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User profile for user: Ninon1
Ninon1 Author
User level: Level 1
5 points

Apple Mail automatic reply accidentally applied to all inbox!

I set an automatic reply and accidentally clicked 'Apply' (instead of Do not apply) and unfortunately it started to send out messages to all previous emails in my inbox.

I deleted the rule in 10 minutes but even I "have had time" to receive more than 30 messages replying to my another e-mail address.

I hope it stopped to send the automatic messages soon after I removed the rule.


But as I have many business contacts, I am interested in knowing who has received my messages.


Where can I found my sent auto-replies?

Or at least I want to know the last date to which messages I have sent my accidental auto-replies (for example, maybe the auto-messages were sent just to the messages of July and June. and I want to know this last date).


If there are other ways to know who have received my messages.... Please help me



P.S. It is unreasonable that the option "send out messages to all previous emails" is default for Apple Mail.




MacBook Air (2020 or later)

Posted on Jul 30, 2021 11:36 AM

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User profile for user: James Brickley
James Brickley
User level: Level 5
5,074 points

Posted on Jul 31, 2021 8:17 AM

Using a rule to auto-reply is dangerous. There are no settings to send only once a day nor are there preventions against potential email storms. Where your auto-reply continuously auto-replies to every incoming email perhaps tens of thousands of times to incoming emails that also auto-reply, effectively, creating a loop of auto-replies. In corporate environments using Exchange server or 365 there are several measures to prevent this scenario as over the years it's completely crashed company email servers.


As to iCloud email accounts, "leroydouglas" link shows how to go to https://icloud.com and the web Mail user interface to set a Vacation auto-reply which is run at the server level at Apple and is much better than a rule in your Mail App.


For other non-iCloud accounts you will need to do similar to set the auto-response at the server level instead of within Mail which is the client level. i.e. your ISP email or Gmail, etc. Login to their web interfaces to set the auto-response out of office configuration at the server level. Mail will only auto-reply as long as the App is open and online. Using the server level to do it will allow it to work until you turn it off.


In regards to your application of the rule to All Mail in your inbox, you should have entries in Sent to let you know how far it went before it stopped.

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User profile for user: James Brickley
James Brickley
User level: Level 5
5,074 points

Jul 31, 2021 8:17 AM in response to Ninon1

Using a rule to auto-reply is dangerous. There are no settings to send only once a day nor are there preventions against potential email storms. Where your auto-reply continuously auto-replies to every incoming email perhaps tens of thousands of times to incoming emails that also auto-reply, effectively, creating a loop of auto-replies. In corporate environments using Exchange server or 365 there are several measures to prevent this scenario as over the years it's completely crashed company email servers.


As to iCloud email accounts, "leroydouglas" link shows how to go to https://icloud.com and the web Mail user interface to set a Vacation auto-reply which is run at the server level at Apple and is much better than a rule in your Mail App.


For other non-iCloud accounts you will need to do similar to set the auto-response at the server level instead of within Mail which is the client level. i.e. your ISP email or Gmail, etc. Login to their web interfaces to set the auto-response out of office configuration at the server level. Mail will only auto-reply as long as the App is open and online. Using the server level to do it will allow it to work until you turn it off.


In regards to your application of the rule to All Mail in your inbox, you should have entries in Sent to let you know how far it went before it stopped.

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User profile for user: leroydouglas
leroydouglas
Community+ 2024
User level: Level 10
188,700 points

Jul 31, 2021 7:41 AM in response to Ninon1

Ninon1 wrote:

I set an automatic reply and accidentally clicked 'Apply'...

Where can I found my sent auto-replies?
Or at least I want to know the last date to which messages I have sent my accidental auto-replies (for example, maybe the auto-messages were sent just to the messages of July and June. and I want to know this last date).

If there are other ways to know who have received my messages.... Please help me


P.S. It is unreasonable that the option "send out messages to all previous emails" is default for Apple Mail.





ref

Set up an automatic reply in Mail on iCloud.com - Apple Support



you can file a bug report through the same link— submit your Apple Feedback http://www.apple.com/feedback


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Apple Mail automatic reply accidentally applied to all inbox!

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