Multiple Copies of Emails

In my case the issue is still fixed since 10.6.2. I'm very sorry that the fix didn't help all and still do not understand what is the fault. But now since about 3 weeks no duplicates anymore, I'm very happy, hope it lasts.

Regards Thomas

Open the Inbox (one account at a time if multiple accounts), click on Mailbox in the Menubar, and choose Rebuild. Wait patiently for Rebuild to complete and be aware that for a short time all messages will disappear. After rebuilding each Inbox, try deleting again.

For safety's sake, you can use the Finder to make a duplicate of the Mail folder (Home/Library) and drag the resulting copy to the Desktop for temporary backup.

Ernie

Hi friends (reckon I can call you all that now .. we've been together for so long .. ),

I've had a thought for a possible temporary solution to this problem while we await Apple's solution in the fullness of time. It may be a bit crude, but we're beyond caring aren't we?

I'm a non-geek who manages to create the odd very primitive applescript with the help of Google. I've created one that trashes the "MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3" file. I'm wondering whether it's possible (using Automator, perhaps?) to schedule it to run at regular intervals through the day and/or on certain triggers such as e-mail download or something. But my geekery doesn't stretch that far. Can anyone help?

Thanks.

Progress:

In case anyone thinks my theory may be other than a flight of folly, here's the latest ..

I've now managed to create a Folder action script (using Automator) attached to the "Messages" folders within the INBOX and Junk mailboxes of the two e-mail accounts that have this problem. (It's never happened even once on either of the other two.) The script does the same thing as the applescript I created last night - i.e. trashes the file "MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3".

Those real geeks among you are probably reaching for your respirators whilst convulsing on the floor with hysteria. But me? I feel like a pro! 😉

Watch this space ...

Good morning all,

I have another version of the duplicate email dilemma. Since upgrade to SL, some of my e-mails duplicate most of the time. It is only messages that I receive either from a on-line forum or subscription (e.g. Yahoo Groups mass mailing). The messages duplicate only most of the time and do so on my Macbook, iMac, iPhone and MobileMe. They are sent to aliases in most cases and my mail preferences have only one active account in Mail...my MobileMe account with 2 email addresses listed (.me and .mac).

I do not find the file MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3 anywhere yet.

Hope someone can help....thnx!

Tim

Any help or suggestions? Thanks.

BBJ_Tim wrote:
Good morning all,

I have another version of the duplicate email dilemma. Since upgrade to SL, some of my e-mails duplicate most of the time. It is only messages that I receive either from a on-line forum or subscription (e.g. Yahoo Groups mass mailing). The messages duplicate only most of the time and do so on my Macbook, iMac, iPhone and MobileMe. They are sent to aliases in most cases and my mail preferences have only one active account in Mail...my MobileMe account with 2 email addresses listed (.me and .mac).

I do not find the file MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3 anywhere yet.

Hope someone can help....thnx!

Tim

You won't have the MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3 file if you're just using .mac/mobileme as this uses the IMAP email protocol, not POP3 to which this file applies.

If you're even getting the duplicates when you check at www.me.com, it suggests that it's not a computer problem, it's probably just you're duplicating aliases, for example getting one e-mail address to copy e-mails to another, but then retrieving the message from both. Not sure why this would be occasional though, maybe it's only these senders who are using a particular alias?

Message was edited by: NightFox

Got a new twist on this issue. I've been having problems with some IMAP accounts since upgrading to SL direct from Tiger. Although the Activity window shows lots of movement, no mail was ever moving. No mail in the inbox, even though the web interface shows older ones and new mail as it comes in. NADA.

So I disable the IMAP account and add them in as POP accounts. Presto, mail is flowing. So much that I believe their are ghosts someplace. I got mail from six months ago when the web interface to the same account shows no mail older than about a month.

I had switched from POP to IMAP a while back and it seems like it pulled some shadow of the previous knowledge of the POP version when I built a new account pointing to the POP mailbox.

Are there too many files lurking in the shadows that drive the Mail.app? Where the heck did it get this, and why wasn't I able to successfully run these accounts as IMAP?

By the way, I Rebuilt the two mailboxes that showed non-existent mail and poof they empties. Not even the mail that the web interface shows in the INBOX shows up now, so I think I'm in for the same old problem of the seemingly empty mailbox. This stinks. I'm thinking of installing (gag) Entourage so I can be back online. (hack, cough).

Apple... Come on, don't be like MicroSloth. Don't make applications that are so entwined with the OS and hidden files that mere mortals can't operate them without saying incantations and crossing our fingers. Or at LEAST put out some decent manuals about the REAL way the stuff works, including usage of hidden and obscure files / folders. In your attempt to show how easy your stuff is your manuals have become a joke ("plug it in, turn it on, use it without a care").

