pattypotomus

Q: I can't delete mailbox "On My Mac"

I have checked my Mail/V2/Account folders and I have all permissions. I have deleted the account the mailboxes were linked to. However, Mail will not let me delete these mailboxes. Everytime I choose "Delete Mailbox" it makes a sound (the no new mail sound) and the mailbox is still there.

 

It is important for to delete these mailboxes as I have recently quit my job and neep to clean my computer of sensative information.

MacBook Pro (13-inch, Mid 2012), OS X Mountain Lion (10.8.2)

Posted on Oct 1, 2012 6:19 AM

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Q: I can't delete mailbox "On My Mac"

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  • by Lucylastix,Apple recommended

    Lucylastix Lucylastix Feb 13, 2013 6:57 AM in response to pattypotomus
    Level 1 (10 points)
    Feb 13, 2013 6:57 AM in response to pattypotomus

    Not sure if you ever solved this but I stumbled upon your question after spending hours trying to do this myself.

     

    I followed all sorts of advice - finding the mail folder, moving the mailboxes etc etc... But every time I re-opened mail they were still there and the files I'd moved were back where they started!

     

    Anyway - turns out is really simple.....

     

    Open Mail

    Open Preferences (in the Mail menu)

    Select the Accounts tab

    Highlhight the account you want to delete

    Find the + and - buttons to the bottom left of the window

    Select the - button and volia! Pesky mailbox that has wasted far too much of my life already, is now gone!

     

    Hope this stops you or someone else from wasting any more of your life on what's actually a really simple thing!

  • by Gtrseller,

    Gtrseller Gtrseller Feb 16, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Feb 16, 2013 9:38 AM in response to Lucylastix

    This worked perfectly.  After over a year of using Mac Mail for my AOL account it suddenly went nuts.  I figured that if I deleted the account and started over, as we often have to do on our cell phones, that all would be well.

    The problem was figuring out how to delete the old account, and then I found this answer by doing a Google search.

     

    I am pleased to report that the solution as described by Lucylastix is all that needs to be done.

     

    After deleting the AOL account, I simply set it up again as a new mail box, everything is now working again as before, and I am back to not having to deal with the sluggish, ad laden AOL progam.

  • by Myjourney,

    Myjourney Myjourney Jul 27, 2014 1:01 PM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Jul 27, 2014 1:01 PM in response to Lucylastix

    I looked at and tried every other "technical" reply, and oddly enough the simplest one is the one that worked.  Thank-you.

  • by dianeoforegon,

    dianeoforegon dianeoforegon Jul 28, 2014 3:20 PM in response to pattypotomus
    Level 5 (5,731 points)
    Mac OS X
    Jul 28, 2014 3:20 PM in response to pattypotomus

    That's why Apple hid the User's Library folder. :-)

     

    Users that try to delete Time Machine backup files via the backdoor by going into the Backups.backupdb run into similar issues. The files will fail to delete from the trash and you can't put back.

  • by laurenfardell,

    laurenfardell laurenfardell Jul 30, 2014 8:50 PM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (4 points)
    iPhone
    Jul 30, 2014 8:50 PM in response to Lucylastix

    Thank you SO much! You've saved me and my crappy week

  • by powerdamac,

    powerdamac powerdamac Apr 28, 2015 7:21 AM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Apr 28, 2015 7:21 AM in response to Lucylastix

    Thank you so much. It really works.

  • by wndrnnr,

    wndrnnr wndrnnr Aug 7, 2015 8:26 AM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Aug 7, 2015 8:26 AM in response to Lucylastix

    Thank you! I wasted a month until I found your reply!!

  • by Olulabelle,

    Olulabelle Olulabelle Dec 10, 2015 3:02 PM in response to laurenfardell
    Level 1 (0 points)
    Dec 10, 2015 3:02 PM in response to laurenfardell

    Thanks Lucylastix

     

    I had a mailbox I couldn't delete because it was linked to iCloud too, but I followed your process and got a prompt to delete it via iCloud and now I have. 

  • by johncstam,

    johncstam johncstam Sep 27, 2016 11:30 AM in response to Lucylastix
    Level 1 (4 points)
    Sep 27, 2016 11:30 AM in response to Lucylastix

    Its been over three years since you posted this, but it was of great help to me as well. Thanks so much. It was an issue because it is an internet email account and tied to iCloud.