you use on your Mac.
  2. In Messages, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then click Sign Out.
  3. Restart your Mac, then sign back in with the same Apple Account.

VPN or security software could be blocking the network ports iMessage uses. If you have any, or you’re not sure, try again on a different network.

If green-bubble texts won’t send

Green-bubble texts (SMS, MMS and RCS) go through your iPhone. If Messages says someone isn’t registered with iMessage, make sure your iPhone is on and connected, and that Text Message Forwarding is set up:

  1. On your iPhone, open Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding.
  2. Turn on your Mac.
  3. Check that your Mac and iPhone use the same Apple Account (in Messages > Settings > iMessage on your Mac).

If you use Messages in iCloud, forwarding is already on. Apple’s full steps are in Forward text messages from your iPhone to other devices.

Still stuck?

See Apple’s If you can’t send or receive messages using Messages on Mac, or contact Apple Support. If you just need a file to get there now, email it instead. See How to email a file from your Mac.

Once it works again: Send a file by iMessage on your Mac.

Send by iMessage or Gmail with Sendoff

Sendoff is a Mac app that lives in the notch. It sends by iMessage or Gmail and remembers which one you use for each person: your mom by iMessage, your accountant by Gmail. Drop the file, pick the person, press Send off. You get three seconds to undo.

Join the waitlist below, and tick the beta box if you want to test it first.