Apple mail settings preferences file

The Apple Mail settings preferences file is a configuration file that stores the settings and preferences for the Apple Mail application on a Mac. The file is typically located in the following directory:

~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData.plist

This file contains a variety of settings, including:

Account settings: such as email addresses, passwords, and server settings
Account types: such as IMAP, POP, or Exchange
Server settings: such as server addresses, ports, and authentication settings
Folder settings: such as folder names, locations, and permissions
Message settings: such as message formats, signatures, and attachments
Display settings: such as font sizes, colors, and layout options

The MailData.plist file is a property list file that is written in XML format. It contains a hierarchical structure of key-value pairs, where each key represents a setting or preference, and the value represents the value of that setting.

Here is an example of what the MailData.plist file might look like:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<!DOCTYPE plist PUBLIC "-//Apple//DTD PLIST 1.0//EN" "http://www.apple.com/DTDs/PropertyList-1.0.dtd">
<plist version="1.0">
  <dict>
    <key>Accounts</key>
    <array>
      <dict>
        <key>AccountType</key>
        <string>IMAP</string>
        <key>AuthenticationMethod</key>
        <string>PLAIN</string>
        <key>Host</key>
        <string>imap.gmail.com</string>
        <key>Password</key>
        <string>mysecretpassword</string>
        <key>Port</key>
        <integer>993</integer>
        <key>Username</key>
        <string>[email protected]</string>
      </dict>
    </array>
    <key>Folders</key>
    <dict>
      <key>INBOX</key>
      <string>/Users/username/Mail/INBOX</string>
      <key>Sent</key>
      <string>/Users/username/Mail/Sent</string>
    </dict>
    <key>MessageFormat</key>
    <string>HTML</string>
    <key>Signature</key>
    <string>&lt;div&gt;&lt;img src="cid:myimage" /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;</string>
  </dict>
</plist>

This example shows a few of the settings that are stored in the MailData.plist file, including account settings, folder settings, and message format settings.

It's worth noting that the MailData.plist file is specific to each user account on the Mac, and is stored in the user's ~/Library/Mail/V2 directory. If you want to share settings between multiple user accounts, you can create a separate MailData.plist file in the ~/Library/Mail/V2 directory and configure the settings accordingly.

Mail Knowledge

Apple mail settings preferences file