When I choose to send an email from Contacts, my Mac automatically opens Gmail. Nothing I do seems to change that behavior and I want it to come from Apple Mail, not Gmail.

How does "Goolag open Gmail?"

Do you have a Gmail app?

The OS will use the email app you have set in Mail Preferences, General tab. Not Accounts, not Viewing, not Composing, or any of the other tabs.

Why not just surrender totally to google and let them run my life for me through the Google assistant?

If you have decided to use Google products you might as well do that. In fact you might as well get a Chromebook.

Google infests a Mac and alters its behavior in the exact same manner as a "computer virus" would, if such a thing were to exist on Macs, which it doesn't. Don't like it? Don't use Google.

Hi John,

I realize this is not the way to pose this problem, but here goes. I admire your opinions re: Google greatly. My question is how to get out of the Google "web".

My problem started a year ago where when Apple Mail is running, it would decide to open a window in mail without being asked to do so many times a day on different macs, 2 running Catalina and 1 running High Sierra (less frequent). I even have a quicktime movie showing the problem.

For a year Apple says they are aware of the problem and are working on it. I allowed them to take some logs off of my machine and talked to them multiple times with no fix.

I have Google,AOL and Verizon email acts.

I have noted that when selecting internet accts in system prefs and unchecking ALL check boxes on all gmail acts, the problem still occurs.

If mail is running and the gmail accountts are DELETED the problem persists !!!!

Quitting mail allows me to not get Mail to open on its own.

I tried forwarding gmail thru iCloud, that didn't work.

I'd like to know what steps you think I need to take to get rid of the problem.

I use Safari as a browser with Google as a search engine.

Once again, I apologize for asking about this on this thread, but hoped you wouldn't mind. If you'd like me to post this separately, please let me know. I just wanted to be sure I got your input.

Many thanks

John, I hear you loud and clear. But no one, even Apple seems to know how to extract and separate google mail from Apple mail.

I just deleted GMail from my Internet Accounts and never had any problem with gmail doing anything else on my Mac.

I no longer have the choice on gmail NOT to archive EVERY conversation.

How would you expect Goolag to harvest all of your information if you don't let them keep a copy of everything?

Apple's very limited and complex way of delivering the results of a search

I've never had any problem searching in Mail.

I am absolutely certain that if you rid your Mac of all G**gle components then your Mac will no longer suffer from that problem.

With its plethora of "helpers" and background services that run constantly in its mission to harvest every click, every search, every email and basically everything you do, Google infests a Mac in the exact same manner and does the exact same things as a "computer virus" would, if such a thing were to exist on Macs, which it doesn't.

It's your Mac to do with as you please. Within certain and very specific limitations, macOS allows you to install whatever you want on a Mac, for whatever reasons you have for doing that. Far be it from Apple to stand in your way. Apple never tells you not to install something—not even products that can only be characterized as malware. Having made the conscious decision to install Google, then your Mac becomes effectively theirs. That is exactly what a "computer virus" would do; the only difference is that Google makes no attempt to prevent you from uninstalling it.

Uninstall Google and your problems are over. Use your Mac the way you want it to work. If you want it to work the way Google wants it to work, then "bend over"—as you chose to put it.

I think you're asking how to free yourself from the Goolag (as Barney-15Eaptly puts it), and I completely understand how difficult that can be. It becomes more difficult the longer you've been using it. Perhaps the best place to start is here: https://spreadprivacy.com/why-use-duckduckgo-instead-of-google/

Although it's limited to Google's search product it may inspire seeking additional answers regarding their other personal data-harvesting products, of which there are many.

I used Google years ago for the same reasons everyone else did—it was convenient, worked well, and of course it was free. At some point though it crossed a hazy line separating convenient and creepy so it didn't take much for me to get rid of it for good. With its new Mail behavior (which isn't new; it goes back about a year now) Google is exploiting users willing to put up with their creepiness, pushing boundaries revealing their true colors which ought to surprise no one any more. If they lose a few so be it, after all Apple's Mail client does little to advance their business plan.

"Free" has a price. I'm not willing to pay it.

If you'd like me to post this separately, please let me know.

If Mail is still doing that despite ridding your Mac of anything and everything Google, by all means please start a new Discussion. As far as I know Google is the only thing causing that undesirable behavior, and there is at least one anecdotal report that it doesn't cause that behavior for everyone. Besides the fact more information regarding your system would help, you'll get more attention with a new Discussion anyway.

One additional fact you may find interesting: future Safari versions will place Google's (and similar products) intrusiveness front and center for the world to see. To be fair, Google isn't the only company whose business plan is dependent on constantly tracking, profiling, and exploiting you as a product to be sold to the highest bidder. They're just the largest.

What is set in Mail preferences for the Default email reader in the General tab.

I didn't know Gmail had an email client.