Mail Not Sorting new Folders Added Alphbetically

I think it's a new feature in the newer versions of Apple Mail, not sure when it got added but I'm running 4.2 (1077). The way I understand it is that in each mail account folder (/User/<username>/Library/Mail/<mailbox-name> there is a file called .mboxCache.plist that contains a key called "MailboxDisplayIndex" which is used to index the display order for the folders.

What I did to fix the problem was to quit Mail, rename the file to something else (like .mboxCache.plist.backup) and then restart Mail. This restored all my folders to the default alphabetical sequence. If you ever drag a folder to rearrange the sequence, then you can reset it by just doing the same steps above again.

HTH

Go to Preferences -> Accounts. Select the IMAP-based account, then click on the "Advanced" tab and disable the account. Save the settings and close Preferences. Then go back and re-enable the account. The IMAP folders will now appear in correct alphabetical order.

Hi,

I'm not sure, but I suspect the new Snow Leopard feature ...
http://www.apple.com/macosx/refinements/enhancements-refinements.html#mail
... that lets you move folders around manually might be what's causing the weird behavior.

In Leopard, you could move a folder inside another folder but, otherwise, they would always stay in alphabetical order, I think.

Anyways, in Snow Leopard (and Leopard for that matter), there's an invisible file around ~/Library/Mail/<name of your email account>/.mboxCache.plist It seems to keep a list of the mboxes in that folder/account. In Snow Leopard, the first time you manually move an mbox out of alphabetical order, a new key called MailboxDisplayOrder seems to get created in that plist for all the existing "non-special" (i.e. not INBOX, Sent, Drafts, etc.) mboxes in that folder. Once that key exists, it seems like new folders get appended to the end of the order.

I don't know the right way to fix the problem though. I'm really just posting my observations, based on what I'm seeing on my computer. I'd be very careful about manually messing with invisible files in your mail, especially if you don't have a good backup. (No idea if you can restore an invisible file with Time Machine.) A lot of this is guesswork. But I thought maybe it'd help someone.


Later,
k

I've been having the same problem since I upgraded to Snow Leopard.

S DAS: Thanks for offering a solution; unfortunately it didn't work for me.

I have a TON of folders for all my clients, and projects. This is quickly turning into a serious headache. I'm hoping Apple will get it together and fix this. I can't imagine that alphabetical sorting is all that challenging in this day and age.

I have tried the solution suggested by S Das and it has worked for me also. After disabling the account I completely quited Mail.app, then re-launched it and enabled the account. After a short delay, the IMAP folders appeared in alphabetical order. Thanks.

No clue how to fix it but I just started experiencing the same issue. I'm guessing it has something to do with the amount of sub folders. What OS are you running?

I am having the same problem. I have to move the folders manually.

I experience the same problem since I switched from 10.5.8 to 10.6

I have the same problem with IMAP folders for my Gmail account. The folders appear in alpha order on my Gmail webmail page, but not in Apple Mail.

You have to quit and restart in order for this to work.

I really hope Apple fixes this soon.

I had the same problem and S DAS` suggestion worked for me too.
I wonder if I create a new folders it will happen again...

I have the same problem but my mail accounts are pop so if I delete it I lose the mail. All they need to add is a sort by folder, I can sort by just about everything else. AGH!

Bryan

Thanks, S Das. Nice workaround for the issue, works all the time for me.

Yes, me too. I had the same problem, and Das's procedure worked for me.