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MAIL keeps downloading same messages

I've started having a problem today, for no particular reason that I can tell, wherein every time MAIL checks for new emails from the server it downloads every email on the server again - repeatedly. So I have hundreds of emails (that MAIL has already received) downloading into MAIL again, each time it checks for new mail.

I have MAIL set to delete received mail from the server after one week (and this has worked fine for the last 4 years).

Not sure why this has started happening or how to fix it...Any ideas?

Cheers,
Duane

Macbook 2GHz Intel Core Duo, Mac OS X (10.6.2)

Posted on Mar 5, 2010 5:08 AM

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Posted on Mar 5, 2010 8:05 AM

same thing is happening to me, also starting this morning
9 replies

Jun 28, 2010 7:58 PM in response to Brett Johnson1

Same here, again happening for last few weeks (maybe a month) on my iMac running 10.5.8 and my MBP running 10.6.4. I use IMAP to my mailbox and keep all my email on the server (GroupWise 7.0.4).

Because of this I've used 25GB of data in the last 2 weeks were I would normally only use about 10GB in a month.

It seems like Mail dumps the whole mailbox and tries to download it all again as the unread counter (on the dock icon) disappears and then 20 minutes later its back. While this is happening I can't use email and the inbox shows empty.
I do not get duplicates, I don't lose email or even the emailmeta data (i.e. read/unread/flagged). It just seems to randomly decide to re-download all my mail.

Its never been an issue before. This is bad enough that I may have to throw away Apple Mail which would be a pain as I like its search. But right now its freezing, un-reliable and costing me a fortune in data (data is not cheap in NZ).

I'm pretty sure it started happening after I updated to the latest and "greatest" using Apple Software update. Bugs in my Apple?

MC

Aug 4, 2010 11:40 AM in response to pablo snooze

Fixed it!!! Wheeeeeeee doggies!!

Moved the 'com.apple.mail.plist' file to the desktop. Mail then creates a new one. Problem solved. BEWARE: this also requires resetting up your accounts, etc. So - WRITE DOWN YOUR SETTINGS before you do it, and move any messages you want to keep to another folder.

(Also deleted the com.apple.finder.plist, which solved my other problem.)

Oct 27, 2010 10:37 AM in response to Duane Morrison

I began to experience this problem last night. It was happening on just one of my two Macs. Apple support escalated me to a Mail specialist, and here is what we did:

He had me close Mail and go to User > Library > Mail to trash this file:

MessageUidsAlreadyDownloaded3

Then I reopened Mail and allowed it to download the 183 messages on the POP server one time. Then I clicked Get Mail to see if the same messages would download again, and they did not. The problem is apparently solved.

Trashing the file above is non-destructive, so you won’t lose older messages and don’t have to recreate accounts. I told him that one poster said that his problem was solved by trashing com.apple.mail.plist and he said it was probably coincidence. I tried doing that before I called Apple and it didn’t solve the problem.

The specialist also said that he has only had to have 3 other users delete the same file as I needed to over the years. He said this is also less likely to happen if accounts are IMAP.

In case anyone is curious, my mail is being served by secureserver.net. The Apple rep was also curious about that.

Nov 27, 2010 10:41 AM in response to Satchmo

This worked for me!!! After spending three hours trying everything under the sun, it was as simple as that! My issue wasn't just that it would download the same messages over and over again, but it would also get stuck before everything downloaded every single time, so I wasn't receiving any new emails. Even after I had emptied my mailboxes directly on the servers (except for leaving one or two messages in each), Apple mail would download those and then continue to search and search and search until finally delivering an error message.

But now all is well in my Apple world again. Thanks for the help!

Nov 27, 2010 7:57 PM in response to Duane Morrison

OMG this happened to me shortly after we had purchased our Imac about 1 1/2 years ago. I tried to delete mail and reinstall thinking this would solve my problem but it didn't. Then we took the computer back to where we purchased it and they said oh the problem is fixed - great I said. Got home and mail was still coming in doubles, triples etc. So, no mail for me. I then bought myself a laptop (macbook pro) and was happily getting mail on it and not using the imac for mail. But.... my son spilled grape drink on my laptop and it is toast - yes toast!!!!! not even 6 months old...I wept. So now I am back to the imac and no mail. I decided to upgrade to Snow leopard because I wanted to use CM photo scrapbooking and you require the snow leopard. Well what a hassle it has been - what is with this keychain crap!!!!! Ugh don't like that and thought that upgrading would get rid of the mail issue errr nope. Back with a vengence. THANK GOD for this forum as it was so valuable and I was able to trash that little file and am now able to use my mail again - finally something is going right. Okay now if I can only get rid of this stupid keychain crap I will be good. Did Mac learn nothing from people hating Vista and all the security bull people complained about from that. Give people choices Apple don't just ram it down our throat!!!!

MAIL keeps downloading same messages

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