I used to be able to set columns in mail when using the column layout feature. Now there doesn't appear to be a way to do this - also is it possible to rearrange the columns showing in mail other than turning a column off?
I started this thread and so will save you some time paging through the hundreds of replies: there is no workaround, Apple has said nothing, and the two most common mail apps that folks are migrating to get columns is Thunderbird and Outlook, both of which have improved and are more Apple friendly.
I have a different take on why. Columns still exist in every other OS function in Finder and elsewhere. Code like this are 'objects' that can be dropped into most other apps, so I do not believe it is lack of willingness to 'support the code'.
I do think they are trying to move the Mac OS to as close as possible to the iPhone/ipad OS to make the user experience nearly the same. But this makes for a big dumbing down of the Mac OS.
The mystery to me is that you can't change column width in iPhones-- so are they now going to remove the ability to do that in ALL Mac OS apps, finder etc.? I highly doubt that, so why selectively remove it from Mail?
I think they don't believe it is that popular so why not get rid of it. Hence the importance of letting our voices be heard.
I say that because the column mode is a basic feature of every Finder window, a natural for MacOs users, not to name all the other OS..
Once accustomed, it becomes a very useful tool.
To remove this feature from Mail alone is beyond comprehension.
WMB,
You are absolutely spot on here. There are thousands of software features I do not use but am sympathetic to the fact that they are critical to the productivity of millions of others.
I remain in mourning over not being able to resize or customize columns, or click on a column header to activate a sort.
"...most people don't even know it exists..."
Personally, I'd be a little careful about assuming what other people know or don't know about any particular issue. "I don't know about it, so probably most people don't either" isn't an easily supportable position. I've been using Mail in its various iterations and operating systems since 1990, and column view was the default well before OSX came along.
There can be, and probably is, a sizable difference between “most users” and “most newer users.” I’m guessing the percentage of Mac users who’ve used nothing but MacOS represents considerably less than a majority.
We’re not all boomers here, you know. 🙂
For what it's worth, Apple confirmed that you can run Mojave on the new MacBook Pro's and provided the link for the download. So, I can perpetuate utilization of the Mojave mail application on the new platform. If it's not successful, will update the forum.
Yes, I like Safari just fine! No problems. And totally understand that Apple won't reply these forums, but they do read them.
I don't do ANYTHING Google or Microsoft. ... ever!
Is there another Mail client anyone can suggest for Catalina? Like Spark? how is it? does it pick up settings from Mail? Or have to basically start from scratch?
I did read recently that Apple want to make it easier for developers to port apps between Mac OS and iOS.
Which is I guess what's behind a number of the changes in Catalina, to make MacOS and iOS much more similar - which Apple seem to be doing by removing features from MacOS apps to make them like iOS apps :-(
One of the problems is many of the idiots are far more idiotic than even Apply assume .....
So, Mail is considerably less useful and capable than it was, so dumbing down for a majority of users but not sufficiently dumb for the real idiots ....
Many of whom don't use email anyway because it's too complicated and rely on various messaging apps ....
Personally, the inability to quickly and easily change sort order is what I find the biggest problem.
Airmail seems to come close but now has a subscription payment system, I'm told.
Please post if you come up with a decent replacement for Mail. Apple seem to be going for the least worst solution, irrespective of what users might want :-(
For what it's worth, I just finished migrating to MS Outlook. Yes, it costs, but I was paying for the MS subscription anyway, so there's no additional cost.
Outlook has column customization. It's generally pretty comparable to what Mac Mail was before Catalina. I don't have much confidence in the future of Thunderbird or other alternative clients.
The biggest challenge in migrating was copying my local ("On My Mac") folders over to Outlook, and it ended up being not too difficult.
And yes, I've sent feedback via the Apple Mail feedback link that others have mentioned.
OK - I now have Thunderbird syncing with both Calendars and Contacts :-)
Which means I can use Calendars and Contacts on iOS devices but Thunderbird on MacOS.
I've also found a solution to the font size - not ideal and there may be better solutions but at least the interface is more easily readable.
Interestingly, lots of complaints on the Thunderbird forums about the recent upgrades to Thunderbird.
I understand that it is inconvenient to lose features, but I also understand that many applications have been completely rewritten from the ground up. That has been the case with Keynote, Pages, Mail, Final Cut Pro (and, yes, iMovie). They all were derided as incomplete and inferior at the time of their (re)release - which they were, to a certain extent. And they all have eventually become far more powerful and versatile than the versions they replaced. It is one step back, and multiple steps forward.
Mac users are particularly hard to impress. People complained loudly because Column Layout in Catalina was extremely limited - no way to choose columns, to change their width at will or to change their order. Now that they got all of that back, there needed be something else to complain. FWIW, clicking the title of a column is a pretty standard way to sort by that column - it works that way in the Finder in List View, for example, and has been that way forever.
Search functionality works as soon as spotlight finishing re-indexing. It took a couple of hours for me.
I think Mail will only use it's special logic if it recognizes that it is a "Sent" folder.
Column width in mail for OSX Catalina
