What does rebuild mailbox do in apple mail

In Apple Mail, the "Rebuild Mailbox" feature is used to rebuild the mailbox database and re-index the messages in your mailbox. This process can help resolve various issues with your mailbox, such as:

  1. Corrupted mailbox: If your mailbox becomes corrupted, rebuilding it can help restore it to a healthy state.
  2. Missing or duplicate messages: Rebuilding the mailbox can help resolve issues with missing or duplicate messages.
  3. Search issues: If you're experiencing issues with searching for messages, rebuilding the mailbox can help resolve these issues.
  4. Performance issues: Rebuilding the mailbox can help improve the performance of Apple Mail by re-indexing the messages and updating the mailbox database.

When you rebuild your mailbox, Apple Mail will:

  1. Delete the existing mailbox database and recreate a new one.
  2. Re-index all messages in your mailbox.
  3. Update the mailbox database with the latest information.

To rebuild your mailbox in Apple Mail:

  1. Open Apple Mail.
  2. Go to Mail > Preferences.
  3. Click on the Accounts tab.
  4. Select the account you want to rebuild from the list of accounts.
  5. Click on the Advanced tab.
  6. Click on the Rebuild Mailbox button.

Note: Rebuilding your mailbox will delete all messages, flags, and other mailbox settings. Before rebuilding your mailbox, make sure to back up your important messages and settings.

After rebuilding your mailbox, you may need to reconfigure your email account settings and re-sync your messages.