MacOS Messages missing contact photos/avatars
MacOS Messages is not showing the avatar/contact photos for my chat correspondent. Instead, I see a gray circle with the correspondent's initials. Advice?
Thanks very much.
iMac, macOS Sierra (10.12.1)
User profile for user:
JayB.
User level:
Community Specialist
Hi hp12c,
If your Messages app on your Mac is not showing the contact's photos, try checking the view settings. In the Messages Menu Bar, click View > Show buddy pictures. Also, check to see if you have a picture set up for your contact in the Contacts app. This is where Messages gets the picture for the person you are chatting with. If this doesn't work, quitting the application then relaunching might fix it. You can also try starting up the Mac in safe mode. Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities to post your question. Let us know if this works for you.
Have a great day.
If your Messages app on your Mac is not showing the contact's photos, try checking the view settings. In the Messages Menu Bar, click View > Show buddy pictures. Also, check to see if you have a picture set up for your contact in the Contacts app. This is where Messages gets the picture for the person you are chatting with. If this doesn't work, quitting the application then relaunching might fix it. You can also try starting up the Mac in safe mode. Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up
What is safe mode?
Safe mode (sometimes called safe boot) is a way to start up your Mac so that it performs certain checks and prevents some software from automatically loading or opening. Starting your Mac in safe mode does the following:
- Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed
- Loads only required kernel extensions
- Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically
- Disables user-installed fonts
- Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files
Together, these changes can help resolve or isolate issues related to your startup disk.
Thanks for using Apple Support Communities to post your question. Let us know if this works for you.
Have a great day.
