How do I change my status to online on my iMessages so I can text from my mac?

You can still use iMessage even when the status is offline.

Make sure it's link to your iPhone:

Messages > Preferences... > Accounts > iMessage > Make sure the account is enabled and "You can be reached for messages at:" your phone number and e-mail address are checked.

Note: The status menu are for chat.

Hi,

Lets be clear.

If you only have an iMessages account active in Messages on the Mac you will not see if the Account is On line or not.

The Status Item in the drop down Menu is a hold over from when the App was iChat and works only when an Account that has a Buddy list (even if not displayed) is Enabled (Bonjour, Aim, Jabber, Yahoo).

As everyone has the Bonjour Account you can enable this for the Status item to change the Status (not that it effects the iMessages account at all).

IF the Messages Menu > Preferences item is also greyed out and you cannot access anything you have an issue with the AppleGothic.ttf Font.

Open the Font Book.

Scroll to the bottom of the List (several Apple ones are here).

Highlight the AppleGothic one and use the File Menu > Validate

Also make sure it is not duplicated (or if it is that one is Turned Off).

At this point restart the Mac.

If this does not solve the issue navigate to Hard Drive Name/Library/Fonts

Highlight the Font and then use the Duplicate option in the Finder's File Menu.

Delete the original and change the Duplicates name to the original name.

10:02 pm Friday; August 1, 2014

Thanks Ralph for your enlightenment about the font. I had turned all "useless" fonts off because I don't like the clutter. Who would have believed that programmers would key/integrate a font to a program. My Messages now works—only after making AppleGothic active.

Hi,

All the "System" fonts (System/Library/Fonts) are needed by the OS and the apps in one form or another.

At one time in previous OS versions the apps (any app) would not start up properly if Helvetica was turned Off.

It had other issues if you added Helvetica Fractions.

AppleGothic actually appears to be a font included for parts of the Korean language.

As such it is is only in Library/Fonts which is surprising for a "needed" Font.

Therefore it does give the impression you could turn it Off.

8:17 pm Monday; July 20, 2015