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User profile for user: jenni3
jenni3 Author
User level: Level 1
4 points

Can you use iMessage on a MacBook without owning an iPhone? If so, how?

At work we all have Apple computers (be it a MacBook or a desktop), but we do not all have cellphones. We would, however, like to use iMessage as our internal messaging system.


He's logged in using his Apple ID, but he does not receive any messages sent to him using that Apple ID. He also cannot seem to send to other's Apple IDs.


Is he able to use iMessage on a MacBook even though he does not have a phone number connected to an iPhone?If so, what are the steps he would need to take in order to successfully use iMessage on his laptop?


Thanks!

Posted on Feb 12, 2018 12:02 PM

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User profile for user: Eric Root
Eric Root
User level: Level 10
684,609 points

Feb 12, 2018 12:34 PM in response to jenni3

If they go to Messages/Preferences/Accounts, does the account show there? Is it enabled?


Messages Troubleshooting - Basic

Might be a corrupt .plist.


Do a backup, preferably 2 backups on 2 separate drives.


Quit the application.


Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J. When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Select Library. Then go to Preferences/com.apple.iChat.plist. Move the .plist to your desktop.


Restart the computer, open the application and test. If it works okay, delete the plist from the desktop.

If the application is the same, return the .plist to where you got it from, overwriting the newer one.


If that doesn’t work, repeat the above but delete the com.apple.imagent.plist.


Thanks to leonie and Ralph Johns (UK)for some information contained in this.

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Can you use iMessage on a MacBook without owning an iPhone? If so, how?

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