Unable to send text messages from MacBook

Doug O. wrote:

I cant find Text Message Forwarding on the MacBook Pro , I did turn off and on on my iphone14. did not work

It's not on your MacBook Pro. The setting is on your iPhone. Settings>Messages>Text Message Forwarding, then select your MBP. Both devices need to be using the same Apple ID.

If you've done that and it still isn't working, try this. Turn off iMessage on both devices. Restart them both. Turn iMessage back on on your iPhone. Once it has completely activated, turn it back on on the MBP. Once iMessage is activated on both devices, set up Text Message Forwarding again.

On your phone, go to Settings>Messages>Text Message Forwarding and select your Mac.

See here for more info:

Forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

Do you mean SMS messages (green)? Or iMessages (blue)? Or both.

If you mean SMS messages, Text Message Forwarding probably got turned off on your iPhone. On your phone, go to Settings>Messages>Text Message Forwarding and select your Mac.

See here for more info:

Forward SMS/MMS text messages from your iPhone to your Mac or iPad - Apple Support

If you mean something else, please explain.

Hi All, I have had this same problem and have found a way to fix it, on top of the great suggestions by Idris.

There is a setting on your iPhone in Settings>Messages, underneath the toggle to turn iMessage on where is says "Send and Receive". Click on that and it takes you to another page. Under "YOU CAN RECEIVE IMESSAGES TO AND REPLY FROM" it lists the phone numbers and email addresses enabled for iMessage. You need to make sure your phone number has a tick beside it.

Mine didn't, and when I clicked it (it took a while to think about it and then the tick appeared) then all of a sudden, after restarting my Macbook, I could send and receive iMessages on my Macbook - it was fixed.

I don't know how or why my phone number got unselected, but this fix worked for me.

Good luck.

Jon

grinbin77 wrote:

Yes I've turned on Text Message Forwarding. I've been receiving SMS messages to MacBook but when I try to send it always show 'Not Delivered'.

Turn of iMessage on your phone and on your computer. Restart them both. Re-enable iMessage on your iPhone. Once it's active, re-enable it on your Mac. Then, go back to the iPhone and re-enable Text Message Forwarding.

Olfella wrote:

So what I am saying is leave the phone settings as they are - because if your phone is sending and receiving messages it makes sense that its settings are OK.

Unless Text Message Forwarding is not turned on in Settings>Messages. If it is not, nothing you do on the Mac will make any difference.

Oh, Ok. Thanks Idris. We all know that to send messages from your Macbook that it must be on the same wifi network and using the same apple log in account. Then everything works fine until one day an automatic software update is done by apple and the Macbook can no longer send or recieve messages. I my case it happened because the update did not relog me back into Messages and I had to go to settings in the app (on my Macbook) and resign in. That fixed the problem and everything worked fine again. This has happened a few times now and despite going over and over the settings in my phone which proved futile it was not until I came across the fact that I had to resign in on my Macbook that I managed to solve the issue. So in going over and over this matterI hope it helps someone who still think that the problem is with the phone when it may not be.

Turn off Text Message Forwarding on both devices. Restart both of them and add it back.

This tip is from FastChimpy

First of all, make sure the App is completley closed (Force Quit). Then open Spotlight Search and copy the "~/Library/..." term from down below to get fastest access to your library. Or open Finder and click on "Go to" on the very top of your screen and select "Go to Folder..." and then copy the "~/Library/..." term from down below.

Messages:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Messages/ and delete all files in this folder.

2. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/ and delete the file "com.apple.iChat.plist".

FaceTime:

1. Navigate to ~/Library/Application Support/FaceTime/ and delete all files in this folder.

2. Navigate to ~/Library/Preferences/ and delete the file "com.apple.FaceTime.plist". 

Afterwards, simply restart your device and you should be fine.

Yes, this worked. Just signing out from Messages settings and signing back in with Apple ID fixed the problem

Mine was doing that, usually following an update. What it meant was I had to re sign in to messages and it all worked again. Dont ask me why or how as other apps updated automatically except for Messages.

Try going to settings in the messages app on your MacBook, then the middle icon iMessage and resign in from there. You should also notice that you have been signed out. Forget the phone thing.

Olfella wrote:

Try going to settings in the messages app on your MacBook, then the middle icon iMessage and resign in from there. You should also notice that you have been signed out. Forget the phone thing.

You can't send SMS messages from a Mac unless the Mac is paired to a phone. So, forgetting "the phone thing" is probably counterproductive.

This thread is about messages not working on a macbook. I am saying that the phone was working prior to the problem occurring in the Macbook so the problem lay in the Macbook. And to fix it then go to the message app settings and sign in on the Macbook! This disconnect appears to happen when a new software update to the Macbook happens and the app does not automatically resign in. What you are saying is a person must switch that function on - when in fact it is already on (because no-one turned it off) and the problem this thread is about, still exists. Hence my comment previously, that there is no need to think the phone is the problem. In this situation it is not!

Olfella wrote:

This thread is about messages not working on a macbook.

Test messaging from a MacBook requires the correct settings on an iPhone. You can do all the troubleshooting you want on the Mac but if you don't have the correct setting enabled on the iPhone, the Mac will not send SMS messages.

Feel free to enjoy the last word in this discussion.

Best of luck.