Apple mail not indexing
The frustration of Apple Mail not indexing! Don't worry, I'm here to help you troubleshoot the issue.
Indexing is an essential process in Apple Mail that helps you quickly find specific emails. If it's not indexing, you might experience slow search performance or difficulty finding emails. Let's go through some steps to resolve the issue:
Step 1: Check for updates
Ensure your Mac is running the latest version of macOS and Apple Mail. Sometimes, updates can resolve indexing issues.
Step 2: Restart Apple Mail
Quit Apple Mail, then relaunch it. This simple step can often resolve indexing issues.
Step 3: Check for corrupted databases
Corrupted databases can cause indexing issues. To check and repair databases:
- Go to
~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData
(or~/Library/Mail/V3/MailData
for macOS Catalina or later). - Look for files with
.mbox
or.mboxindex
extensions. - Move these files to the Trash. This will force Apple Mail to rebuild the databases.
Step 4: Rebuild the index
To rebuild the index:
- Go to
Apple Menu
>System Preferences
>Mail, Contacts, Calendars
. - Click on
Accounts
and select your email account. - Click on
Advanced
and thenIMAP
(if you're using IMAP). - Click on
Rebuild
next toIndex
.
Step 5: Check for disk space
Low disk space can cause indexing issues. Ensure you have enough free space on your startup disk.
Step 6: Disable and re-enable indexing
Try disabling indexing and then re-enabling it:
- Go to
Apple Menu
>System Preferences
>Mail, Contacts, Calendars
. - Click on
Accounts
and select your email account. - Click on
Advanced
and thenIMAP
(if you're using IMAP). - Uncheck
Index
and then re-check it.
Step 7: Reset Apple Mail
If none of the above steps work, you can try resetting Apple Mail:
- Go to
Apple Menu
>System Preferences
>Mail, Contacts, Calendars
. - Click on
Accounts
and select your email account. - Click on
Advanced
and thenReset
next toMail
.
Step 8: Reinstall Apple Mail
As a last resort, you can try reinstalling Apple Mail:
- Go to
Applications
folder and drag Apple Mail to theTrash
. - Empty the
Trash
. - Go to the
App Store
and reinstall Apple Mail.
If none of these steps resolve the issue, you may want to consider seeking assistance from Apple Support or a professional IT expert.
I hope these steps help you resolve the indexing issue in Apple Mail!