{"id":"mac-storage-basics.where-are-messages-attachments-stored","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/where-are-messages-attachments-stored","category":{"id":"mac-storage-basics","title":"Mac storage basics"},"subcategory":{"id":"mail-messages","title":"Mail, Messages and chat apps"},"question":"Where are Messages attachments stored on my Mac?","alt_questions":["messages attachments folder mac","imessage photos location mac","library messages attachments","delete messages attachments folder","imessage files storage location"],"short_answer":"In your Library under Messages → Attachments. Don't delete there directly; remove attachments inside Messages or from the Messages section of Storage settings.","answer_markdown":"In your Library under **Messages → Attachments**. It can grow to many gigabytes of photos and videos from conversations.\n\nDon't delete files there directly — Messages can show broken attachments or behave oddly. Delete attachments from within Messages (in a conversation's details) or from the **Messages** section of Storage settings, or shorten how long messages are kept. See [reducing Messages storage](/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-reduce-messages-storage-on-a-mac).","answer_html":"

In your Library under Messages → Attachments. It can grow to many gigabytes of photos and videos from conversations.

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Don't delete files there directly — Messages can show broken attachments or behave oddly. Delete attachments from within Messages (in a conversation's details) or from the Messages section of Storage settings, or shorten how long messages are kept. See reducing Messages storage.

","answer_text":"In your Library under Messages → Attachments. It can grow to many gigabytes of photos and videos from conversations.\n\nDon't delete files there directly — Messages can show broken attachments or behave oddly. Delete attachments from within Messages (in a conversation's details) or from the Messages section of Storage settings, or shorten how long messages are kept. See reducing Messages storage.","tags":["messages","attachments","library"],"related":[{"id":"mac-storage-basics.how-do-i-reduce-messages-storage-on-a-mac","question":"How do I stop Messages taking up so much space on my Mac?","url":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/how-do-i-reduce-messages-storage-on-a-mac"}],"applies_to":"all","last_reviewed":"2026-10-01","title":"Where are Messages attachments stored on my Mac? — Storage Studio FAQ","description":"In your Library under Messages → Attachments. Don't delete there directly; remove attachments inside Messages or from the Messages section of Storage settings.","crumbs":[{"name":"Home","path":"/"},{"name":"FAQ","path":"/faq/"},{"name":"Mac storage basics","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/"},{"name":"Where are Messages attachments stored on my Mac?","path":"/faq/mac-storage-basics/where-are-messages-attachments-stored"}],"jsonld":{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/where-are-messages-attachments-stored","inLanguage":"en","dateModified":"2026-10-01","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"Where are Messages attachments stored on my Mac?","alternateName":["messages attachments folder mac","imessage photos location mac","library messages attachments","delete messages attachments folder","imessage files storage location"],"acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"In your Library under Messages → Attachments. It can grow to many gigabytes of photos and videos from conversations.\n\nDon't delete files there directly — Messages can show broken attachments or behave oddly. Delete attachments from within Messages (in a conversation's details) or from the Messages section of Storage settings, or shorten how long messages are kept. See reducing Messages storage.","url":"https://storagestudio.us/faq/mac-storage-basics/where-are-messages-attachments-stored"}}]},"fragment":"
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Mac storage basics · Mail, Messages and chat apps

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Where are Messages attachments stored on my Mac?

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Short answer: In your Library under Messages → Attachments. Don't delete there directly; remove attachments inside Messages or from the Messages section of Storage settings.

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In your Library under Messages → Attachments. It can grow to many gigabytes of photos and videos from conversations.

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Don't delete files there directly — Messages can show broken attachments or behave oddly. Delete attachments from within Messages (in a conversation's details) or from the Messages section of Storage settings, or shorten how long messages are kept. See reducing Messages storage.

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Last reviewed

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