cannot create VIP mail box in Mail
The VIPs item in the menu bar is grayed out. No star appears beside an email. Have looked through all the menus and preferences, but don't see a solution.
MacBook Pro 15", macOS 10.14
User profile for user:
Leanne_68
User level:
Community Specialist
Hi there, Cosman!
Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities! It sounds like you're having an issue setting up a contact in your Mail app as a VIP. First, be sure you’re following the proper step to Show emails from VIP senders in Mail on Mac and follow either of these steps:
“Make someone a VIP
- In the Mail app
on your Mac, select a message from someone you want to make a VIP. - Move the pointer next to their name in the message header, then click the star
that appears. 
- You can also click the arrow in a Smart Address, then choose Add to VIPs."
Be are when you go to the left side of the contact, you wait for the star to appear.
If you still have an issue, I recommend taking a look at this article with steps to follow to Use safe mode to isolate issues with your Mac. This will perform checks and stop certain software from starting up automatically. Once you are in safe mode, test to see if you have the same issue. Also, check out this article with steps for How to test an issue in another user account on your Mac to create a new user and test the issue in the new account to see if the issue is user specific or system wide.
Let me know the results and have a wonderful day!