Mail suddenly stops showing me the message content

I get my mail with Mail on my computer. It comes in as expected. Then after a few moments as I look through the messages, it suddenly stops showing me the message content. This lasts 15 seconds. Then things go back to normal. This happens again when I leave Mail to go to Safari or elsewhere, and then come back to Mail. Same thing all over again. What is going on?


[Re-Titled by Moderator]

Posted on Jun 30, 2023 2:09 AM

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Posted on Jun 30, 2023 4:23 AM

Thanks...


Limited permissions - More information may be available with Full Disk Access.


Forgot to mention it would be good to give etrecheck Full Disk Access before the report... shame on me. :(


But I really don't see any culprits I suspect.


Start with this of M1 or M2 Mac...


On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > Shut Down.

Wait for your Mac to shut down completely. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black and any lights (including in the Touch Bar) are off.

Press and hold the power button on your Mac until “Loading startup options” appears.

Select a volume.

Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.


Restart normally.


Start with this if IntelMac...


Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at startup), does the problem occur in Safe Mode? Could take 10 minutes or more.


Safe mode attempts to repair Disks & clears lots of caches & loads safe Drivers, & prevents loading of 3rd party extensions, so if Safe Mode works try again in regular boot.


If you have no POP accounts & they’re all IMAP accounts then in Mail’s Mailbox menu choose Rebuild.


14 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 30, 2023 4:23 AM in response to Jojokrikri

Thanks...


Limited permissions - More information may be available with Full Disk Access.


Forgot to mention it would be good to give etrecheck Full Disk Access before the report... shame on me. :(


But I really don't see any culprits I suspect.


Start with this of M1 or M2 Mac...


On your Mac, choose Apple menu  > Shut Down.

Wait for your Mac to shut down completely. A Mac is completely shut down when the screen is black and any lights (including in the Touch Bar) are off.

Press and hold the power button on your Mac until “Loading startup options” appears.

Select a volume.

Press and hold the Shift key, then click Continue in Safe Mode.

The computer restarts automatically. When the login window appears, you should see “Safe Boot” in the menu bar.


Restart normally.


Start with this if IntelMac...


Safe Boot, (holding Shift key down at startup), does the problem occur in Safe Mode? Could take 10 minutes or more.


Safe mode attempts to repair Disks & clears lots of caches & loads safe Drivers, & prevents loading of 3rd party extensions, so if Safe Mode works try again in regular boot.


If you have no POP accounts & they’re all IMAP accounts then in Mail’s Mailbox menu choose Rebuild.


Jul 8, 2023 11:06 PM in response to K Shaffer

This has been recommended four times. PLEASE READ THE DISCUSSION before replying. Also, what's this obsession with EtreCheck? I get it already.


Meantime, my problem was solved by my decision to update my OS to Ventura. I always wait until a few updates have occurred before installing a new OS. It went very smoothly, and the problem is gone.


Thanks for your suggestions anyway.

Jun 30, 2023 2:21 AM in response to Jojokrikri

Hi there,


We need to see what all is running & machine specs, a report from this will not display any personal info...


EtreCheck is a FREE simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.

https://www.etrecheck.com/


Pastebin is a good place to paste the whole report if you capture the URL while there…


Workable but harder for me to work with...the Note tool on the bottom of this editor's toolbar, as shown in the image, to copy and paste the output from EtreCheck. In a Reply before you click post, look for this to add longer texts...

Jun 30, 2023 7:59 AM in response to Jojokrikri

On Rebuild...


Mail uses numbers behind the scenes to handle your Mail, if there's a hiccup at some point the Server & the Mail App may not have the same numbers ordered, which can cause problems.


We need to see what all is running & machine specs, a report from this will not display any personal info...


EtreCheck is a FREE simple little diagnostic tool to display the important details of your system configuration and allow you to copy that information to the Clipboard. It is meant to be used with Apple Support Communities to help people help you with your Mac. It will not display any personal info.

https://www.etrecheck.com/


Pastebin is a good place to paste the whole report if you capture the URL while there…


Workable but harder for me to work with...the Note tool on the bottom of this editor's toolbar, as shown in the image, to copy and paste the output from EtreCheck. In a Reply before you click post, look for this to add longer texts...

Jul 8, 2023 1:34 PM in response to Jojokrikri


..Jojokrikri..

Pardon the interruption as some time has passed since the asked question

(If EtreCheck report included 'Full Disk Access' -or you missed the option?)


This free-to-use macOS utility has several features that remain hidden

unless opted into, prior to the first run use. ~ I've used it on many of my

Mac build versions, across several years; it also gets free updates..


The creator of EtreCheck, is an ASC member; who participates here.

(Another ASC member, was behind the original Malwarebytes/Mac.)


