Mail not launching since macOS Catalina update. This is one of the most common problems people. I updated my macbook pro to OSX Mavericks and signed in to Messages app but it isn't working. My account is enabled but when I try sending a message it says cannot send message. Your iMessage account isn't signed in. Not sure what's causing the problem, any help? Restart Your Mac. Restarting your Mac is by far the best solution users have tried and tested.

Bring all messengers into one

iMessage is Apple's proprietary chat platform that's found across all of its devices and platforms – even the Apple Watch! It's a really secure, useful free service Apple makes available to everyone using its various devices, which also supports regular text messaging as well.

At times, iMessage fails, most often on the Mac. There are smaller issues, like images not loading properly after iMessage idles too long on a sleeping Mac, and serious issues like iMessage refusing to work on the desktop altogether.

We'll discuss why iMessage has issues on Mac, why you can't send iMessage from Mac at times, why iMessage stopped working on Mac, and discuss an iMessage replacement app that may help everyone avoid these issues.

How to fix iMessage not working on Mac

Why won't iMessage work on my Mac? It's a simple question with several possible solutions. Because each Mac has different settings and unique app settings, there's not a single answer that works for everyone. Still, it's worth troubleshooting, as one of the solutions below likely solves any iMessage woes.

If iMessage on Mac not working is something that is dogging you, give these fixes a shot:

Reboot Mac

One of the more common issues with iMessage is a message not sending on Mac or iMessage not delivered on Mac, even when chats are popping up elsewhere. Sometimes, a good 'ol reboot fixes everything. Here's how to do it:

1. In your Mac menu bar, click the Apple logo on the top left corner
2. Select “Restart”
3. Follow any on screen prompts to force close apps

Your Mac will reboot automatically. All you need to do is log in when you see the boot screen after the restart.

Clear Messages Cache

If iMessages not working on Mac is troublesome, it’s possible you just need to clear your cache. Keep in mind for iMessage, cache is your message history, so you may lose your chats across all devices. You can simply delete the chat inside iMessage by clicking the ‘x’ icon to the right of a profile picture when you hover over a chat, but a more thorough method is to delete the cache in Finder. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Open Finder on your Mac
2. Press Command + Shift + G on your Mac’s keyboard
3. In the text entry box that appears, enter this: ~/Library/Messages/
4. Delete files in the Messages folder named chat.db, chat.db-shm, or chat.db-wal
5. Empty your Mac trash folder to permanently delete your iMessage cache

That’s all it takes!

A smarter way to keep iMessage running smoothly is to keep your Mac running in peak condition, and there’s no better app for this than CleanMyMac X.

CleanMyMac X has a ton of features that aim to keep your Mac operating its best, but one of its more prominent services is ridding your system of unnecessary files and folders. Instead of letting things like iMessage attachments clutter your system, let CleanMyMac X pave a path to optimum performance.

Its most generally used service is its Smart Scan feature, which gets rid of junk, monitors your Mac for malware and other threats, then optimizes your Mac for speed. It’s the quickest, easiest way to ensure your Mac is operating at peak performance.

There is also a deeper cleanse you can do for your Mac via the Maintenance module in CleanMyMac X, which goes far deeper to clean much more of your Mac’s system.

Re-login In To iMessage

If restarting your Mac or clearing chat history doesn’t work, an old fashioned logging out and back in scheme may set you on the right path. This helps your iMessage app on the Mac re-engage with the cloud; you won’t lose any chats, either!

Here’s how it’s done:

1. Open iMessage on your Mac
2. In the menu bar, select “Messages”
3. From the drop down menu, select “Preferences”
4. In the window that appears, select “iMessage” at the top of the window
5. Choose “sign out” next to your Apple ID
6. When logged out, sign in again using your Apple ID

Re-enable iMessage on Mac

You can also stop short of logging all the way out by re-enabling iMessages on your Mac. It's easier to accomplish, but has a bit of a catch at the end. Here’s how it’s done:

1. Open iMessage on your Mac
2. In the menu bar, select “Messages”
3. From the drop down menu, select “Preferences”
4. In the window that appears, select “iMessage” at the top of the window
5. Toggle the checkbox next to “enable this account” off under your Apple ID
6. Toggle the setting back on
7. Quit the Messages app, then reopen on your Mac

The final step re-engages iMessage on your Mac. If you don’t restart Messages, your iMessage chats may be left in limbo and you are unable to send or receive messages.

Enable account in Preferences

Check time-zone settings

Your Mac verifies the time and date of messages received. If it notices a message is coming from the past, it may slot that message way back in the chat history, and you won’t see the message come through. Similarly, if the message seems to be coming form the future, your Mac will prevent it from being received.

