Rules in Mail

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It would be useful to be able automatically to move e-mails saved to iCloud folders on iPhone or iPad to a named folder 'On My Mac' thereby increasing iOS storage capacity. At present such an option doesn't seem to exist.
 
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chas_m

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Is there a question in there? I do this all the time with my IMAP-based iCloud account.
 
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Is there a question in there? I do this all the time with my IMAP-based iCloud account.

It sounds as if there is! So how do you do it Chas? I tried looking in Rules but couldn't find a relevant option. For example, if I have a folder for a club or for banking in iCloud and a matching one with the same name 'On My Mac' I would like to be able to have it automatically moved to the latter as soon as I'm in range of my iMac.
 
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chas_m

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You just set up a mail box (not a Smart Mailbox in this case) for (name of club for example) in Mail, *then* set up a rule that all mail from (club address) gets moved (not copied, moved!) to (club mailbox), an example of which is presented below:

mailbox-rule.png

The key to this is that "move" command, and that you are moving it (not copying it) to a mailbox stored on your Mac rather than on the server. Don't make a corresponding folder on the server, that will just result in duplicate effort.

When the rule is executed on each mail run, any corresponding message is then REMOVED from your IMAP server (iCloud or whatever you're using), and MOVED to your locally-stored (club) mailbox. Obviously, it then falls on you to protect those locally-stored emails by backing them up using Time Machine or whatever, as there is no longer any copy of them on your IMAP provider's server.
 
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Mailboxes

You just set up a mail box (not a Smart Mailbox in this case) for (name of club for example) in Mail, *then* set up a rule that all mail from (club address) gets moved (not copied, moved!) to (club mailbox), an example of which is presented below:

View attachment 21464

The key to this is that "move" command, and that you are moving it (not copying it) to a mailbox stored on your Mac rather than on the server. Don't make a corresponding folder on the server, that will just result in duplicate effort.

When the rule is executed on each mail run, any corresponding message is then REMOVED from your IMAP server (iCloud or whatever you're using), and MOVED to your locally-stored (club) mailbox. Obviously, it then falls on you to protect those locally-stored emails by backing them up using Time Machine or whatever, as there is no longer any copy of them on your IMAP provider's server.

Thanks for the suggestions. I have now had a chance to consider them. The problem is that they don't come from the same address or, if they do, the subject matter may be unrelated.

What I do at the moment is save to a mailbox in the iCloud when away from my desk. Then, when I return to my desk, I move e-mails to their equivalent file On My Mac. This takes them off the server.

I tend to keep e-mails once they are filed so there are currently 16,335 in my Mail. Of course many of them are redundant but going through e-mails is laborious enough so I rarely get around to editing.
 

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