iMessages still show after deleting Chat.db

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iMessages still show after deleting Chat.db

Hello All,

I have a rather perplexing problem. I have cleared iMessage's chat.db, chat.db-shm, and chat.db-wal, emptying the trash successfully. I have also deleted all archives in the iChat folder within my documents folder.

When I search for a keyword in spotlight on iMessages though, the messages in question still come up, but only when I have had a recent conversation with the specific person the keyword search comes up with. If I delete the conversation with this person, the search of the keyword shows nothing. Is there anywhere else the messages could be being stored? The same process of deleting chat.db etc on my MacBook Pro running 10.8.5 worked successfully, but it will not seem to work on my iMac running 10.9.5.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give!

iMac, OS X Mavericks (10.9.5)

Posted on Jan 15, 2015 1:14 PM

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Answer 1

Jan 17, 2015 1:15 PM in response to antifas89

Hi,

iChat stored Saved Chats in ~/Documents/iChats by default.

Messages stores them in a folder called Archive.

This is tucked away in ~/Library/Containers/com.apple.iChat/Data/Messages

See Path Bar at bottom of this pic.

If you Save Chats this stores them in this location by dated folders.

Searching for info in them will bring them back like the Chat.db items do for iMessages "History" when you reconnect to a previous Contact.

However it works for AIM, Jabber and other conversations and Chats you have had as well as the iMessages ones you may have Saved.

9:15 pm Saturday; January 17, 2015

 iMac 2.5Ghz i5 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

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