How to remove email flags set by sender?

Question

Level 1

8 points

How to remove email flags set by sender?

I set flags on my emails depending on specific projects and priority. I can then filter my work according to the flags.

Increasingly I am getting junk emails where a flag has been set by the sender. Although these end up in my junk mail, they still automatically appear in my carefully curated flagged email boxes. I have to manually remove the flags.

How can I strip all flags from received emails? It should be MY choice to set a flag. I can see how having replicating flags might be helpful in a large organisation but this is a spammers latest technique to annoy.

Whilst I can set rules and actions for lots of things, there is no option to remove a flag.

iMac, macOS 12.7

Posted on Feb 19, 2024 3:17 AM

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Answer 1

PRP_53

Level 10

83,969 points

Feb 19, 2024 4:37 AM in response to John Pateman

I would start by logging into the Web Portal of your e-mail Account.

Using the Web Browser of your choice

Are the same Spammer's e-mails appearing with the Unwanted Flag

It is possible, the Web Servers is Flagging the e-mails before that appear in your e-mail client

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Answer 2

PRP_53

Level 10

83,969 points

Feb 19, 2024 5:06 AM in response to John Pateman

Not to muddle things

My Wife uses an E-mail Account from our ISP

There have been times when Their Servers identified a Known Spammer's e-mail and Appended the the Subject Line " Appended Spam "

Wether the Flag could be added - this I too do not know

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Answer 3

John Pateman Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 19, 2024 5:21 AM in response to PRP_53

Yeah, I don't know how the flags get added. The messages (like a lot of other messages) are correctly identified as junk but its only a small number that have the flag.

I've added the following AppleScript to a Rule - for every message - if it works I'll keep you updated!

on perform_mail_action(mail)

	tell application "Mail"

		set theMessages to |SelectedMessages| of mail

		repeat with m in theMessages

			set flagged status of m to false

		end repeat

	end tell

end perform_mail_action

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

112,334 points

Feb 19, 2024 5:00 AM in response to John Pateman

I’m not sure how that would be possible. Flags in Mail are not set on a message itself, but in the indexing database created by Mail. Those flags are not part of the email protocol.

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Answer 5

John Pateman Author

Level 1

8 points

Feb 19, 2024 5:04 AM in response to PRP_53

I've removed all the flags for the moment so can't check at present and will need to wait until another one arrives.

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Answer 6

PRP_53

Level 10

83,969 points

Feb 19, 2024 5:07 AM in response to John Pateman

Do keep us all posted

Would be interested what comes of this

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