How To Open All Imessage Pictures As A Single File Messages App

View photos, videos, audio, and notes in Messages on Mac

When you have a conversation in Messages, you can send and receive items like photos (including Live Photos), videos, audio messages, and shared notes. You can view these items right in the conversation, or in Details view.

To find out how to send items in a message, see Send messages.

Tip: Double-click a conversation in the sidebar to open it in its own window.

Open Messages for me

View and save photos and videos

In the Messages app on your Mac, select a conversation.
Do one of the following:
- View photos or videos in the conversation: View the photo, play the video, or double-click the file to open it in a Quick Look window.
  
  Note: Live Photos have a Live Photo button in the top-left corner.
- View photos or videos in Details view: Click the Details button in the top-right corner of the conversation, scroll to Photos, then double-click a file to open it. The file appears in the Quick Look window, where you can then open it in its app. For example, click Open with Photos for a video.
  
  Note: You can't view a video or play a Live Photo in Details view. Instead, either open it in the conversation or Control-click it, then choose Add to Photos Library.
  
  While viewing a photo or video in Details view, you can drag it to another document or the desktop.
- View items in a photo stack: Swipe the stack to see each photo without opening it. Tap a photo in the stack to open it, reply to it, or add a tapback.
  
  Note: When you receive two or three photos, they appear as a photo collage. When you receive four or more photos, they appear as a photo stack.
- Save photos or videos in the conversation: Click the Save Photo button next to the photo, photo stack, or video to save it in your photo library.

For more information about the Quick Look window, see View and edit files with Quick Look.

Listen to audio messages

An audio message appears in a conversation with its recorded length listed.

In the Messages app on your Mac, select a conversation.
Click the Play button in the message.

The message is removed from the conversation two minutes after you play it. To save it in the conversation, click Keep.

View shared notes

If someone shares a note from the Notes app , you see a message with a link to the note. See Share notes and folders.

In the Messages app on your Mac, select a conversation.
Find the message with the shared note, then click the note.

The note opens in the Notes app. The Shared icon appears next to the note in the list of notes.

Tip: To view the time a message was sent, Control-click it in the transcript and choose Show Times. If you have a trackpad or a Magic Mouse, you can also swipe left with two fingers on the message.

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