OS X Messages (8.0) window stays blank after start.

Are you signed in?

Enter Preferences and add an account, iMessage, Gmail, etc.

Command + ,

Have you trashed the preference file of messages?

Hi,

I have not found the cause to this yet. I cannot create it myself.

The Unresponsive Menu items tend to include the Preferences option. (New accounts would have to be added in System Preferences > Internet Accounts).

The "fix" in iChat and early Messages 7 of deleting com.apple.ichat.plist no longer seems to be effective.

Some are reporting success with PRAM/NVRAM reset (restart the computer holding down CMD+ALT+P+R until you have heard two additional Start up "Bongs").

This appears to be a limited few that find this works.

Deleting the Saved State for Messages also seems not to work. (~/Library/Containers/com.apple.ichat/Data/Saved Application State)

Whilst probably over the top, a reinstall does seem to work.

Try Installing the COMBO version of OS X 10.9.4 over what you have.

8:17 pm Monday; July 7, 2014

Please read this whole message before doing anything.

This procedure is a test, not a solution. Don’t be disappointed when you find that nothing has changed after you complete it.

Step 1

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is localized to your user account.

Enable guest logins* and log in as Guest. Don't use the Safari-only “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac.”

While logged in as Guest, you won’t have access to any of your documents or settings. Applications will behave as if you were running them for the first time. Don’t be alarmed by this behavior; it’s normal. If you need any passwords or other personal data in order to complete the test, memorize, print, or write them down before you begin.

Test while logged in as Guest. Same problem?

After testing, log out of the guest account and, in your own account, disable it if you wish. Any files you created in the guest account will be deleted automatically when you log out of it.

*Note: If you’ve activated “Find My Mac” or FileVault, then you can’t enable the Guest account. The “Guest User” login created by “Find My Mac” is not the same. Create a new account in which to test, and delete it, including its home folder, after testing.

Step 2

The purpose of this step is to determine whether the problem is caused by third-party system modifications that load automatically at startup or login, by a peripheral device, by a font conflict, or by corruption of the file system or of certain system caches.

Please take this step regardless of the results of Step 1.

Disconnect all wired peripherals except those needed for the test, and remove all aftermarket expansion cards, if applicable. Start up in safe mode and log in to the account with the problem. You must hold down the shift key twice: once when you turn on the computer, and again when you log in.

Note: If FileVault is enabled, or if a firmware password is set, or if the startup volume is a Fusion Drive or a software RAID, you can’t do this. Ask for further instructions.

Safe mode is much slower to start up and run than normal, with limited graphics performance, and some things won’t work at all, including sound output and Wi-Fi on certain models. The next normal startup may also be somewhat slow.

The login screen appears even if you usually log in automatically. You must know your login password in order to log in. If you’ve forgotten the password, you will need to reset it before you begin.

Test while in safe mode. Same problem?

After testing, restart as usual (not in safe mode) and verify that you still have the problem. Post the results of Steps 1 and 2.

Launch the Console application in any of the following ways:

☞ Enter the first few letters of its name into a Spotlight search. Select it in the results (it should be at the top.)

☞ In the Finder, select Go ▹ Utilities from the menu bar, or press the key combination shift-command-U. The application is in the folder that opens.

☞ Open LaunchPad. Click Utilities, then Console in the icon grid.

The title of the Console window should be All Messages. If it isn't, select

SYSTEM LOG QUERIES ▹ All Messages

from the log list on the left. If you don't see that list, select

View ▹ Show Log List

from the menu bar at the top of the screen.Click the Clear Display icon in the toolbar. Then try the action that you're having trouble with again. Select any messages that appear in the Console window. Copy them to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. Paste into a reply to this message by pressing command-V.

The log contains a vast amount of information, almost all of which is irrelevant to solving any particular problem. When posting a log extract, be selective. A few dozen lines are almost always more than enough.

Please don't indiscriminately dump thousands of lines from the log into this discussion.

Please don't post screenshots of log messages—post the text.

Some private information, such as your name, may appear in the log. Anonymize before posting.

Back up all data.

Launch the Font Book application and validate all fonts. You must select the fonts in order to validate them. See the built-in help and this support article for instructions. If Font Book finds any issues, resolve them.

From the application's menu bar, select

File ▹ Restore Standard Fonts...

You'll be prompted to confirm, and then to enter your administrator login password.

Note that if you deactivate or remove any built-in fonts, for instance by using a third-party font manager, the system may become unstable.

Did you get any error messages when you signed in?

Hi,

See this post Re: Messages Menu Commands Greyed Out

A simple solution...

After much troubleshooting, I have isolated the issue with the greyed out "Messages" app menu. The problem is due to the truetype font Apple Gothic missing which is required for the AppleID login window when you first launch Messages. You can just hit skip when the dialog box comes up, but until you do so the full messages menus are not available. So to fix, just drop AppleGothic.ttf in <bootdrive>/Library/Fonts and Messages 8.x should launch correctly. Apple should have really included this font in <bootdrive>/System/Library/Fonts since it is required for one of their Apps

Many people in the prepress or graphics arts fields will likely run into this issue when they customize fonts.

8:19 pm Wednesday; July 9, 2014