Moving emails between folders on Mac Mail

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RCully Author

Level 1

36 points

Moving emails between folders on Mac Mail

I have an iMac and an MBA both with latest software and set up the same.

I use several gmail accounts for my emails - all are IMAP.

I use folders within the gmail accounts.

My problem.

On my iMac (using the Mac email client), I created a new folder on one of my gmail accounts. I accessed a folder on another gmail account and moved 3 of the emails to the new folder - this worked.
The move of emails was reflected on the gmail website via my browser and also my MBA.
On my iMac, I then moved about 40 emails from the same original folder to the same target folder. This showed as successful on the iMac.
However, the gmail browser session showed all the files had been moved out of the originating folder but they were not moved to the target folder.
On the MBA, all emails had also gone from the originating folder but none showed in the target folder. The only emails now showing in the gmail browser and the MBA target folder are the 3 emails that were moved originally.
These results are also reflected on my iPhone and iPad.
Upon investigating, it looks like this has happened a number of times when moving emails between folders leaving me with empty folders on either iMac or MBA dependent on which device I chose to do the moving on.

Can anybody suggest what this problem is or suggest how I should try and correct it?

Cheers, Roy

Posted on Apr 17, 2022 3:33 AM

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Answer 1

Best reply

RCully Author

Level 1

36 points

Apr 17, 2022 9:52 AM in response to MargeHomer

After some direction from the above and doing more digging, I have now discovered that the emails that have gone missing in Apple Mail are, as expected, still in gmail via browser. By using the text string has:nouserlabels in the search bar, it lists all of the emails. For me, there looks to be thousands of them (they only show 50 at a time).

After locating the missing 40 (luckily all relatively recent emails), I have selected them and added the correct label from the drop down list and, lo and behold, they have appeared not only on the browser gmail account under the correct location but also on my MBA under the correct folder.

So, my diagnosis is that there is something definitely wrong with how Apple Mail talks to gmail in safaris labels are going missing - which is a huge issue for those of us who depend on managing their emails by moving emails between folders.

Dear Apple, please get this sorted.

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Answer 2

ku4hx

Level 7

23,472 points

Apr 17, 2022 3:44 AM in response to RCully

To move emails from one folder to another, click, drag and drop.

If you are having problems with a specific mail account, I suggest you remove that account and recreate it from scratch.

If you are having problems synchronizing, sign out of your Apple ID on all devices and then sign back in on all devices using the same Apple ID on all of them.

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Answer 3

RCully Author

Level 1

36 points

Apr 17, 2022 4:42 AM in response to ku4hx

Thanks ku4hx for quick reply.

Fully aware of clicking, dragging and dropping which is how I moved the emails

This happens between different (of several) mail accounts so not specific to just one

I'd already tried logging out from my accounts and back in again (what a faff!) but besides my MBA deciding to sync 4000+ emails for some reason, there's been no improvement.

The fact that the missing files are also missing on my web-based gmail account on my browser makes me ask the question what exactly is the process of communication between Mac Mail and gmail servers when I move an email message. I believe something has caused the problem during this process.

Happy for more suggestions....

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Answer 4

ku4hx

Level 7

23,472 points

Apr 17, 2022 5:02 AM in response to RCully

"logging out from my accounts and back in again" is not the same as removing and recreating.

"files are also missing on my web-based gmail account". Mail is a window to the web emails clients. If gmail has the problem, it is thereby the source of your local problem.

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Answer 5

Apr 17, 2022 5:41 AM in response to RCully

Roy, I had similar issues with keeping emails synced while using my iMac and MacBook Pro. Apple Mail at one time would allow you to choose where the "local" folders reside (I keep nothing in the Yahoo/Gmail online locations) but that changed some time ago. Local folders (in Apple Mail, I think I remember them being called "On My Mac") are where any emails that you need to retain are stored. For the past few years I've used an email client called Postbox, which still allows you to select the location of the local folders. I keep them on Dropbox, which is installed on both machines. That way, all my folders/emails remain always in sync. Just my solution, but it works. I even have Postbox installed on a Windows laptop that I use at times, and that remains synced as well.

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Answer 6

RCully Author

Level 1

36 points

Apr 17, 2022 8:10 AM in response to MargeHomer

Thanks MargeHomer.

I used to use 'On My Mac' all the time until I realised that the emails stored across many folders on this area was not backed up on line but only through Time Machine. I therefore created a further gmail account and all of the emails I keep in these folders are now safely stored 'off site'. That is, if it works. Although I do appreciate that these missing emails have not completely disappeared but just that they're not in the folder that I directed them to.

I'll progress down an alternative root via gmail troubleshooting as this is where the problem may lie (as suggested by ku4hx).

Cheers

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Answer 7

Apr 17, 2022 8:22 AM in response to RCully

Hope things work out for you. I'll just add that although I'm retired and probably have little worth hacking, the Postbox "Local Folders" that I keep on Dropbox, are in fact stored there via Boxcryptor, so I know they're safe. And as far as backing up, in my regular backup routines for both CCC and ChronoSync, the unencrypted Boxcryptor "Local Folders" get backed up on a daily basis.

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Answer 8

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,950 points

Apr 17, 2022 6:52 PM in response to RCully

I use several gmail accounts for my emails - all are IMAP.

None of them are IMAP. All are Gmail. They may pretend they are IMAP, but they are not, and that is the problem.

It's not worth the time trying to make Gmail work in a standards compliant email client.

Find a GUI app that is designed to handle Gmail's idiosyncrasies or use their web portal.

If you disable all of Gmail's "features," it might be usable in Mail. Don't add multiple "labels" to messages. Disable showing All Mail in IMAP (and any of their other auto-populated labels).

Trying to make Mail work with Gmail (mapping All Mail to Archive) just made it more of a disaster.

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Answer 9

RCully Author

Level 1

36 points

Apr 18, 2022 7:03 AM in response to Barney-15E

Barney - Wow! Your response certainly reflects your ID image.

In general, the Apple Mail client works OK for me and I believe I use it fairly simplistically with no rules or the likes that would cause it problems.

What I am gobsmacked with is that I have a client that supports several gmail accounts and I like to place certain emails in certain folders (not even multiple folders).

That's it.

But sometimes it breaks (big time!) and you don't realise until you start searching for something in a folder that you know you moved it to and the only place you find it is in the Archive folder which is, by now, getting very large indeed.

How Apple and Google who have a ginormous market share both fail to offer a decent integrated mail service that use industry standard features is bewildering. Alternatively, I'm being totally naive in thinking that they care enough to offer this.

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Answer 10

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,950 points

Apr 18, 2022 11:44 AM in response to RCully

What I am gobsmacked with is that I have a client that supports several gmail accounts and I like to place certain emails in certain folders (not even multiple folders).

But, that's not what you are doing. Mail treats it like IMAP because that is what Gmail says it is; however, when it gets to Gmail, Labels are applied and removed--messages are not moved into folders--then, that is sync'd back to the IMAP client. I don't know how that little dance is orchestrated, but I do see it fail as you have seen. That's why I don't think it is worth fighting with. It will never work correctly because Gmail is not IMAP even though it pretends to be. When you select IMAP or POP, it doesn't change how Gmail stores and manages your messages. It only changes what interface it provides to the client.

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Moving emails between folders on Mac Mail

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