Mac Mail folder structure? Encryptable?

I'm desperate for help!
Does anyone know how Mac Mail folders are stored in Lion 10.7.3.?

I am trying to find a solution that will allow us to encrypt only ONE folder of email. This was possible using the PC version of Outlook, but in Outlook for Mac, the email folders are lumped into one database and can't be encrypted individually.

I've looked high and low and can't find where the Mail folders reside on my computer, so I can't see if I can encrypt only one while leaving the rest unencrypted. I am open to other Email clients as well - if anyone has suggestions I would be forever indebted.

The main thing is that we don't want to encrypt ALL of the emails, only 1 folder. Thanks in advance for any ideas at all.

Here's the path to the mailbox folders:

MacIntosh HD/Users/your user account/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes/

You must first unhide the user library folder which is hidden by default in Lion before you can access the mailboxes. Do this:

Open your terminal application by going to Applications, Utilities, Terminal.app

When the terminal dialog opens, type the following and press enter:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Once you've found the mailbox you wish to encrypt, you'll probably need a third party application to encrypt just that one mailbox folder. There may be other ways to do it also. Perhaps someone else can suggest something.

chscag said:

Here's the path to the mailbox folders:

MacIntosh HD/Users/your user account/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes/

You must first unhide the user library folder which is hidden by default in Lion before you can access the mailboxes. Do this:

Open your terminal application by going to Applications, Utilities, Terminal.app

When the terminal dialog opens, type the following and press enter:

chflags nohidden ~/Library/

Once you've found the mailbox you wish to encrypt, you'll probably need a third party application to encrypt just that one mailbox folder. There may be other ways to do it also. Perhaps someone else can suggest something.

Click to expand...

Thanks chscag, I was able to access the Library folders, but unfortunately the encrypting / hiding software I tested won't work with 'System' folders as they are somehow blocked from being messed with...

But at least the mailboxes are available as independent files. Now must just find a third party app undeterred by System folders... Any one have any suggestions?

Another option would simply be to stop allowing other people access to your account. Give them their own account -- that's the whole idea behind OS X in the first place.

chas_m said:

Another option would simply be to stop allowing other people access to your account. Give them their own account -- that's the whole idea behind OS X in the first place.

Click to expand...

Hi chas_m,
Yes, that would be an easier solution. However, the issue is that the user I'm setting this up for occasionally needs employees/tech support to clean up things in his general email, work with his contacts list, or access the general emails. Hence the need for an encrypted folder, to protect the confidential email, especially since neither Outlook nor Mail has password protection at all. We don't use exchange server or anything, so that's not an option either. But thanks for the thought. We may have to just create a separate email account in another user in order to get the password protection.