Message was edited by: rustys6004 - Updated status after REBUILD.

hi I've had this problem just recently. I've had SL since it's release, did clean install and use rsync in terminal vs. TM. It seems to have started when I opened a new gmail account to replace my isp account (comcast) that was originally started years ago on my parents comcast account. For the new gmail i kept the same user name as the comcast and still have the comcast in my mail app (til i feel comfortable ditching it). I've noticed this happen since the Gmail account which I had set up as POP. But a few other things I've noticed that others havn't pointed out. When I click on the individual account mailboxes no duplicates, but when I click on all mailboxes duplicates galore. Also I have a first gen iPod touch w/ OS 3.0 installed and use notes on it, and the notes also get duplicated. Just a couple things I just like being able to use the all mailboxes. I just saw a video on CNET about forwarding old email accounts mail to gmail so I might try that and see what happens when i get rid of the comcast account.

hope those get someones brain going.
thanks,
eric

I was having a similar issue, all of my .mac or mobileme emails were duplicated, I was receiving 2 of everything.

I tracked the problem down to a setting on a gmail account that I had which was set to check other email accounts. Sounds strange but somehow, after shutting off that setting in gmail, I no longer receive duplicate email on my .mac account...

Check you other email accounts if you have one and see if it solves the problem.

Hi all,

I'd be interested in knowing whether this thread has gone quiet because most people no longer have the problem, or because we've all just given hope that anything will happen before 10.6.3 ... ?

Well anyway, it's still happening here - daily 😟 on 10.6.2 . I'm noticing that it happens on two of my 4 accounts, almost exclusively with spam messages (and/or messages that my antispam software rates as spam - usually correctly). Almost never happens with legitimate messages.

Anyone have any new clues on what's going on at the Apple end ... ?

Still a problem on my end but ONLY when I have rules set up to move e-mail from a distro forum into a specific folder. It's like it decides to move it on my computer and maybe MobileMe and then dublicates the file on my computer.

I had Snow Leopard installed and running Mail just fine with no problems, until I also hooked up my MacMini with Snow Leopard on the network. All of a sudden, on both computers, ALL accounts were disabled. When I rechecked Enable, now I'm getting duplicate - up to 5 copies of the same thing, including old email. I tried deleting the MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3 file - I've reopened Mail several times, and I'm still getting the problem.

I really wonder if it has something to do with Mail now having two accounts - one is the .mac, the other .me. I'm assuming this has something to do with Apple trying to get us to go with .me. I also have aliases with my .mac account, plus I have at least 4 other domains with a couple of email addresses. It's worst on my .mac account, so I don't think it has to do with my other host. The last post on this subject was back in August 2009 - has there been a fix on this?

As I said, I thought it might have something to do with the .mac and the .me both delivering mail? But if I try to disable one, my aliases don't seem to work. This is driving me crazy!

Hello,

I was having the same issue, and came across an old hint (from 2001 at Mac OS X hints)

It states:

Avoid receiving duplicate emails in Mail.app
Sun, Dec 23 2001 at 9:54AM PST • Contributed by: NikWest
There is a hidden default for Mail, which I do not think has been mentioned here. You can avoid receiving duplicate Messages (e.g. from mailing lists) by opening a Terminal and typing:
defaults write com.apple.mail UniqueMessagesBeforeRouting 1
Before receiving the whole message, the message ID (a mail header) will be checked. If there's already a mail with this message ID, it will be discarded.

To disable the feature, repeat the command with a '0' at the end instead of a '1'.

This seems to work for now, any one else willing to try?

This has been going on now for months or years, and that Apple has not replied to this thread, released a patch or offered any kind of fix is just complete BS.

The easy "fix" is to set your accounts to delete the copy on the server immediately it is downloaded. But of course this makes it unavailable on your iPhone or any other mac or pc you use for access to email. Meaning it is no fix at all.

I have tried all the suggestions offered in this thread with no success.

I have spent hours on this issue, as obviously have countless others without ANY response from the techs who monitor this site. My attempt to reach Apple Support to schedule a call was unsuccessful because their system is down right now for maintenance, which did nothing to improve my mood.

Gome on Apple, get your act together and if you don't have a fix at least have the decency to let us know so we can all stop screwing around looking for a solution and so we can wait, for what? - another six months? for you to supply an answer or a fix.

This is definitely a Mail.app or SnowLeopard bug, so own up to it and most of all deal with it and pronto.

We all I think want to leave copies of our mail on the server so we have back ups, and to be able to access it from various machines.

This is BS, unacceptable and needs to be dealt with at last.

We didn't buy premium computers to have to deal with crap like this, so get your effing fingers out.