..There are several older participants such as myself, who sometimes have a

bad day, or sometimes have poor years; to those who don't know better, may

find us in an up-or-down cycle; with too many offline issues in the way..


As most participants here are Volunteers, helpers & may have limited mobility;

and this is a diversion. ~ A few errors can occur, due in part to a mixup and or

copy/paste from both on and offline sources. Along with our personal computer

technical difficulties at home; can foul up our best efforts, too.


You may or not understand, but this user-to-user discussions community is

worldwide; sometimes each of us works at it like a job; while most unpaid.

With other languages support; at times before that feature was standard.


..A complete EtreCheck report, available from the free Pro version, offers

ideas to some of us; who have used that for self-remedy of Mac issues..


Hopefully you've resolved the issues. Other than removing all Mail source

content, and re-adding them back into Apple Mail ~ which may help.


Jul 9, 2023 2:19 AM in response to Jojokrikri

Well, you missed several good points & likely could have

spared your intel-based low power MB/Air future trouble.


And now you know the report said certain things were

missing, when you realize that and how you botched

the Safe mode start and restart; that in itself could've

repaired the macOS you had, just then.


To complete the aborted mission, one should repeat

the EtreCheck report to include the Missing section

and see how that stacked up with more recent info.


And learn how to perform troubleshooting; since your

upgrade path is secondary: To resolve old issues first.


(The school of thought, at least with intel-based Macs

has been to fix the problem; rather than bury it deep.)


An update for Monterey if applied correctly was smaller

than the upgrade to Ventura; given your MacBook Air

has limited built in RAM; and the newer macOS likes

and needs more. The performance and storage space

will suffer, in part to lack of due diligence and attention

to detail; and learning how to perform troubleshooting.


The disappointment you read wasn't pointing at myself.


However you insulted a fellow established elder member

of this Community; that's part reason, for my reply.


At times due to volume of replies, those contributor

members, can use pre-made replies; to copy/paste.


And those who know, know simple error's involved in

the mechanics behind, this typograpical happening.

Mail suddenly stops showing me the message.. - Apple Community

"..We already did that. (You got Alzheimers?).."


[You missed that opportunity; and never went back.]


Forgive me for seeing that as a defect, or shallowness.

There are many miles of wilderness I've traveled alone.


Jul 9, 2023 4:00 AM in response to Jojokrikri


Not to have just read & think you saw it all; then may have failed to see clearly, with depth.


First thing with older intel-based hardware and the limits therein, some of those do have

a hardware upgrade path. Others are inert, totally sealed against new hardware upgrade.

Newer integrated S.O.C. Apple Silicon is very sealed; later models offer better options.


The model year has set limits; was previously generally described; your next step will be

buy new build model year computer. Additional years of usefulness have been expended.

..Second owners of such a model, won't get much use from limits now set by last upgrade.


To see what may be available to upgrade the hardware, OWC has a webpage to find IF the

newer replacement parts are available for your MacBook Air. [Between certain years, only.]

But the idea is to get the most for your money, unless you prefer to sell or throw away $$.

hidden limits https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/macbook-air-13-inch-mid-2019-1.6-ghz


https://eshop.macsales.com/upgrades/macbook-air-13-inch-mid-2019-1.6-ghz/external-storage


An external bootable storage drive could work, & have workable space macOS. Since yours won't

support an internal larger capacity SSD. https://eshop.macsales.com/item/OWC/TB3ENVPFX02/

The Envoy Pro shown, has 2TB capacity & runs much quicker than stock; figure for other specs.

..Other various external storage including large bulky or optical drives are in main search above..


I've trimmed my older Macs to only three that I use, along with some older image editing software

limited to those model years; two of those are still plodding along nicely. The G4 late 2005 Mini 1.5

runs Leopard 10.5.8, and has good options there, for use with older Nikon D70s & Lumix DMC-FZ1.


(Later ones are Mid 2012 MacBook Pro 13-in; and Late 2012 Mac Mini quad-core server 2.3 with 2

drives, each with two physical partitions on both; & four macOS installed. Newest, Mojave 10.14.6.)


Nicer external drives are helpful when they can run clones, for complete startup/backups.

Consider altogether the total count of rescued older Macs that were donated to charity

amount to 600 complete machines with software, displays, & printers. In mostly rural AK.


I've lived here awhile, and found a few hobbies; and avocations. I also collect & use film

cameras with several lenses; not sure last count, numbers now stored, vs. those in use.

Also I prefer the outdoors, remote work can be a joy; even sub-zero w/ limited daylight.

With climate change very real here, can't hardly carry enough layers, to gear up or down.


Take care & safe travels!

⛵️🎣🏕|🐶😻|❄️🌞|🍏🍄

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