Does deleting mail in mac mail app delete on server
By default, when you delete an email message in the Mac Mail app, it only deletes the local copy of the message from your Mac's hard drive. The message remains on the email server, unless you have specifically configured your account settings to delete messages on the server as well.
Here's what happens when you delete a message in Mac Mail:
- The message is marked as "Deleted" on the server, but it's not actually deleted. This is because the server doesn't know that you've deleted the message locally.
- The next time you sync your email account with the server (e.g., when you check for new mail), the deleted message will be removed from your account on the server.
To delete messages on the server as well, you need to enable the "Expunge" or "Delete on Server" option in your account settings. This option varies depending on the type of email account you're using:
IMAP accounts:
- Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > [Your Account Name] > Advanced.
- Select the "Expunge deleted messages" checkbox.
POP accounts:
- Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > [Your Account Name] > Advanced.
- Select the "Remove from server after expunging" checkbox.
Exchange accounts:
- Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts > [Your Account Name] > Advanced.
- Select the "Delete messages on server" checkbox.
Keep in mind that enabling "Expunge" or "Delete on Server" can have implications for your email account, such as:
- You may lose access to deleted messages if you need to recover them.
- You may not be able to recover deleted messages if you've already synced your account with the server.
- Some email providers may have specific policies or restrictions on deleting messages on their servers.
Before enabling "Expunge" or "Delete on Server", make sure you understand the implications and have a backup of your important emails.