Pro(?) question: How to (manually) restore my old E-Mails for Apple Mail

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Level 1

15 points

Pro(?) question: How to (manually) restore my old E-Mails for Apple Mail

I'm using Apple Mail since 2002 and therefore my email history goes back until that time. Purchased a new iMac and want to make a clean new setup incl. manually copying my files. (I don't want Time Machine Backup restored.)

HOW in god's name is it possible to restore Apple Mail??? It used to be a 20min task by manually copying all the related files from ~/Library to the new computer...

...start Mail and it looked the way it looked before. Now in Catalina all I get is an empty Mail NO MATTER WHAT I do:

I tried to Google WHICH folders Apple Mail requires in order to work properly, but I only get tons of nonsense websites describing how to use Time Machine and other stuff that doesn't even come close to my question.

Any thoughts here in the Apple Community?

Thank you!

Posted on Nov 23, 2019 11:15 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

tygb

Level 9

64,708 points

Nov 26, 2019 8:32 AM in response to Steve Pony

Transfer mail data from one machine to another .

Take back up of all mails in V 7 folder : Method to copy mails in V7 folder .

Click on Go on top menu bar , hold option key click on > library > select mail folder > right click on mail folder there itself > click on copy mail > right click on the desktop > click on paste item .

Entire mails are copied to V 7 folder and V 7 folder will get saved on the desktop .

Take a USB stick and copy V7 folder into it , once it is copied right click on the USB stick and eject it .

Insert the USB stick in the second machine .

Configure new IMAP account in another machine , go to top menu bar , file > import mail boxes > import data from > select apple mail > click on continue > select the back drop folder then choose new .

When new IMAP account is opened , a new folder with all mails will appear in the mail side bar .You can rename the folder .

Note : mail files from Mac can't be transferred .

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Answer 2

Steve Pony Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 28, 2019 7:25 AM in response to tygb

OK, thanks seems this solved my problem. What I did is...

Manually set-up all 3 mail accounts
Let them sync etc.
Then I imported via FILE > IMPORT MAILBOXES the old ~/Library/Mail folder from external device
Selected only the relevant ones to import. Gmail I ignored as all emails came anyway via No. 2.
My "old" POP3 account with emails going back to 2002 seems I have them back now.
Manually moved all emails from IMPORTED > xxx to INBOX, SENT MAILS etc.

Not a very convenient solution (took me more than 2 hrs), but at least I can consider this done now. Thanks!

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Answer 3

Steve Pony Author

Level 1

15 points

Nov 26, 2019 8:26 AM in response to MittensPS

My MacBook Pro is broken. So I removed the hard disk, put it in a case and connected it to my new iMac. So there is no export possible.

Also I actually tried to copy all data via migration assistent - but even then ALL emails are gone!! Wtf. Trying to reach Apple Support now and wait in the line since 30 mins. This sh*** is so f*** up! 😡😡😡

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