Can't delete multiple attachments from iMessage when on MacBook.

Question

Level 1

15 points

Can't delete multiple attachments from iMessage when on MacBook.

I'm trying to clean up all the photo attachments from my iMessage account. I can successfully delete multiple attachments when on an iOS device but on my MacBook running MacOS Monterey 12.6.6, I am unable to delete multiple attachments at one time. I can select multiple and then right click and choose delete, as the directions say to do, but it only deletes one attachment at a time, no matter how many I select.

It's bad enough that deletes made in iOS don't carry over to MacOS, but having to delete one at a time on the MacBook will take forever. This makes it very difficult to clean up your iCloud account and gain back storage space.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

MacBook Air 13″, macOS 12.6

Posted on Jul 1, 2023 8:01 AM

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Answer 1

claire504

Community Specialist

Jul 3, 2023 10:38 AM in response to PGAdams

Hi there PGAdams,

If you haven't already, you can see if restarting your MacBook Air may help with deleting these attachments in the Messages app. Restarting can help refresh macOS and resolve unexpected issues. If needed, this article shows how to do so: Shut down or restart your Mac

You could also see if you're able to delete multiple attachments in the Apple menu  > About This Mac > Storage.

Another possible step is to update to the latest version of macOS Monterey, which is currently macOS Monterey 12.6.7. This article has the steps to do so, if needed: Update macOS on Mac Updating can sometimes help sort through unexpected issues macOS might be having as well.

Please let us know if those steps help or if you're still having an issue with managing the attachments in the Messages app.

Take care.

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Answer 2

PGAdams Author

Level 1

15 points

Jul 3, 2023 4:17 PM in response to PGAdams

Also, I just tried to delete multiple attachments through iMessage on my MacMini running MacOS Ventura, and it had the same problem as on the MacBook. It's up to date on the OS and has been rebooted multiple times as well.

Here's a link to the article that tells how to delete multiple attachments in iMessage, which does not work on non-iOS devices, apparently. Manage your iCloud storage - Apple Support

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Answer 3

nbotros

Community Specialist

Jul 4, 2023 9:40 AM in response to PGAdams

Hello PGAdams,

Thanks for getting back to us with those additional details. Next, we'd like to see if you experience the same issuer in another user account. That can help isolate whether the issue is system wide, or account specific.

You can find information on how to add a user here:

Add a user or group on Mac

You may also, need to set up Messages on the newly created user account as explained here:

Set up Messages on Mac

Finally, the following link has information about ways to select and delete multiple messages on your Mac:

Delete messages and conversations in Messages on Mac

Let us know if the issue persists. Cheers.

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Answer 4

PGAdams Author

Level 1

15 points

Jul 3, 2023 3:28 PM in response to claire504

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm currently running the latest version of MacOS Monterey and have rebooted the computer several times. The same problem happens when I try to delete attachments from within iMessage. I was able to delete multiple attachments through the Apple menu  > About This Mac > Storage > Manage Storage. The problem with that method is that it's much more difficult to view the attachment before deleting it. So, it's even slower than deleting them one at a time through iMessage. It would be useful if I was certain that I wanted to delete all of the attachments without reviewing them first.

It would be great if the multiple delete functionality worked as it's supposed to. If you have any other suggestions, please let me know.

Thanks.

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Answer 5

Jun 26, 2024 8:10 AM in response to nbotros

It's been a year and this still hasn't been resolved? I'm having the same problem. Very inconvenient.

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Answer 6

jmgbonds

Level 1

8 points

Jul 7, 2024 1:34 PM in response to nolenfoxx

Tried this morning as well and no luck. Apple's way of getting us to pay for more iCloud storage I guess.

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Can't delete multiple attachments from iMessage when on MacBook.

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