catalina mail column view

This and other changes (iTunes, etc.) are exactly the reason why I won't upgrade my OS!! IN FACT, a couple of years ago, I purchased a desktop iMac and had the seller remove the latest OS (whatever it was) entirely and install an older OS so that I could work with old files, programs, and peripherals. All of this nonsense is done without forewarning and without regard for existing users.....NO THANKS, APPLE!

This is truly a step backwards - not being able to manipulate the width and order in the columns. Also, it no longer shows the number of attachments in the email. Again, this was hugely helpful. So, instead of increasing user functionality, the "upgrade" has decreased it. Surely this should not be too difficult to fix since the old code is available and can be reintegrated into Catalina.

Please fix this - it is clearly an issue that irks many, many users.

Wow, with the new 10.15.4 update they have removed the "classic" at all … totally gone. @Apple, are you going mad?

Sorry, I'm trying to be as polite as possible, but this drives me nuts. Suddenly even Mozilla's Thunderbird with its 90s look&feel seems to be a viable option.

Apple seem to be trying to get customers to move away from Mail - the change are terrible. No proper control over columns and sorting :-(

And there's a bizarre behavior where if you run several email accounts, it is not possible to set up Mail to reply from the account you are accessing. There are 2 choices: Mail automatically choses for you or you have to select a single account from which all mail is sent ... :-(

I dumped Safari a long time ago and now I'm looking for a serious email client to replace Mail.

i used Outlook from december 8-10 weeks, and got bored; it sucks.

then went to thunderbird - that works just fine. handles 14 years mail archive smoothly and synchronizes (by ChronoSync) perfectly between my two work horses.

Column width is just the tip of the iceberg. Why do I care about the location of the message at the expense of seeing the number of attachments? Why can’t I click on a column header to sort like I used to in Mail and like I still can in column view Finder windows? Why can't I change the column order? Why does it take two mouse clicks to change sort column or sort order?

"There are 2 choices: Mail automatically choses for you or you have to select a single account from which all mail is sent ... :-("

You can however select which account to send from when replying, forwarding or composing an individual email using the dropdown in the "From:" field.

I just spent hours trying to get my Mail to look the way I wanted it to, including trashing Preferences, etc. because I thought something had gone wrong with the upgrade to Catalina.

I finally found this and realized that I'm just being told by Apple how I want to use the program, instead of being able to use it the way I want. Why would you remove customization options?

Bring back Column View and the ability to change the column types, widths, and fonts!

moonlander33, thanks for sharing that. I assume this is what you're referring to when you say "directly on the Apple Support site":

https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html

This link has been posted throughout this thread and others, but it can't hurt to post it again and remind people to submit their comments there.

Here’s what I sent to Apple. It’s at least the 3rd time I’ve sent them direct feedback since last Fall. Sigh:

PLEASE restore the previous customizable email column view features, they are necessary for both efficiency and accuracy as a Marketing Creative!! Upon installing Catalina, I was appalled to discover this loss of the way I need to work!! I review many attachments, multiple versions/iterations of attachments and need to be able to quickly see which email contains an attachment—by date and person sent! Macmail was like having a Tesla, and Catalina is like having someone remove the battery without telling me. This is beyond frustrating, it costs me time and money, and you gave us no warning!!! I’ve been 100% Apple since 1988 and feel betrayed by a brand that used to deliver intuitive, user-focused features!! Now I’m ready to jump ship. Do you really not care about your most loyal customers???

I'm sure other people have mentioned this, but I really dislike the face that you can no longer sort columns by clicking at the top of the column. Why would you take away this UI feature? Now I have to click twice to sort columns - once on "sort by date" and a second time on what I want to sort for. Before I could just click once. It's really hard to understand why you would take away such a basic function.

Hmmm, I am on double/triple probation for making some not so nice comments about this issue and makes make wonder who is running this "Apple Discussion List" if the statement from AZsport115's post is true and "Apple doesn't monitor this forum".

I am not a developer, but if Apple made this simple, simple, simple feature for years, it would seem this is easy to fix in one of the next updates.

It's my understanding that the people who matter in terms of decision making don't monitor this forum. As for moderators who make sure inappropriate content isn't placed here, I'm sure they are monitoring this forum. Apple has told me and many others that the correct place to post feedback is: https://www.apple.com/feedback/mail.html

That being said I do think it's a good idea to keep posting comments here. As I write this there are 18 pages of people who are upset about this issue. I think the fact that so many people are so upset does help. Recently a tech writer wrote an article about this issue referencing all the people upset about it. I would think he would have seen this posting in his research.

As a 40+ year Apple user and one of the biggest critics of this HUGE mistake, I would say that there is much, much more important things going on in the world than column view in Apple Mail and want to thank Apple for support on all Covid-19 support initiatives.

I can wait for covid-19 to go away so we can them fix Apple Mail.

#BeSafe #KeepDistance Everyone

Of Course, Apple monitor this Forum - anything that has the apple logo and could bring that into disrepute would not be tolerated. All criticism here should be expressions of opinion from customers not abusive toward Apple employees. The bottom line is Apple have made a mistake (and they know it). The removal of a valued part of the functionality of their flagship Mail application has caused significant customer backlash and it does not look like flattening out any time soon. The ability to size and organisation columns in a mail account is seen by thousands of customers as a basic requirement.

Apple have messed up on this one occasion and they know it. Their total lack of engagement to the wave after wave of complaint suggests they are just trying to figure out how to sort this while saving face. However Apple be warned the patience of customers is not unlimited.