How to find a link someone sent you in Messages on a Mac, 4 ways.
Open the conversation, click the person's name at the top and click Links: every link from that chat is in 1 list. If you don't remember who sent it, Safari, Messages search and Textlore look across every chat.
Quick answer
In Messages on your Mac, open the chat with the person who sent the link, click their name or picture at the top, then click Links. Click a link to open it. If you don't know which chat it's in, open Safari and click Shared with You in the sidebar, or search Messages for a word from the page and press Return.
| Way | Best for | Catch |
|---|---|---|
| Conversation Links | You know who sent it | One chat at a time. No dates to jump to. |
| Shared with You in Safari | Recent links from people in Contacts | Skips people who aren't in Contacts. |
| Messages search | A link you can describe in a word | Links are mixed in with every other result. |
| Textlore | Any link from any year, by person and date | Paid app after a 14-day free trial. |
1. Open the Links in a conversation
Each conversation in Messages keeps its links in 1 list, next to its photos.
- Open Messages and click the conversation with the person who sent the link.
- Click the person's name or picture at the top of the conversation. For a group, click the group name or picture.
- Click Links. Every link shared in that chat shows with its preview.
- Click a link to open it in your browser.
Where it falls short
- You need to know the sender. If you can't remember who sent it, you open conversation after conversation.
- No dates to jump to. A link from 3 years ago means a long scroll down the list.
- Only what's on this Mac. If Keep messages is set to 30 Days or 1 Year in Messages > Settings > General, older links were removed with their messages.
2. Check Shared with You in Safari
Safari collects the links people send you in Messages, such as videos, news stories and recipes, so you can open them without finding the chat.
- Open Safari. If the sidebar is hidden, click the Sidebar button in the toolbar.
- Click Shared with You in the sidebar.
- Click a link to open it. Click the sender's name under it to reply in Messages.
If a link isn't there
- Only people in your Contacts. Links from a number that isn't saved in Contacts don't appear.
- Safari must be switched on. Open Messages > Settings > Shared with You and check that Safari is selected.
- Only Messages links. A link sent in WhatsApp or by email won't show here.
3. Search Messages for the link
Messages search looks through every conversation on your Mac and puts links in their own group of results.
- Click the search field at the top of the Messages sidebar.
- Type a word you remember: the site's name, such as youtube or airbnb, or a word from the page's title.
- Press Return. Results are grouped into conversations, messages, links, photos, locations and documents.
- Click a link result to open it.
There's no way to ask Messages for links from 1 person or 1 year, so a common word like recipe can bring back a long list. Our guide on searching old iMessages has more on what Messages search can and can't find.
4. Find any link by person and date in Textlore
Textlore is a Mac app that searches your whole Messages history and your chats from WhatsApp for Mac as you type. The search word has:link finds only messages that came with a link. It only reads: it never sends, edits or deletes a message, and nothing leaves your Mac.
- Install it. Download Textlore, open it and switch on Full Disk Access when it asks. macOS keeps your Messages history in a protected folder, and this lets Textlore read it. About 100,000 messages import in under a minute.
- Press ⌘F and type
has:linkwith a word you remember.recipe has:linkfinds messages with a link that mention a recipe. Your words are lit up in amber.
- Narrow it to a person or a time.
from:Jordan has:linkshows every link Jordan sent you. Addin:Familyfor 1 group, orduring:summer 2024,before:2023orafter:march 2021for a date. - Open it in context. Use ↑ and ↓ to move through results and press Return to open the conversation at that message.
- Search from any app. Press ⌥Space anywhere and a small search bar floats over your work, so you can find a link while you're writing back.
If you can't remember a word at all, Ask AI on Macs with Apple Intelligence answers questions such as “Where did Jordan want to eat last summer?” with Apple's on-device model, and lists the messages it used.
Textlore also keeps its own copy of your messages, so a link stays findable after Messages clears space on your Mac. See Searching in Help for every search word.
Questions
Why is a link missing from Shared with You?
Shared with You only shows links from people in your Contacts, and only when Safari is selected in Messages > Settings > Shared with You. Save the sender as a contact, or open the chat's Links instead.
Can I see every link one person sent me?
Yes, for 1 chat. Click their name at the top of the conversation and click Links. To include group chats they're in too, search from:Name has:link in Textlore.
Can I find links from my iPhone texts on my Mac?
Yes, once Messages in iCloud is on for your iPhone and your Mac. Your Mac then has the same conversations, and every way on this page finds their links.
Can I find a link someone sent me on WhatsApp?
Not in Messages or Safari. Textlore imports your chats from WhatsApp for Mac, so a has:link search finds WhatsApp links next to iMessage ones.
Every link anyone sent you, in 1 search.
Download Textlore and find any link by person and date. Free for 14 days.