Where does mac mail store emails

Mac Mail, also known as Mail.app, stores emails in a few different locations on your Mac, depending on the type of account you're using and the settings you've chosen. Here are some common locations where Mac Mail stores emails:

  1. ~/Library/Mail: This is the default location where Mac Mail stores emails for IMAP (Internet Message Access Protocol) accounts, such as Gmail, Yahoo, or Outlook.com. This folder contains a subfolder for each account, and within each subfolder, there are folders for each mailbox (e.g., Inbox, Sent, Drafts, etc.).
  2. ~/Library/Mail/V2/Mailboxes: This is the location where Mac Mail stores emails for POP (Post Office Protocol) accounts, such as AOL or Hotmail. This folder contains a subfolder for each account, and within each subfolder, there are folders for each mailbox (e.g., Inbox, Sent, Drafts, etc.).
  3. ~/Library/Mail/Envelope Index: This is a database file that stores information about each email, including the sender, recipient, subject, and date. This file is used to quickly search and retrieve emails.
  4. ~/Library/Mail/Attachments: This is a folder where Mac Mail stores attachments for emails. Each attachment is stored in a separate file with a unique name.
  5. ~/Library/Mail/Spam: This is a folder where Mac Mail stores spam emails that have been flagged as spam.

When you delete an email from Mac Mail, it's actually moved to the "Trash" folder, which is located in the same directory as the email. If you empty the Trash folder, the emails are permanently deleted.

Keep in mind that these locations are specific to the user account you're using on your Mac. If you have multiple user accounts on your Mac, each account will have its own set of email folders and files.

I hope that helps!