Messages - "Delete Conversation" - how to restore?

HI,

In the Messages Menu > Preferences > Messages section (too many Messages in my book) do you have it set to "Save History when Conversations are closed" ?

If so can you then use the File Menu > Recents items ?

Does this have the full conversation ?

(Actually I tested this with my Son's iMessage chat of yesterday and it put up an AIM Chat I had with a Completely different Buddy which did take place at the same time).

If you can see the chat.db items the Archive folder may hold the Chat if the Save History was On.

10:57 PM Friday; August 3, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

HI,

I am still working on what Messages does with Saved Chats (Compared to how iChat 6 and earlier did it).

Previously iChat has a option to Save a Chat (which of course were IM chats only)

Messages beta took the option away and also started storing everything and storing them in a different place.

In iChat versions the default place was in your own Home Folder/Documents in a Folder called iChats.

Messages now stores the Saved items in the Home Folder/Library/Messages

both the iChat style IM chats and iMessages are saved in the Archive folder.

As you know you have to use th Finder and the Go Menu with the ALT key to access this (now hidden) Library.

iMessages are also contained within the chat.db within the Messages Folder.

This, the chat.db, can be opened with TextEdit although it is not that readable (you can make out the messages along with individual Message ID numbers and things to colour the balloons and indicate font type used)

You may be able to extract the Messages you want to "Save" in TextEdit.

Using Quick Look, it says, at the top, that the file can be opened with Messages but my Messages says it can't open chat.db

Uploaded with Skitch!

Today I used the Recents list again and today it is identifying iMessages to and from my son as a conversation with him where as when I posted yesterday it did not.

I did the following.

Opened an iMessage Chat to my Phone.

I sent a single word which caused the previous messages to show up.

I then closed the window (to Save the chats).

I reopened the chat and sent another word to my phone.

I then used the Delete Conversation keystrokes

The Chat window cleared both the "History" and the Current conversation.

I then change the Archive folder and had the last two iMessages sent to my phone as one Chat. (Although it does list both sending times)

Uploaded with Skitch!

It appears the chat.db does not have the info (It id deleted)

It would appear that if you closed the session the Messages may have been saved at that point (or that session part of the Conversation if it lasted days or more)

This may mean opening several Saved Chats to piece together most of the conversation.

It may be that the last few iMessages will be missing.

It seems that Spotlight will find these items in the Home Folder/Library/Messages (Previous OS versions have not allowed a Home Folder/Library SpotLight Search)

At present I have not found away to Stitch several Chats together.

8:36 PM Saturday; August 4, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

HI,

You could try this app

http://spiny.com/logorrhea/

Logorrhea can open iChat files. (those that end .ichat which Messages still Saves)

The newly saved files in the Archive folder may need to be Moved or Copied to the iChats folder (in Home/Documents) as Logorrhea only looks in this folder.

I have tested that it works in Mountain Lion. (there may be limits - see below)

I did find the the Export feature does all the Chats it finds and not just the Highlighted one.

The search options finds files but seemingly does not open them.

Convert Chats does not seem to do anything on my computer.

Exporting them makes them an extra long .txt doc that can be opened by TextEdit

I have seem them easier to read.

Humm, I am not sure this is going anywhere.

Even If I could isolate and then copy and paste several Saved Chats in to one document I can't seem to get Logorrhea to "Convert" them back into iChat docs.

11:06 PM Saturday; August 4, 2012

Please, if posting Logs, do not post any Log info after the line "Binary Images for iChat"

 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Lion 10.7.2)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
"Limit the Logs to the Bits above Binary Images."  No, Seriously

Old thread, but in case anyone else comes across this as I did...

Rebuilt my RMBP this weekend, this was about the last thing to recover from time machine since I did clean installs and just pulled in some preferences and such for a few things that I didn't want to set up from scratch. I found the folder under user/library/messages and copied the DB and files over, but still would only open a "naked" messages window. I then went under user\library\preferences and tried copying over all the ichat plist files.

