iMessage is a built-in messaging app for everyone in Apple’s ecosystem. From your Mac, you can message all your iPhone-using friends, and—if you have an iPhone as well—send and receive regular SMS messages with Android users.
RELATED: How to Set up Text Message Forwarding on Your Mac or iPad
How to Set Up Messages on Your Mac
You don’t need to use iCloud (or even have an iPhone) to use iMessage, but you will need an Apple ID. If you already have an iCloud account, the email you used to sign up will be your Apple ID.
Launch the Messages app from the Dock, your Applications folder, or by searching for it with Command+Space. If this is your first time launching the app, you’ll be asked to sign in. If you don’t have an Apple ID, you can click “Create new Apple ID” at the bottom to sign up. Otherwise, sign in with your existing Apple ID.
After you’ve signed in, open Message’s settings by clicking on “Messages” in the menu bar and selecting “Preferences”—or by pressing Command+Comma.
Under the “iMessage” tab, you’ll find the options for managing your iMessage account. You’ll want to make sure your phone number or email is listed under “You can be reached for messages at,” or else you won’t get any messages on your Mac.
