Mac MAIL mailboxes

[exgarymac]

I have recently changed my email service from an external supplier to Icloud and El Capitan has set up a different mailbox structure and handling.
Instead of a single set of SENT, DRAFT, JUNK and TRASH folders on my MAC I now have one set of these for each email address - Is there a setting to revert to a single set on my MAC?
Also, when I send a mail, then perhaps forward a copy of that mail elsewhere, the original does not get filed in my SENT folder but moves to an attachmenton the third part forwarded message which makes it very difficult to trace the original later. Is there a setting to keep everything separate as before?
Richard

 

[IWT]

HI Richard and welcome.

Don't know if this helps but:

All iCloud email accounts are IMAP which behave differently from POP3 accounts which you may possibly have had before.

You can decide whether you want the Mailboxes associated with iCloud to be shared across your various iDevices and Macs and/or whether you want to create and store Mail "On My Mac".

If you choose the latter, you can create as many Mailboxes, Smart Mailboxes and so forth on your Mac as you like.

I suspect that, at the moment, you may have a bit of both - hence the duplication.

Ian

 

[pm-r]

I have recently changed my email service from an external supplier to Icloud and El Capitan has set up a different mailbox structure and handling.

I don't know what you mean by you "have recently changed my email service from an external supplier to Icloud"

and you may want to check with your ISP.
'
And a screen shot would probably help to show how you have them displayed.

the original does not get filed in my SENT folder

No it doesn't, the original normally stays where it was delivered to, you particular "In" mailbox.

PS: Do all the duplicate mailboxes have email messages in any of them?





- Patrick
======

 

[exgarymac]

I am getting into a real mess here.
My old ISP provided me with addresses which I have been using, but for several reasons they have become unreliable.(they use POP & SMTP)
So I decided to open addresses on my MACbook Pro through Icloud which uses IMAP. They are working fine too but with the additional file boxes for each of the new addresses - which contain nothing.
Whenever I initiate an email in Icloud it says my primary address is still my old email address so sends from that email address even though I am in my new address function.
I cannot find anywhere to change my Primary email address in Icloud so all new emails emanate from the Icloud addresses.

 

[MacInWin]

You can get Apple help here: https://www.apple.com/support/mail-settings-lookup/

Entering your iCloud email address will get you all the settings for Mail to set up the account. Once the settings are correct, you can use Mail Preferences to ensure that the return address is what you want.

 

[exgarymac]

Thank you all for your suggestions, but I guess I am not explaining myself well enough because the ideas are not working. Lets try again step by step.....
I have a Macbook Pro running El Capitan.
On that MAC I have two email accounts (POP/SMTP) from my old PC running in the MAIL App, which the MAC handles properly.
The supplier of those old email addresses has become unreliable so I want to ditch them.
I have set up email addresses @icloud and they work in and out.
BUT when I create a message to send, MAC decides it is sent from the OLD email address supplier NOT my new Icloud address, although SOMETIMES it does give a drop down option to change the sending platform. If I do not notice, the recipients will reply to my OLD address.
I want to DELETE the old email address functions completely from my MAC - not just disable, so the only email facility on my MAC are the Icloud addresses.
That should give be just Icloud details.
Apple>system preferences>internet accounts will not let me touch anything because it is my OLD email address which is the Primary account.
I assume I need, somehow to change the PRIMARY account to one of my new Icloud addresses......................................But how??????
Hope that helps, or if there is a UK helpline somewhere which I can phone that might be useful.
Thanks for reading this far.
Richard

 

[MacInWin]

Open Mail Preferences. (Not System preferences, the Preferences IN Mail.) Click on the Accounts tab. Do NOT click on the Accounts tab when you first click on "Mail" to get to preferences as that will take you to the System Preferences page that you have found doesn't work. Click on "Mail" then "Preferences" and then "Accounts."

Delete the accounts you don't want. Boom, gone. NOTE: I don't know what will happen to the old mail from those deleted accounts so you may want to archive any of them you think you need to keep. Also note that if one of those accounts is the contact account for your AppleID you will probably have issues with your AppleID. So what I would do is edit your Apple ID contact email first (do that here https://appleid.apple.com/#!&page=signin ), then delete the offending accounts. That way Apple can contact you through the registered email with your Apple ID.

 

[pm-r]

Delete the accounts you don't want. Boom, gone. NOTE: I don't know what will happen to the old mail from those deleted accounts so you may want to archive any of them you think you need to keep.

