Moving Apple Mail Rules from one account or system to another.

Hi.

I have wanted to move my Apple Mail rules from one machine to another but have yet to find instructions. I am currently on Catalina (MacOS 10.15). I finally dedicated some time to find a solution. I have tested this between systems running Catalina (V7 mail structure) and between Catalina and a Big Sur beta (MacOS 11 with a V8 mail structure) machines. It worked perfectly.

Quick description:

First, Quit Apple Mail. The files needed to copy the rules are found on Catalina in

~/Library/Mail/V7/MailData/ [For Mojave, V6; for Catalina, V7; Big Sur, V8.]

RulesActiveState.plist

SyncedRules.plist

UnsyncedRules.plist

Copy them to the corresponding folder in your target system.

Detailed procedure

There are three files that contain what is needed. On a Catalina system, the files can be found in your home folder in Library/Mail/V7MailData. In Mojave, it will be V6 instead of V7.

In most MacOS systems, by default, the Library folder is hidden. To permanently unhide it, first, open a normal Finder window at your home folder. Then, on the menu bar, pull down the View menu and select "Show View Options" and at or near the bottom of that window, select (check on) the "Show Library Folder" line. It should now appear in that folder.

Or, you can go directly to Library: when in or running Finder, pull down on the Go menu and select "Go to Folder" near the bottom. In the pop-up window, type ~/Library and click OK. The tilda (~) is just another name for your home folder. Once in Library, find and click on Mail/V7/MailData (V6 for Mojave).

Now select the three files that contain the Rules information:

RulesActiveState.plist

SyncedRules.plist

UnsyncedRules.plist

To ease the copying of the three files, make an archive file of the three by selecting all three (Command and click on each file). Once selected and highlighted, now control-click on any one of them and select "Compress 3 items." The originals will not be harmed or changed. The compressed file (actually an archive file) is named Archive.zip.

On the system to which you wish to transfer your rules, ensure the Mail program is off (quit from it if necessary). Get into Library/Mail/V7/MailData. That would be V6 on Mojave and possibly V8 on Big Sur.

Move, transfer, or copy the Archive.zip file to the MailData in the account or on the system to which you wish to transfer your rules. If you wish or to be safe, copy the same corresponding files to someplace but you should no longer need them. Double click on the Archive.zip files and those files will be installed.

Start the Apple Mail program and you will find your rules installed. You will have to apply them to existing email messages.

You can remove that Archive files.

Good luck.

aps in seattle.