How To Stop Getting Text Messages on Mac

It’s no secret that when it comes to a fluid experience, few can match up with what Apple’s product lineup can offer. Being able to take phone calls and reply to messages, regardless of what device you are using, is one fantastic experience.

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But what if you don’t want to deal with nagging notifications on your Mac while you’re trying to get work done? Today, we’re taking a look at how to stop getting text messages on Mac.

Stop Getting Text Messages on Mac

There are a few different ways that you can stop getting text messages on Mac. Some of these remove the ability to send and receive messages at all, while others just ditch the notifications.

Remove Your Contact Information

The simplest way to stop getting text messages on Mac is to remove your contact info from the Messages app.

1. Open the Messages app on the Mac.
2. From the Menu Bar, click Messages.
3. Select Preferences… from the drop-down menu.
4. At the top of the Preferences pane, click iMessage.
5. Click the checkboxes for the options listed under You can be reached for messages at:.
6. Exit the Messages app.

This doesn’t turn off the ability to send and receive messages. Instead, it essentially makes it so that your Mac is not included in the list of devices that will receive text messages.

Sign Out of iMessage

Ignoring the whole “green bubble vs blue bubble” debate, iMessage remains one of the most popular ways to message your iOS-using friends. Even if you don’t have an iPhone, you can set up iMessage to be used with an Apple ID (email address) to send and receive messages on your Apple devices. But if you’re done with the experiment or just don’t want messages coming in on your Mac, here’s how you can sign out of iMessage:

1. Open the Messages app on the Mac.
2. From the Menu Bar, click Messages.
3. Select Preferences… from the drop-down menu.
4. At the top of the Preferences pane, click iMessage.
5. Next to Apple ID, click the Sign Out button.

You may be prompted to enter your password in order to provide a form of confirmation. Once completed, you will no longer receive iMessages on your Mac.

Turn Off Notifications

This last method is perhaps the simplest. Instead of worrying about being notified whenever a new text message comes in, just turn off notifications completely. Here’s how you can turn off notifications for the Messages app on the Mac:

1. Open the System Preferences app.
2. Click Notifications & Focus.
3. In the sidebar on the right, scroll down until you see Messages.
4. Click on Messages.
5. On the right side, click the toggle next to Allow Notifications.

This way, you’ll still be able to send messages when you want and can view threads when it’s convenient for you. But you won’t have to sign out of iMessage completely just to stop getting text messages on Mac.

Andrew Myrick

Andrew Myrick is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US. He enjoys everything to do with technology, including tablets, smartphones, and everything in between. Perhaps his favorite past-time is having a never-ending supply of different keyboards and gaming handhelds that end up collecting more dust than the consoles that are being emulated.