How can I prevent Messages from opening up a new chat window?

Question

When I am working on something else on my iMac, I tend to get a lot of messages via the Messages app. For some reason, when I click once on the messages app window, it does not get focus right away: Therefore, I usually double-click (Perhaps its a habit from MS Windows). When you double click inside a chat area, it opens up that specific chat conversation into a new chat window - which is extremely annoying (IMHO).

Is it possible to turn off the feature of opening that chat conversation in a new window?

I am running 10.8.2 and Messages version 7.0.1 (3314).

EDIT: So some further testing - This happens when:

1. A different chat session is selected
2. Messages does NOT have focus
3. I click into a different chat session inside of my Messages window
   • this requires two clicks, 1 click to gain focus, 1 click to change chat windows.

All I am looking to do is disable the chat session from opening up in a new, independent window.

Answer 1

Unfortunately this is something that isn't possible. As you are aware, the only control we have over any double-clicking in the "Double-Click Speed" in Mouse preferences. Any changes here would be undesirable as it would affect the entire system and your goal is just the Messages app.

There is a convenient keyboard shortcut, Command + W, to close the new window that comes up, so at least you don't have to go over and manually close the window.

I suppose this is a feature request that doesn't come up very often but you could at least do what you can and fill out a feature request.

Answer 2

Try single clicking instead of double clicking. You could also try clicking somewhere else in the window, for example the Title Bar, or the message composition area. Double clicks in these areas should have the same effect as single clicking.

Answer 3

When you get a new message, while in another app, instead of immediately clicking on Messages, instead hit Command-Tab and click on the Messages icon. That will bring the Messages app to the foreground without actually having clicked directly on Messages! Then you can click on that new message, and it will behave itself, staying contained where it should instead of popping out a new window!

Source: https://www.theinternetpatrol.com/how-to-stop-mac-messages-from-popping-out-and-opening-a-new-window-when-you-click-on-a-message/