If you notice you’re not receiving messages on Mac, or the app is giving you notifications of new messages but not displaying them, it coil dbe your time and date settings have been changed. Here’s how to check it:

1. In your Mac’s menu bar, click the Apple logo on the top left corner
2. Select “Date & Time”
3. Click the lock icon at the bottom of the window and enter your password
4. Under the “Date & Time” heading, make sure “set date and time automatically” option is toggled on
5. Click the lock again to secure your Mac

That should take care of it. To double-check this setting worked properly, verify both the date and time are correct before closing the window.

Check Keychain Access

Like many apps, Messages usus Keychain Access to authorize services like iMessage. We can show you how to check Keychain Access for iMessage keys, but you can’t change anything in your Keychain Access for iMessage. Here’s how to check:

1. Open Keychain Access on your Mac
2. Enter “iMessage” in the search field on the upper right corner of the window

This will display all of the encryption and signing keys iMessage has logged for your Mac. In this instance, not seeing anything is cause for concern.

Bonus tip: How to keep all your messages in one messenger

We all love iMessage, but chances are your chats are divested across various platforms, especially social services like Facebook Messenger and work platforms like Slack. Instead of chasing them all down individually, try IM+ for Mac.

IM+ lets you log in using just about any chat service you like, and it keeps all of your chats in one central app. You can send and receive messages on services like Facebook, twitter, WhatsApp, Skype, Telegram, Slack, Gmail, and LinkedIn. IM+ also supports hotkey switching, so you can bounce around various services without your fingers ever leaving the keyboard.

You have full customization over notifications, and IM+ allows you to send and receive media like videos and GIFs in each chat.

Conclusion

iMessage is core to the Apple ecosystem of platforms like iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and macOS. It’s the central method for exchanging messages, and has become a rich platform with app plugins and other interesting features not found anywhere else.

The solutions mentioned today typically iMessage start to work on Mac when it fails, but you should also consider how often you use Messages. Should you really worry about it failing, or are you more active on other platforms?

If you are, IM+ is likely a better app for you, and it’s available free during a seven day trial of Setapp, the world’s best suite of productivity apps available for the Mac. In addition to IM+, you’ll gain immediate and unlimited access to nearly 200 other incredible native Mac apps, all free for seven days!

When your trial period ends, continued access to the full Setapp catalog is only $9.99 per month, so why wait? Give Setapp a try now!

Meantime, prepare for all the awesome things you can do with Setapp.

Sign Up

One way or another, most of us rely on our ability to speak to our Macs and use it for calls. We need the in-built microphone working for those calls we need to make.

In this article, we look at why a MacBook microphone might not be working, and how to fix it.

Why is a Mac mic not working?

There could be a number of reasons this has stopped working.

One of the simplest explanations is that it hasn’t been configured properly. Or it was configured, then something has caused it stopped working again. It is usually temporary and easily fixed.

For example, have you recently downloaded another app that uses the internal mic? Third-party apps can hijack the settings and stop the mic from working with other apps, including those native to macOS and iOS, such as FaceTime. Music player and video apps can do this, causing a MacBook microphone to stop working.

Other things, such as system junk and cache settings can prevent a Mac microphone from working as it should.

How to turn on microphone on Mac?

Some applications, like Zoom or Skype, can use your microphone to ensure two-way communication. But, to use your mic for audio- and video calls, you need to grant an app permission to access the microphone – in other words, turn on your mic.

To enable the microphone on Mac, go to System Preferences. From here, you need to navigate to Security & Privacy. In the Privacy tab, choose Microphone from the list on the left.

Check the box next to an app to allow it to use your microphone.

In case the app’s open, you’ll need to quit it to enable microphone access. Just click Quit Now in the pop-up that appears and then reopen the app.

How to test the microphone on Mac?

Before we get to the solutions, let's check whether your mic's actually working. No need to look for third-party tools – you can use a built-in app called QuickTime Player. Navigate to Launchpad to find and open QuickTime Player.

In the app’s menu, click File and select New Audio Recording. Here, turn up the volume and say something.

If you can hear yourself (you may also hear white noise in the background), then your microphone’s working fine.

How to get an internal Mac mic to start working?

1. Check your Launch Agents

It often happens, that some background processes, like invisible app updaters, are conflicting with one another. And it might as well affect the microphone. You can disable these background apps a.k.a Launch Agents with a free version of CleanMyMac X. This Mac optimizer app is notarized by Apple.

