Messages showing phantom unread message count on Macbook (Messages in iCloud enabled) with no actual unread messages

I am grateful for the answer that uses Terminal. That led me to a simpler solution:

(1) Quit Messages.

(2) Right-click the Messages icon in the Dock and choose Remove from Dock.

(3) Locate Messages in the Applications folder or in the Launchpad and restart Messages.

(4) If you wish, right-click the Messages icon in the Dock and choose Keep in Dock.

Just wanted to add a share something! I tried literally everything listed on here and none of them worked. But I ended up checking reddit and found the solution right away!

Ask Siri on your mac to read unread messages and that should do the trick :)

If it doesn't work to updating your Setting Preferences, which is did not for me - even after quitting messages and reopening and turning back on notifications; you can highlight all you messages in your inbox right-click and mark as "unread" and then right-click again and mark them as "read." I did this twice and it worked for me clearing all my phantom notifications.

THANK YOU! I also tried everything else in this thread and nothing worked. Asking siri to read my unread messages and saying no every time she asked if I wanted to reply one by one was the only thing that worked. Thank you so much!

Thank you! This tiny, annoying issue has been solved. I appreciate your post.

Finally a smart person. Thank you George, it worked.

Thank you. Asking Siri to read unread messages solved the problem

Thanks George, I think that worked!

Bless you. That worked great!

I swear I have been trying to solve this issue on my mac for like 2 years and I SWEAR nothing worked until I tried this. THANK YOU!!!!! The OCD in me can now rest, lol.

Just weighing in to also say "thanks George L!"

I found that this was a recently deleted message. Go to View - Recently Deleted. On your dock, right click on the Message app and it should show which message it thinks is unread. I was able to find it in recently deleted. Right click on the deleted message and select restore. Now you can view the message and re-delete it.

I have an unread message in my email but nothing is there and I can’t get rid of it

Make a new Smart Mailbox that only includes Unread Mails, do they show in that Smartbox?