Recursively nested INBOX folders appear in mail.app

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I just recently switched from POP to IMAP and have experienced the same problem with the nested INBOX/??? folders. Also, my iPhone picks up these nested folders. My solution was to make sure I had a copy of the mail in my InBox and then deleted my Network Solutions IMAP account (within Apple Mail). I then recreated a new IMAP account and placed the mail back into my InBox. The nested INBOX folders are gone and Apple Mail is now storing Sent, Deleted, and Junk mail under the topmost INBOX. I hope this helps everyone else.

One problem with this, is that when I check the folder structure through my email host webmail portal, the nested inboxes appear there too. So recreating the account in mail, will simply read what is laid out over there.

This problem just started happening to me this morning as well.

I have more info that I should have added to my first post-sorry. Prior to recreating my ISP IMAP account within Apple Mail, I took it off-line, deleted the nested folders using my ISP's web-based e-mail interface. Next, I deleted my ISP IMAP Account and then recreated it. After these procedures, I was left with a single level folder structure (all folders located within INBOX). The cause of of the nested folders is the deletion of the folders via your ISP's web-based e-mail client instead of using Apple Mail. Note: I found some folders could not be deleted with Apple Mail. However, if I quit Apple Mail and reloaded it, sometimes I could delete these folders.

All,

I was able to resolve this issue by editing the com.apple.mail.plist (make a backup first). I opened that file, found the INBOX/INBOX/INBOX/INBOX/INBOX string under MailAccounts, edited it, saved, opened up mail and rebuilt. Problem solved.

DL Byron, when you say "edited it" what do you mean? Edited it to what?

And did this fix the problem only temporarily, or permanently?

Edited the string to remove the extraneous Inboxes .. . like this

Before
INBOX/INBOX/INBOX/INBOX/INBOX/Drafts (Acct Name)

After
INBOX/Drafts (Acct Name)

That string was found under Mail Accounts > 0

The fix has worked now for 4 days. That's not to say it won't come back because of some glitch in Mail, but I think it's a simpler problem/solution than described above. My guess is that I exited the app before the drafts directory had synced and then on the next start up, it was out of sync, and recursively tried to resync.

Hey Ken,

This is Bob Roth. I am running a Internet company and want to contact you with some questions and to see if you are still in the area doing Mac Work. <Edited by Moderator>

I had the same issues on three of my computers, all of them running Leopard 10.5.6, and I solved it a few days ago by performing the following steps:

1. Quit Mail.app
2. In Terminal.app, navigate to ~/Library/Preferences
3. Issue "plutil -convert xml1 com.apple.mail.plist" (create a copy of this file first)
4. Open the plist in your favourite text editor
5. Find and replace "/INBOX/" with "/", repeat this until now more occurences are found
6. Save the file, then start Mail.app

Your nested INBOX folders should have disappeared. I did a "Mailbox -> Rebuild" just to be sure. The solution now holds for more than a week.

Dan, I find my nested INBOXs come back after quitting mail. Have you quit and restarted Mail and still not had the INBOXs come back?

Thanks,
-josh

I seem to have solved this on my laptop.

The problem appears to be with creating other folders in the INBOX folder. The answer for me lay in the com.apple.mail.plist and sorting out my folders online with my webmail.

First I shut down my Mail.app, then I opened com.apple.mail.plist

I edited my mail accounts and removed any INBOX prefix on my Drafts, Notes, Sent Messages, Deleted Messages, Apple Mail To Do (ie NOT 'INBOX/Sent Messages', but 'Sent Messages'). Saved the plist.

Then I went online to my webmail and created these folder with the identical name I gave them in the plist. However, I created on the same level as the INBOX and NOT as a child level.

I exited out of my webmail.

Opened Mail.app and rebuilt the mailbox.

So far all is running well. I'll let you know if things change

Message was edited by: svs7777

I am having this same problem and am a little confused editing the com.apple.mail.plist file. there are so many /Inbox in that file, I am not sure which ones and how much before and after them to delete.

any thoughts or any way to make this easier?

thanks!

I had this problem with my trash folder and was able to solve it using the methods detailed in this thread. However, the problem occurred again later with the "Apple Mail To Do" folder, and I would reappear almost as soon as I went through the process of fixing it. It's only been a while, and so its too soon to say that this will last, but going to Mail > Preferences > Composing, and setting the "Create Notes and To Do's In:" pull-down menu to "On My Mac," seems to have fixed this. Of course, this is not a perfect fix if you actually use the "To Do's" function, but IMO that's worth giving up if in exchange a mailbox free of 99 INBOXes.

Well, I spoke too soon, I'm afraid. Just after that last post I have "Apple Mail To Do," INBOXed seven layers deep. At least that last post and this apology will bump the thread, I guess ; (

anyone know if this is going to be fixed anytime soon? I can't delete the nested folders as I don't have access to a web interface for my email account (work email)

im up to about 20 deep now and no matter how many times i try and delete they come back everytime mail is launched.