How to turn off iMessage on your Mac, or disable notifications when you're trying to avoid distracti
Redeem now - To turn off iMessage on a Mac, simply sign out of your iCloud account.
- You can disable iMessage notification on Mac in System Preferences.
- It's also possible to choose more customized options, like muting specific iMessage conversations on Mac.
For the most part, the Messages app on your Mac can be super convenient, allowing you to stay connected to your texts even when you're away from your phone. Plus, you can sync your texts across all of your Apple devices through iCloud, so that you never miss a message.
But the constant ping of message notifications can be distracting when you're trying to get work done. Thankfully, it's simple enough to turn off your iMessage on your Mac — or just silence the notifications that come through.
Here's how to get it done.
How to turn off iMessage on Mac
Before you start, you should know that this method will sign you out of your Apple ID on your Mac. So you may also lose access to other Apple services where you're signed in.
1. Open the Messages app on your Mac. You may have it in your dock at the bottom or side of your desktop. If it's not there, you can find it in the Applications folder in Finder.
2. On the upper menu bar, click Messages and select Preferences.
3. Click the iMessage tab.
4. Choose Sign out.
You will then be signed out of your iMessage account — as well as other accounts that are connected to your Apple ID — so you won't be able to send or receive any messages from your Mac.
Quick tip: If desired, you can instead temporarily disable message notifications on a Mac with the mute feature.
How to turn off iMessage notifications on Mac
The process above will totally disable the Messages app. However, if you still want to use the app but not be distracted by notifications, you can turn them off by following the simple steps below:
1. Open the Apple menu by clicking the Apple logo in the top left corner.
2. Select System Preferences from the drop-down menu.
3. Click the Notifications & Focus icon.
4. In the menu on the left side left side, you will see a list of apps.
5. Select Messages.
6. Toggle off the option that says Allow Notifications.
This will turn off the notifications for the iMessage app, so you can focus. You will still be able to send and receive messages from your Mac. You can always go back in and toggle that option back on to get notifications again.
Customize your iMessage notifications on Mac
1. Open the Messages app on your Mac. You may have it in your dock at the bottom or side of your desktop. (If it's not there, you can find it in the Applications folder in Finder.)
2. On the upper menu bar, click Messages and select Preferences.
3. Open the General tab, if it doesn't automatically open to that tab.
4. Untick the desired boxes next to Applications.
The boxes will:
- Notify you about messages from unknown contacts
- Notify you when your name is mentioned in conversations
- Play sound effects when you receive a new message
Quick tip: Another option is to mute specific conversations. You'd do that by going into the iMessages app and selecting the desired conversation. Then click Details (it looks like an "i" inside of a circle), located in the top-right corner of the window, and choose Hide Alerts.
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