Can't add/delete imessage accounts in messages for Mountain Lion

Good read guys, thanks for the help. Unfortunately I'm still stuck. My Messages > Preferences > Accounts pane is blank and I can't make any changes. Thoughts?

• This issue appears for all users (even newly created and guest)
• I've deleted all the mentioned prefences files.
• Messages can be sent and recieved via iMessage but I can't add/remove acounts.

HI,

Something is very wrong.

That picture should not only have the right hand pane stuff but also there should be a Bonjour Account that cannot be deleted.

As you have said it is the same in any Mac User you log in with Reinstall the OS.

Restart the computer holding down CMD and R

7:36 pm Tuesday; February 11, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

Reinstall fixed the issue, thanks. I was just grasping at straws to avoid the hastle.

Good to hear.

7:34 pm Wednesday; February 12, 2014

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

I had iphone and do use imessage but some of my friebds still using imessage I just upgraded to Samsung gallery and I noticed sone still going thru to imessage and I have been trying to get in touch with friends with I dont get any sms back.

How can I delete imessage so I can get txt normal thru my Samsung not iphone as I have sold the iphone to friend.

I do still have itunes account do I have go in iTunes to closr imessssge so I can rec txt normal?

Hi,

If they have different Phone Numbers then you need to inform people and they will be trying to contact you by the details they have in their Address Book/Contacts app.

If you still have the iPhone I would start it app and remove the Apple ID from the Settings > Messages section.

Then I would turn Messages Off in total so that the iPhone's Own Number is not being used.

This will, after a while, remove the number from the iMessages server.

Setting the iPhone to Factory Settings will accomplish the same thing if you plan to dispose of it

in any way (sale or throw away).

8:19 pm Thursday; March 27, 2014

I have another issue regarding this:

I have deleted everything related to com.apple.imessage.plist and the .bag file and may one more on the library. In the keychain access also looked for something related to iMessages and nothing.

I can't seem to get a link to sign out the iMessage account. No details, nothing. Keep in mind that the account I am trying got get rid of is my apple ID the first one on the list.

Yes, this happened after I changed my apple ID password at apple.

Please help!

Hi,

This thread is about the Mountain Lion version of Message (version 7.0.x)

Your Picture is of the Mavericks (messages 8) version.

In ~/Library/Preferences (As in Hard Drive name/Users/(yourAccountName)/Library/Preferences):-

What was com.apple.imservice.imessages.plist has become:-

com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist

There are also several other com.apple.ids..... items but you should also delete the following:-

com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.iMessage.plist

com.apple.imagent.plist (this one holds All the Accounts info )

com.apple.ichat.plist as this also holds some details about the accounts your have including the iMessages one.

Also delete com.apple.imservice.ids.iMessage.plist

Some people have posted that they think com.apple.imdsmsrecordstore.plist is part of iMessages/Messages app but I have found no evidence of this.

Messages is also a Sandboxed app in Mavericks meaning that there are .plists elsewhere, not to there is also another helper app involved called soagent

You will need to access the ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Preferences and delete any .plist that IS NOT an Alias.

Then go to ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.soagent/Data/Library/Preferences and Delete all the items that are not Aliases.

In the Keychains the item will have the IDS: your appleID-AuthToken in the name of item you will need to delete.

This will only remove the info on the Mac.

The info also needs to be removed from the iPhone before Messages is turned Of on the iPhone before you dispose of it.

The Sign Out button in Messages 8 is only visible when you are logged in.

AS you can see from my pic you may also have to remove the Apple ID from other iPhones (and other iOS Devices) to sort this.

7:59 pm Monday; September 1, 2014

Great! I have done everything suggested up to the point of the iPhone. How do I delete the settings of the iPhone if I can't get in the hidden folder and iOS settings My iPhone is not jailbroken. All I did there was turn off the iMessage enable selection.

Also, before, doing all this I have also deleted all my mail accounts under the Internet Accounts on System Preferences, iCloud and gmail. And re-added them but it didn't fix. Restarted the Mac...

Now after doing all the steps suggested I still get this screen:

It seems I don't have a way to sign out which has been the problem originally.

ps: note that besides the sign out absent I can't either delete the account the ( - ) sign is there all times. Even after I deleted all my internet accounts.

Thanks,

A.

Hi,

I may have partially misunderstood what you were asking.

The Messages app will always display two Accounts (but not filled in) on brand new Mac User Account.

These will be the iMessages one (as you show) and the Bonjour one.

Historically the Bonjour one has never been delete-able in iChat (the forerunner to Messages)

The iMessages account is the same.

As there is no formal way in the app to remove the Apple ID last used it will always display that ID in the box just like your Pic.

Quit Messages

Open a Finder window.

Use the Go Menu > Go to Folder and enter ~/Library/Preferences into the Dialogue box that appears (this is because the Library is hidden in normal set up)

In the Preferences folder find the com.apple.ids.service.com.apple.madrid.plist

You can use Quick Look to view the contents and if you scroll t the bottom you will see the Apple ID, iPhone Number(s) and other email(s) linked to this ID.

You can use XCode to Edit it if you have this app (it is a free download from Apple's App Store).

It can be edited in Text Edit but it can be funny about you saving the result.

It is much easier to just delete the .plist (Drag to Trash) whilst the app is still quit.

Also delete com.apple.imagent.plist as this hold some account info for "listening" purposes (it is IMAgent that starts up Messages and or FaceTime when someone calls).

When you restart Messages now it should not display the ID in the Box (waiting to be re-activated with the Password as in your Pic)

9:11 pm Monday; September 1, 2014

Hello there,

I wasn't sure if I should have put back all the files I have deleted in the beginning on your suggested post, regardless, I used the Xcode and deleted anything related to my email and phone number.

Then I didn't try to delete anymore since the gray out was still there, so I gave up on that idea and decided to try signing in again (which wasn't working originally). Then voilá, the log in made it through this time and no errors were presented. Not sure exactly what made it work but regardless your suggestions def. helped. Thanks a lot!!!!

Hi.

Good to hear.

9:57 pm Monday; September 1, 2014

I am on ElCapitan, and I can't use iMessage all of a sudden. I wonder if it has to do when I got my new 6s and something about the phone number. Anyway, the account is greyed out and I did try and delete the plist file(didn't empty trash yet) and it still is greyed out...can't do anything. The conversations are offline. Thanks, Robin

Hi,

Was this with an older SIM moved to a new phone so you could keep he number ?

In that case you will need to remove the iPhone from the iMessages server

https://selfsolve.apple.com/deregister-imessage

The issue is to do with the Serial Number of the original iPhone being used in the login process to "prove you are you" and the Serial Number of the current iPhone does not match.

7:33 pm Thursday; January 7, 2016

I'm running El Capitan and I was having the same problem of not being able to delete accounts that were inactive. I think the + and - signs are deceiving since you don't remove the accounts from the Messages accounts preferences but from the "Internet Accounts" in your SYSTEM PREFERENCES. Once I went there I discovered the account was linked and when I removed it from the Internet Accounts, it disappeared out of my Messages accounts. Note if you use the account for Mail, for example, you probably don't want to delete it just because it appears in the Messages Accounts. Hope this helps for Mountain Lion.