1. Open CleanMyMac X.
2. Click the Optimization tab and choose Launch Agents.
3. See what background apps are running (if any of them are audio-related then they could be the ones preventing the mic from working).
4. Delete any background apps that could be causing this issue – check the box next to an app or process and click Perform.
5. Now test the mic again and make sure it’s working.

2. Configure settings

Low input volume is one of the most common reasons why your microphone isn't working. If the volume is set to a minimum, your microphone will be muted. So, the first thing to do when you have microphone issues is to configure settings the right way.

Let’s start with checking settings and making sure it’s configured correctly.

1. Open System Preferences (in Applications or you can find via Siri or Spotlight Search)
2. Click on Sound.
3. Select Input > Internal Microphone.
4. Here, make sure the Input Volume is on maximum.
5. Now if you speak near to your Mac, the Input level bars should fill up.
6. If this isn't happening, or the Internal Microphone isn't an option, then your Mac isn't registering the mic as an input.

If that seems to be the case, then there are other things to explore to get it working.

3. Switch on Dictation

Switching on Dictation — even if you aren't going to dictate anything to your Mac — should initiate launch agents that activate the microphone and get it working again.

1. Go to System Preferences
2. Click on Keyboard
3. Within this is Dictation
4. Select On: Now this should download the relevant files to make the microphone work.

With Dictation switched on, especially if you've never used it before, there are drivers and systems your Mac might not currently have. It will automatically find those, download them, and should, therefore, encourage the mic to start working again.

If that hasn't happened, then there are still more ways to fix this.

Have you ever wondered where the microphone is located on a MacBook Pro? The newest models of MacBook Pro have their three mics positioned underneath the speakers, in the upper left side of the keyboard. The MacBook Pro without speaker grid (made in 2017 and earlier) has the microphone placed on the left top part of the keyboard, above the ESC key.

4. Delete system junk

1. Download an app that is known for making Macs run better: CleanMyMac X (for free, here)
2. Run a System Junk scan
3. See what system junk it finds;
4. Now it can delete anything your Mac doesn't need, such as old caches and files preventing your Mac mic from working.

5. Reset your Mac PRAM

Another possible solution is to reset the PRAM (Parameter RAM). It stores a whole load of Mac settings, so with this reset your mic should start working - if nothing else has kicked it back into gear.

1. Click the top-left Apple icon and select Shut Down
2. Wait until your Mac has turned off;
3. Now press the power button and the following keys (at the same time): cmd + alt + P + R
4. Hold down for 20 seconds
5. Release the keys and it should start as normal, with a reset PRAM.

6. Solve mic issues on macOS Mojave or macOS Catalina

If nothing else helps to get your microphone back to work, you may have faced a rare mic issue. This problem was already spotted on macOS Mojave and macOS Catalina. If your Mac’s running one of these OS, try the following:

1. Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities).
2. Enter this command and press Return:
   rm -rf ~/Library/Application Support/com.apple.TCC (if it doesn't work, reenter the command adding sudo in front of it).
3. Enter your password to confirm.
4. Restart your Mac.

My Messages App On My Mac Stopped Working Windows 10

This command resets app permissions, so you’ll need to allows apps to use your mic again. And hopefully, your microphone issue has disappeared!

Apple has always invested a lot in audio systems and hardware. MacBook microphones are pretty robust and reliable. But every so often, something can stop them from working, Hopefully, this article has helped you fix your Mac mic.

In this article, we looked at some top tips on how to fix microphone issues on your Mac. Many users recommend using CleanMyMac X to fix those issues, especially when they are caused by system junk. Stay tuned for more Mac tips!

Frequently Asked Questions

Why Mac’s microphone is not working?

My Messages App On My Mac Stopped Working Iphone

One of the possible reasons why your mic isn’t working is low input volume. This setting adjusts the sound, and if it’s on low, others won’t be able to hear you, although, technically, your mic’s working fine. So, to adjust input volume, go to System Preferences > Sound. In the Input tab, set the input volume to maximum.

How to allow mic access on Mac?

To grant microphone access, go to System Preferences and navigate to Security & Privacy. Here, go to the Privacy tab. Choose Microphone from the list on the left. Check the boxes next to an app to allow microphone access. You can also grant camera access the same way. Restart the app to apply new settings.

How to mute your microphone?

My Messages App On My Mac Stopped Working Mac

To mute your microphone, open System Preferences on your Mac. Go to Sound and then select the Input tab. Here, adjust the Input volume to the minimum to mute your mic. If you want to mute your mic while using an app like Zoom, click the Mute button after you join the Zoom meeting. There’s no need to configure input volume settings in System Preferences.