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deleting MAIL App + files

When I assess my computer's storage, it records that my mail app is using nearly 10GB of space. I do not want to use my mail app. How can I delete the app and associated files?

All the options online that I've found seem out of date for my operating system.


I'm using a MacBook Pro, 2016

macOS Monterey 12.1


thanks!




MacBook Pro

Posted on Dec 24, 2021 1:52 PM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Dec 26, 2021 3:01 PM

You may need to reindex Spotlight. That’s where that information is gathered.

If that doesn’t resolve the issue, delete everything in the ~/Library/Mail folder.

Also, look in ~/Library/Containers. Delete the Mail containers.

That’s the only places Mail stores data.

7 replies

Dec 25, 2021 2:54 AM in response to EDM_EDM_EDM

EDM_EDM_EDM wrote:

When I assess my computer's storage, it records that my mail app is using nearly 10GB of space. I do not want to use my mail app. How can I delete the app and associated files?
All the options online that I've found seem out of date for my operating system.

I'm using a MacBook Pro, 2016
macOS Monterey 12.1

thanks!



If one is referencing the Apple Mail Application - the application itself can not be removed or delated - period.


Apple Mail is built into and is part of the Operating System Monterey macOS 12 and every earlier version of macOS / OS X back to, when I first started using Apple Computer with OS X 10.4 Tiger.


One can remove the Application from the Disk but the Application will still reside in the Applications Folder

Dec 26, 2021 9:53 AM in response to EDM_EDM_EDM

I ran into the same thing but my storage was listed as 400 GB on a 500 GB internal SSD. What it was was I had rebuild the mailboxes several times in the past trying to get smart mailboxes to work correctly and that added enormous amounts of apparent storage, so much so that I could clone my 500 GB drive to an external 1TB drive.


The culprits were folders titled Data_Rebuild. The only way I could find them was to use the shareware app Find Any File to search for folders like this:


1 - Name is Data_Rebuild


I then dragged those folders from the search results window to the Trash bin and emptied it. They were recreated but with zero size.



FAF can search areas that Spotlight can't like invisible folders, system folders and packages.  


Give that a try and see if there's any improvement to the storage situation on your Mac.


deleting MAIL App + files

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