Macbook not sending pictures in IMessage anymore

My brand new MacBook Pro is not sending pictures in iMessage. normal text no problem - all up to date.... what can i do?

has anybody found a solution for this long standing problem?

MacBook Pro TouchBar and Touch ID, iOS 12.1

Posted on Nov 27, 2018 8:00 AM

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Posted on Apr 8, 2019 6:24 AM

Here’s how i fixed it.


  1. Sign out from iMessage
  2. Finder, Go > Library (Hold option)
  3. Locate Messages folder
  4. delete everything ends with .db
  5. restart the computer
  6. open iMessage and sign in again


Hopefully they fix this issue soon :-/

174 replies

Jan 19, 2019 11:40 AM in response to Comcat70

For the past month or so, I haven't been able to send photos to other Apple users through Messages on my MacBook Pro (Retina, 15-inch, Mid 2015), via a high speed WiFi connection. No problems sending the same photos using my iPhone or iPad. All devices are set to the same Apple ID. If I send the photo via the iPhone or iPad, it shows on the MacBook, and I can receive photos just fine. But when I try to send, the blue progress line gets "stuck" about 90% of the way. Eventually I just get an "Not Delivered" message.


I'm running macOS Mojave, 10.14.2, and the problem seems to date from installation of that OS.


Very frustrating.

Jan 25, 2019 6:38 AM in response to trisha245

I have a similar problem. When I send a pic through Messages from my MBP (Mojave 10.14.2) it seems to send, the Messages thread shows the image. But the person trying to receive it on their iphone gets only a "Downloading" message with the filename and size, but it never progresses. I see the same in the Messages thread on my iphone.


I tried signing out of Messages both on my phone and MBP, then re-signing in on the phone first then MBP.


Frustrating.

Mar 6, 2019 6:40 AM in response to kathealy60

I did not follow the "create a new user" advice. As you said, it sounded too extreme and a bit risky. I am just ignoring it for now and hoping they will fix the problem in a future update. I think my only issue is sharing a photo in Photos through iMessage (i.e. the "handoff" between Photos and iMessage). If you paste a photo into an iMessage message directly, it sends fine. I think it's definitely a Mac OS bug...

Dec 28, 2019 10:24 AM in response to Comcat70

I have had this problem since upgrading my 2014 iMac to macOS Catalina. I didn't pursue it any further, because I knew I would be purchasing a new 2019 iMac.


I had finally finished setting up the new iMac and was disappointed to see the exact same problem occur.


I contacted Apple support and he had me do numerous things to include deleting the DB files.


I know that there have been some major file permissions changes with the new macOS. I have all of my photos on an external photos hard drive. When exporting, I also export to a folder on that drive.


I decided to export a jpg to the downloads folder on the internal drive of my iMac.


I can now message and send a jpg from my iMac ONLY if I am messaging a photo located on the internal drive. It's not a perfect fix, but it's better than nothing.

May 23, 2019 1:54 PM in response to dgomgr

People, please STOP deleting the afore mentioned file(s)! Again, DO NOT DO THIS:

(I am only showing these steps for reference)


  1. Sign out from iMessage (NOT NECESSARY)
  2. Finder, Go > Library (Hold option) NOT NECESSARY
  3. Locate Messages folder NOT NECESSARY
  4. delete everything ends with .db REALLY NOT NECESSARY
  5. restart the computer SOMETIMES NECESSARY
  6. open iMessage and sign in again (DON'T SIGN OUT OF IMESSAGE)


AGAIN, DO NOT DO THE ABOVE STEPS!

Doing this deletes all imessage strings on your computer. Restarting creates a new set of .db files and they will be empty. The message strings will still be in the cloud, or on your other devices, but why bother with the frustration!


All you need do, until Apple fixes the problem, is: (as stated in my previous post)



  1. Export your images/videos to a familiar location, such as to your desktop, or to a file on your desktop (mine is named "pictures for sharing") You will be asked what quality you want them to be.
  2. Go to the location and open/select the file/files.
  3. Click on the "share" icon near the top of the finder window.
  4. Choose how you want to share, and who to share with.
  5. Delete the photos or videos when done, to avoid having duplicates.


