How to Pin Conversations in Messages on macOS 13

Pinning conversations in the Messages app on macOS 13 (Ventura) keeps your most frequent and important chats at the top of the sidebar for instant access. This guide provides clear, step-by-step instructions on how to pin your favorite individual and group messages using drag-and-drop, trackpad gestures, or simple context menus, as well as how to unpin them when they are no longer a priority.

Method 1: Drag and Drop

The fastest way to pin a conversation is by dragging it to the top of your message list.

  1. Open the Messages app on your Mac running macOS 13.
  2. In the conversation sidebar on the left, click and hold the conversation you want to pin.
  3. Drag the conversation up toward the top of the sidebar. A small circular icon representing the contact or group will appear.
  4. Release the mouse or trackpad to place the pinned conversation at the top.

Method 2: Use the Right-Click Menu

If you prefer using menus, you can pin any thread with two clicks.

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Locate the chat you wish to pin in the conversation sidebar.
  3. Right-click (or hold the Control key and click) on the conversation.
  4. Select Pin from the contextual menu. The conversation will immediately move to the top as a circular icon.

Method 3: Use the Swipe Gesture

If you use a trackpad or Magic Mouse, you can pin conversations using gestures.

  1. Hover your cursor over the conversation in the sidebar.
  2. Swipe right using two fingers on a trackpad (or one finger on a Magic Mouse).
  3. Click the yellow Pin button that appears.

How to Rearrange Pinned Conversations

You can pin up to nine conversations at once. To organize them:

  1. Click and hold any pinned circular contact icon at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Drag the icon to your preferred position among the other pinned chats.
  3. Release to set its new location.

How to Unpin a Conversation

When a chat no longer needs to be front and center, you can return it to the standard list:

  1. Right-click (or Control-click) the pinned contact icon at the top of the sidebar.
  2. Select Unpin.
  3. Alternatively, click and drag the pinned icon downward into the regular conversation list until an "X" or unpin indicator appears, then release.