Mac mail rebuild not working

The infamous "Rebuild" option in Mac Mail!

If the "Rebuild" option in Mac Mail is not working for you, don't worry, I'm here to help you troubleshoot the issue. Here are some steps to try:

Before you start:

  1. Make sure you have backed up your Mac Mail data, as rebuilding your mailbox may delete some data.
  2. Try restarting your Mac and then launching Mac Mail to see if the issue persists.

Step 1: Check the Mailbox settings

  1. Go to Mail > Preferences > Accounts.
  2. Select your email account from the list.
  3. Click on the "Advanced" tab.
  4. Check that the "Rebuild" option is enabled. If it's not, toggle the switch to enable it.

Step 2: Check for corrupted mailbox files

  1. Go to the following folder: ~/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes
  2. Look for any files with a .mbox extension. These are your mailbox files.
  3. Try deleting any corrupted files (you can identify them by their size or date modified).
  4. Restart Mac Mail and see if the issue persists.

Step 3: Reset the Mail database

  1. Go to the following folder: ~/Library/Mail
  2. Delete the Envelope Index and Message Database files.
  3. Restart Mac Mail and see if the issue persists.

Step 4: Rebuild the mailbox manually

  1. Go to the following folder: ~/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes
  2. Look for the mailbox you want to rebuild (e.g., "Inbox.mbox").
  3. Right-click (or Control-click) on the mailbox file and select "Get Info".
  4. In the "Get Info" window, click on the "Open with" dropdown menu and select "Terminal".
  5. In the Terminal window, type the following command and press Enter: mbsync -c ~/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes/Inbox.mbox
  6. This command will rebuild the mailbox. Wait for the process to complete.

Step 5: Check for conflicts with other email clients

  1. If you're using multiple email clients or apps, try closing them all and then restarting Mac Mail.
  2. Check if any other email clients or apps are using the same mailbox files or causing conflicts.

Additional troubleshooting steps:

  1. Check the Mac Mail logs for any errors: ~/Library/Logs/DiagnosticReports/Mail*.crash
  2. Try resetting the NLS (Natural Language Support) settings: defaults write com.apple.mail NLSReset -bool true
  3. If none of the above steps work, try reinstalling Mac Mail or seeking assistance from Apple Support.

I hope these steps help you resolve the issue with the "Rebuild" option in Mac Mail!