Q: Flags in Apple Mail Keep Changing To All Red
When I use flags to tag messages in my Apple Mail application, they all end up going to red. It happens when I change to a different folder and come back or after I quit and restart the application. I like to use the different colors to remind myself of urgent or to do or to wait to do etc etc... It would be really helpful to be able to use the different colors. Has anyone else had this problem or know how to fix it?
Using a MacBook Pro with OS X El Capitan Version 10.11.5 and Apple Mail Version 9.3 (3124).
Thanks,
-Scott
MacBook Pro with Retina display, OS X El Capitan (10.11.4)
Posted on Jun 15, 2016 3:45 PM
Community Specialists
Hey scottyincali,
Thanks for brining up your mail flag color changing issues here in the Apple Communities. I can offer some troubleshooting steps, but without having some isolation information for this issue, we may not immediately solve it.
The first thing we need to know is if the issue happens in Safe Mode and a Test User. Safe Mode will tell us if the issue is related to a startup item or plugins. A Test User will let us know if the issue is isolated to your account, or system wide. To do Sade Mode, please open this article: Try safe mode if your Mac doesn‘t finish starting up. Once inside Safe Mode, test and see if the issue is still occurring. If it is, please move on and make a Test User. You can make the Test User while you are in Safe Mode. How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac. You will need to set up the mail account and download the mail and test it here in the test user.
Now to use what we found from these isolation steps to resolve your issue. If the issue happens in both Safe Mode and the Test User, you can try reinstalling the operating system and see if that helps. This will not erase any of your personal data, but it is always recommended that you have a backup using Time Machine in case of any unforeseen issues. You can use this article to help make a backup: Use Time Machine to back up or restore your Mac. Once you have the backup, use this article to reinstall Mac OS X. How to reinstall OS X on your Mac
If the issues remain after a reinstallation of OS X, I recommend you erase the hard drive, which will remove all your personal data, and reinstall Mac OS X without your personal data on the computer. This article will help: Erase your drive and install OS X. If the issue does not happen without your personal data on the computer, you will want to migrate the data back to the computer. Do not restore from a backup as that will likely bring the issue right back in. This article will help: Move your content to a new Mac using the section "Use Migration Assistant".
If the issue does not happen in either Safe Mode or the Test User, I recommend contacting AppleCare at Contact Apple Support, because there are many folders to check to correct this, and they have more options available to assist you in resolving this quickly and easily.
Cheers.
Posted on Aug 30, 2016 3:27 PM