Basically I grabbed all the com.apple.ichat.* files and copied them to the same location under my user profile.

Opened messages, and all the conversations were there again in the window and navigable.

Only showed phone numbers though, not names. Then I realized I needed to restore my contacts as well.

So I restored user\library\application support\addressbook contents from the time machine to the live user location, and viola, all of my messages show properly as names, history, attachments, everything.

Hope this helps someone else.

John

I'm racking my brain for just about a week. In my current folder I have all the IM's and the com.apple.ichat files all copied/moved over. But still not seeing all the chats when i open my IMessage window. Please , I need help !

Hi,

Moving the contents of ~/Library/Messages including the contents of the Archive Folder and the Chat.db items does allow the app to "see" these "history" items.

What it will not do is display the last chats or Messages you had going on another computer.

To do that you need to either have contact from or contact to the Buddy or Contact involved (depending if it was a Buddy List person or an iMessages conversation). The Chat window should then display the "old" chat/History.

9:19 pm Friday; August 1, 2014

Ok.. So, I've tried the the restoring and the copy and paste. I'll try simply just moving it from one file to another. Will update shortly.

I have 2 finder windows open.
Window 1 Directory ( Old Messages): Macintosh HD > Users > myusername > Library > Messages
Window 2 Directory ( Current Directory): Macintosh HD > Home > Library > com.apple.iChat > Messages.

So I would essentially drag Messages folder from window 1 into which part of window 2 ? I tried dropping it into the message folder and restarted IMessage and did not see any change.

Hi,

Mountain Lion/Messages 7.x.x would have the ~/Library/Messages folder which would have both the Archive folder and the Chat.db items.

In Mavericks/Messages 8 there is no ~/Library/com.apple.iChat/Messages folder.

In ~/Library/Messages the chat.db items still exists.

There is also ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Library/Messages which now holds the Archive Folder (of Saved Chats)

Basically the Containers folder separate out all the apps that can be Sandboxed with the com.apple.appName/Data folders

Then the subsequent folders mirror the contents of the ~/Library itself.

You have either created a place that Messages is not reading or have made a typo of the path to the folder.

If you are in the right place in the second path the Messages app will not display them until you contact the same person again.

Basically Messages beta could read the ~/Documents/iChat folder (which was the Archive folder under iChat 6 and earlier) and the Messages app's equivalents.

This meant that with the new App you could "see" all the "History" via saved Chats of AIM and Jabber chats.

The chat.db items "save" the history to the iMessages conversations.

What happened in Messages Beta was as soon as you sent a new message (or received one) all the past Chats were read to the main Window (and you could scroll up to see them).

The iMessages chat.db items had to be started again in Messages 7.0 but Saved Chat could play a part although it was less reliable about reading the ~/Documents/iChats folder.

In Messages 8 the iChats folder in the Documents folder is essentially ignored. This is despite the Mavericks Install creating Aliases to the original where it should be needed.

Basically your Messages Main window will not show the moved conversations of Chats until you are talking to that person again.

8:43 pm Saturday; August 2, 2014

Dear JDThree,

a long time ago you attempted to help someone who had deleted thir i messenger string of texts.

You had a very helpful post, as I have just now found myself in the same predicament.

I Am not very tech savvy, and am paniced that I will not be able to retrieve my messages.

i Haven't turned off my ipad for fear of irreparable damage.

i Don't understand where you find the user libraries you spoke of.

i Can't seem to locate them under my settings.

could you be so kind as to "hand hold" me through this proces. I hate to admit that I need a step by step.

i Appreciate any help so much!

thank you

cynthia

Hi Cynthia,

This thread is about Messages on the Mac and not the iOS version on iPhones and iPads.

The Mac can do Automatic Backup for you.

JDThree was then talking about using those Backups to locate specific folders and files and place them "back" in the Users Folder (and various sub folders) as a Mac can have one that one person that might log in to it and they had wiped all the Data to create a "fresh" install.

7:37 pm Tuesday; January 20, 2015