It would be much easier to just uncheck the "Enable this account" from their or the Mail > Preferences > Accounts tab.
Doing so will just disable that account but keep all the emails available.




- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

Patrick, I'm not sure that would disable the use of the SMTP for that account to send email. I've had several email providers who kept coming back like zombies until I actually deleted the account. But it's definitely worth a try to see if it fixes the issue for exgarymac.

 

[pm-r]

Patrick, I'm not sure that would disable the use of the SMTP for that account to send email.

I'm not positive either Jake and I only have one apple iMAP Mail account that I hardly ever use.

The Mail Help does say:

Enable this account
Make an account active or inactive. When you disable an account, it’s taken offline, and its mailboxes and messages don’t appear in Mail.

So theoretically, the Mail account should be offline and non-functional when disabled.

Well, at least in theory as Apple says so. ;D





- Patrick
======

 

[pm-r]

I was just thinking besides disabling their "interferring mail accounts", if they set the account options as per my older Mavericks Mail Preference, but set their prefef as to what might suit them better. They can click that area and see what options are available to them.

I use this setting as it helps keep thing in order as to what's being used with each account, or replying to most emails.

And yes I occasionally goof up and send from the account I didn't want to use, but it mostly works:





- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

I think part of the challenge is that those settings are for "new" messages. But when I responded to someone, the "From:" was always the "To:" that they used. And if they used multiple "To:" addresses, and one worked, Mail seemed to go back to the SMTP for the first "TO:" address. But all of this was some time ago and those brain cells have been long ago recycled, so don't quote me on any of it!

 

[pm-r]

But all of this was some time ago and those brain cells have been long ago recycled, so don't quote me on any of it!

You can be thankful Jake that at least your brain cell got recycled, as my Doctor just tells me that my age and my red wine and a few beers killed off most of mine and no chance of any recycling!!!

Bottom line I guess is to check before clicking any send button or icon. The computer can't be expected to do everything for us.




- Patrick
======

 

[IWT]

my Doctor just tells me that my age and my red wine and a few beers killed off most of mine and no chance of any recycling

But Patrick; think what you've done for the economy - single handed. Such self-sacrifice.

You deserve the Order of Canada.

Ian

 

[exgarymac]

Jake......and everyone.
That seems to have worked fine - I am so relieved because tackling things like this which I don't fully understand is always difficult.
Anyway, I have removed the accounts successfully and tried creating some messages. Pleased to say that the old email provider is not offered anymore.
Thank you all so much for your input. I am definitely a MAC convert now but there is clearly still much to learn.
By the way, the web address you gave me to get at my Apple ID included a number sign. Failed again at that fence because I cannot find a number sign on my Macbook. I took a chance and tried the +/- key and it accepted that.
Richard

 

[exgarymac]

Just to confirm, too, that after removal of the extinct email addresses all their associated mail files seem to have been retained unharmed.
Richard

 

[MacInWin]

Glad you got it sorted. To get to that site, all you had to do was click on the link I provided. On my keyboard the # is on the number 3 key, so shift-3 is #.

 

[pm-r]

By the way, the web address you gave me to get at my Apple ID included a number sign. Failed again at that fence because I cannot find a number sign on my Macbook. I took a chance and tried the +/- key and it accepted that.
Richard

BTW: You shouldn't need to type in any URL that someone provides as just a tap or click or right-click(for options) on it will usually work.

PS: What keyboard or language are you using???

Maybe these could help:
https://computers.tutsplus.com/tutorials/a-guide-to-special-characters-on-your-mac--mac-55094

https://keyshorts.com/blogs/blog/41999105-the-ultimate-guide-to-macbook-keyboard






- Patrick
======

 

[exgarymac]

Thank you Patrick I am learning all the time.The keyboard here in the UK has shift 3 as £.

Next problem.......After receiving an email, if I then forward that mail elsewhere the original is lost from my inbox but has gone to the SENT file attached to the message sending it to a third party. Thus very difficult to trace later. Is there a setting to leave forwarded messages in the inbox for later reference?
Richard

 

[MacInWin]

Curious, what's over the number 4 key? My keyboard has a $ there.

Anyway, one quick way to solve the problem is to add your own address to the BCC: line in the email for each forwarded message. That way it appears in your inbox again.

You might also look at the View menu in Mail. I have "Organize by conversation" checked. That way threads of emails are together as a "conversation" instead of being spread out. I don't know if that would change the behavior you are seeing or not.