There is no need to sign out of ANYTHING, no need to delete ANYTHING! There is nothing wrong with your computers.


Hope this helps y'all!

Jul 3, 2020 7:14 AM in response to pungme

Quote: “Here’s how i fixed it.


  1. Sign out from iMessage
  2. Finder, Go > Library (Hold option)
  3. Locate Messages folder
  4. delete everything ends with .db
  5. restart the computer
  6. open iMessage and sign in again


Hopefully they fix this issue soon :-/“



so this approach causes you to lose all message archives?? Is there any way to restore files or conversations?

May 31, 2020 6:18 AM in response to Comcat70

I followed @pungme advice, and it worked! Thank you @pungme. This worked after 2 years of not being able to send photos through iMessage and trying to figure out how to fix! I didn't understand what Go>Library (hold option) meant at first. For those of you who are also confused by this, When you're in Finder, select the GO pulldown menu at the top while holding down the OPTION key. After you find the messages folder drag anything with .db to the trash (I couldn't manually delete). You'll have to scroll through the folders--they are in alphabetical order--until you find the messages folder. Double click to open and then drag those files with .db in them to the trash WARNING--this will delete all of the message on your laptop, but they should still be on your phone. It's so nice to have this finally working. I don't think it's worked since I got my computer.


Nov 28, 2018 2:19 PM in response to Comcat70

Hi Comcat70,

Welcome to the Apple Support Communities. I understand you're not able to send pictures in Messages.

To clarify, what exactly happens when you try to send a picture message? The answer to this may change the best steps for you to take, but those below are a great place to start.

If you haven't already, click the Apple menu () > Restart, and then test it out after.

Also, the information below sounds like it may help. Send texts using Messages on Mac :

Your Mac can receive and send SMS and MMS text messages through your iPhone when you set up text message forwarding. For example, if a friend sends you a text message from a phone other than iPhone, the message appears on your Mac and iPhone in Messages.

Note: To receive and send SMS and MMS messages on your Mac, your iPhone must have iOS 8.1 or later, and your iPhone and Mac must be signed into iMessage using the same Apple ID. Additionally, you must set up your iPhone.


Based on the above, it sounds like you may need to set up text message forwarding. For the steps, check out Use Continuity to connect your Mac, iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, and Apple Watch :

Set up SMS and MMS messaging

Use this feature with any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that meets the Continuity system requirements. Make sure that your devices are set up as follows:

  • Each device is signed in to iCloud with the same Apple ID.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Send & Receive. Make sure that the Apple ID at the top of the screen is the same Apple ID that you're using for iMessage on your other devices. Add a check to your phone number and email address, so that you can be reached by iMessage at both. Do the same on your iPad or iPod touch.
  • On iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding, then choose which devices to allow to send and receive text messages from this iPhone. If you're not using two-factor authentication for your Apple ID, a verification code appears on each of your other devices: enter that code on your iPhone.
  • On Mac, open Messages, then choose Messages > Preferences. Click Accounts, then select your iMessage account. Make sure that the Apple ID shown here is the same Apple ID that you're using on your other devices. Add a check to your phone number and email address.


I hope this helps!

Take care.

Nov 28, 2018 3:02 PM in response to MoonJ.

Thank you

I tried all the above. It worked before and then stopped suddenly working on my old MacBook, and now still not working on the latest MacBook pro:

I try to send an image from messages, by drag and drop, to a friend's iPhone. the message with image appears on the mac as if it was sent, but the friend can never open/download the picture in iMessage.

on my own iPhone i can also not see the sent message/ it won't sync.

if i transfer the same picture to my iPhone and send it from there, everything works fine and the mac even shows the picture as sent.


hope this explains the process.

all devices are on the same apple ID

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Macbook not sending pictures in IMessage anymore

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