I message information

Hi Lbdrrs00,

Thank you for using the Apple Support Communities! I understand you are setting up Messages on Mac for the first time, and I am happy to help out.

iMessage activates with both your Apple ID email address, and your phone number. Your Apple ID email address is used to send and receive iMessages, while your phone number is used to send and receive regular text messages. Learn more about the difference here: About iMessage and SMS/MMS - Apple Support.

When it comes to using Messages on Mac, follow the guidance found here to get it set up properly: Use Messages with your Mac - Apple Support. If you run into any activation or sign in issues, please follow these steps: If you can't sign in to your iMessage account or FaceTime on your Mac - Apple Support.

Best regards.

Dave,

Glad to hear that worked out for you.

To address your other question, when you open Messages > Preferences > Accounts, do you see a check mark next to your phone number as well? If not, try checking that box, then test sending and receiving text messages from your Mac.

You can also check to see if you have iMessage set up on your iOS device: Set up Messages on iPhone - Apple Support. Then, see if you would like to set up Text Message Forwarding as an option: How to forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your iPad, iPod touch or Mac - Apple Support.

Regards.