Managing Your Mail
Confused by email mailboxes and storage options in Apple Mail? It’s actually pretty simple. You can keep your email in three different places: on the server, in local mailboxes in Mail, or in a saved archive on your computer. Where you choose to store your messages will depend on how easily you need to be able to access them, how important they are, and how long you want to keep them.
Server Mailboxes:
Messages stored on a server are accessible by any device that is connected to the server. But, the server has to keep track of all of the messages for syncing purposes, the more messages you have the more the server has to track. When mailboxes get thousands of messages in them you may notice that your mail starts to run more slowly. Also, most mail servers have limits to how much mail can be stored on the server. If you notice your mailboxes take a while to open or you are getting warnings about running out of space on the mail server then you should consider moving some email off the server to local mailboxes on your computer.
Local Mailboxes:
These are the mailboxes that you see under the On My Mac section in Apple Mail. These messages can be accessed directly through Apple Mail, but only from the local computer on which they are physically saved. Apple Mail can easily handle local folders with tens of thousands of messages. Messages in local mailboxes can also be backed up in the same way you back up all of your computer content.
Archived Mailboxes:
This is where messages can be saved as an archive into the Finder. To archive messages, choose Mail, Mailbox and then Archive Mailbox. This will copy the entire Mailbox into Finder in a compact “mbox” format. These messages are still on your local computer, but not cluttering up your Mail program. When you need to get at these messages, put them back into Mail using the File, Import command. Like anything on your computer, these files can also be backed up using your backup program.
Which option is best for you? If you need to easily access your messages from several devices, you’ll want to keep them on the server. When you get too many messages on the server, you’ll need to choose one of the two places on your local computer. On my Mac is a good place for current messages that you may need to be able to easily access. Archive is often best for longer term storage.
When you drag your messages into the On my Mac section of Mail, it will copy the messages from the server onto the local account. To prevent potential server problems, only do about a thousand messages at a time. If you drag the messages from any folder (other than the trash) on the server, the server will move those messages to the Trash folder on the server. Once your server’s Trash is emptied (manually or automatically in some cases) they will no longer be on the server. If you drag messages from the Trash on the server to your local folders, those messages will be deleted immediately from the server.
When you choose to create an archive of your messages, you will only be making a copy of the messages. So, you’ll need to physically delete the original messages from the server or the On My Mac section of your computer.
It’s very important, whatever you do, not to accidentally delete messages. Remember, deleting emails is always a two step process. Whenever email is deleted from any mailbox (except for Trash) it's first moved to the Trash folder. Once it’s deleted from Trash, it's gone forever. The Trash folder is not meant to be a long term storage area (just like the trash cans at your house). Messages that you may want later but don’t want to keep in your inbox should be filed in a folder. Only Messages that you truly don’t want anymore should be put in trash. We recommend that all Trash folders be set to automatically delete after a period of time. This can be set through Mail by choosing Mail, Preferences, Accounts.
Messages stored on a server are accessible by any device that is connected to the server. But, the server has to keep track of all of the messages for syncing purposes, the more messages you have the more the server has to track. When mailboxes get thousands of messages in them you may notice that your mail starts to run more slowly. Also, most mail servers have limits to how much mail can be stored on the server. If you notice your mailboxes take a while to open or you are getting warnings about running out of space on the mail server then you should consider moving some email off the server to local mailboxes on your computer.
Local Mailboxes:
These are the mailboxes that you see under the On My Mac section in Apple Mail. These messages can be accessed directly through Apple Mail, but only from the local computer on which they are physically saved. Apple Mail can easily handle local folders with tens of thousands of messages. Messages in local mailboxes can also be backed up in the same way you back up all of your computer content.
Archived Mailboxes:
This is where messages can be saved as an archive into the Finder. To archive messages, choose Mail, Mailbox and then Archive Mailbox. This will copy the entire Mailbox into Finder in a compact “mbox” format. These messages are still on your local computer, but not cluttering up your Mail program. When you need to get at these messages, put them back into Mail using the File, Import command. Like anything on your computer, these files can also be backed up using your backup program.
Which option is best for you? If you need to easily access your messages from several devices, you’ll want to keep them on the server. When you get too many messages on the server, you’ll need to choose one of the two places on your local computer. On my Mac is a good place for current messages that you may need to be able to easily access. Archive is often best for longer term storage.
When you drag your messages into the On my Mac section of Mail, it will copy the messages from the server onto the local account. To prevent potential server problems, only do about a thousand messages at a time. If you drag the messages from any folder (other than the trash) on the server, the server will move those messages to the Trash folder on the server. Once your server’s Trash is emptied (manually or automatically in some cases) they will no longer be on the server. If you drag messages from the Trash on the server to your local folders, those messages will be deleted immediately from the server.
When you choose to create an archive of your messages, you will only be making a copy of the messages. So, you’ll need to physically delete the original messages from the server or the On My Mac section of your computer.
It’s very important, whatever you do, not to accidentally delete messages. Remember, deleting emails is always a two step process. Whenever email is deleted from any mailbox (except for Trash) it's first moved to the Trash folder. Once it’s deleted from Trash, it's gone forever. The Trash folder is not meant to be a long term storage area (just like the trash cans at your house). Messages that you may want later but don’t want to keep in your inbox should be filed in a folder. Only Messages that you truly don’t want anymore should be put in trash. We recommend that all Trash folders be set to automatically delete after a period of time. This can be set through Mail by choosing Mail, Preferences, Accounts.