How to Deactivate iMessage on Mac

The iMessage service offered by Apple is a convenient way to stay in touch with other users in the tech giant's ecosystem without any additional charges from your network provider. In certain circumstances, however, users may wish to concentrate on the task at hand without being distracted by the notifications received on their iPhones, iPads and Mac devices constantly. To adjust the behavior of iMessage in accordance with your needs follow the steps below.

Those who find the iMessage notification as nothing but an annoyance may wish to deactivate the service altogether. Start by launching the Messages application and going to 'Preferences' from the 'Messages' menu. Look through the left pane of the window and click on the account(s) you wish to turn off. Untick the checkbox that is next to the 'Enable this account' option. This will stop the messages you receive from showing up on your Mac. To revert the change, simply follow the same instructions but check the box at the end.

To turn the notifications off permanently, users can sign out of their iCloud accounts in the Messages application. Keep in mind that this will only affect the Messages application and will not have an influence on iCloud Drive or Photos with iCloud.

Start by clicking on the Apple menu and opening 'System Preferences.'Go to the 'Notifications' pane. Locate 'Messages' in the left sidebar and click on it. In the new window, select 'None' and uncheck all available tickboxes. This method will allow you to still send and receive messages but without the annoying alerts accompanying them.
If you are no longer going to be using this particular Mac device, it is recommended to also sign out of iCloud. Open 'System Preferences' and click on 'iCloud.' All that is left is to click on 'Sign Out' located on the left side of the window.