I recently re-imaged my Mac (on macOS Sonoma 14.5) and want to restore my Apple Mail, including rules from a backup drive. The rules are especially crucial. I didn't back up with Time Machine, I use Carbon Copy Cloner.
What files and folders do I need to copy back?
You’d need to restore the folder ~/Library/Mail/V[i], where V[i] depends on your version of macOS. On macOS Sonoma, it’s V10. Restore the one that has the largest index if you see multiple V[i] folders.
Ok I'll try that when I get home. Should I also copy anything back from the Containers and Group Containers folders?
I’m not sure. There are some Mail setting files peppered in the folders you mention but the bulk of the data is in ~/Library/Mail/V[i], including the rules.
I just tried your suggestion and it worked like a charm! The only additional step is that I also had to copy back the PersistenceInfo.plist file.
Thanks again!
You are welcome and thanks for the tip about the PersistenceInfo.plist file!
Restoring Apple Mail from a backup
