Apple mail meilbox rebuild

A classic challenge!

Rebuilding an Apple Mail mailbox from scratch can be a bit tedious, but it's doable. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you through the process:

Before you start:

  1. Backup your data: Before you begin, make sure to backup your existing mailbox data using the "Export" feature in Apple Mail. This will ensure that you don't lose any important emails or contacts.
  2. Create a new mailbox: Go to Apple Mail > File > New Mailbox... and create a new mailbox with a name that you'll remember (e.g., "Rebuilt Mailbox").

Step 1: Rebuild your mailbox structure

  1. Create folders: Create the same folder structure as your original mailbox. You can do this by going to Apple Mail > File > New Folder... and creating new folders with the same names as your original folders.
  2. Move emails to new folders: Move emails from your original mailbox to their corresponding new folders. You can do this by selecting multiple emails, right-clicking, and choosing "Move to Folder...".

Step 2: Rebuild your contacts

  1. Export contacts: Go to Apple Mail > File > Export... and select "Contacts" as the export format. Save the file to a location on your computer.
  2. Import contacts: Go to Apple Mail > File > Import... and select the contacts file you just exported. This will import your contacts into your new mailbox.

Step 3: Rebuild your rules and filters

  1. Export rules: Go to Apple Mail > Preferences > Rules... and select "Export" to export your rules to a file.
  2. Import rules: Go to Apple Mail > Preferences > Rules... and select "Import" to import the rules file you exported earlier.

Step 4: Rebuild your account settings

  1. Export account settings: Go to Apple Mail > Preferences > Accounts... and select "Export" to export your account settings to a file.
  2. Import account settings: Go to Apple Mail > Preferences > Accounts... and select "Import" to import the account settings file you exported earlier.

Step 5: Verify your rebuilt mailbox

  1. Check your mailbox structure: Verify that your mailbox structure is correct and that all emails are in their corresponding folders.
  2. Check your contacts: Verify that all your contacts are imported correctly.
  3. Check your rules and filters: Verify that all your rules and filters are working correctly.

That's it! With these steps, you should be able to rebuild your Apple Mail mailbox from scratch. Remember to backup your data regularly to avoid losing important information in the future.