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Level 1

7 points

Deleted smtp server does not go away!

I am transitioning to a different email provider and need to switch my smtp server.

I am running 10.6.6 and wanted to delete an smtp server. I deleted it. It is no longer on the list of smtp servers in Mail / Preferences / Accounts / Outgoing Mail Servers / Edit SMTP list. It is gone - as it should be.

I added a new imap account and associated a new smtp server with it. The new server is on the list of smtp servers BUT as soon as I exit the mail preferences and try to write an email, the new smtp server does not appear, but the one I deleted (which isn't even in the list in preferences anymore) still is top on the list. So, I cannot use the new smtp server at all.

I am willing to wipe out my smtp list entirely and re-enter the smtp servers for my email addresses if that is required, but I don't know what file to delete.

Is there a way to force it to really refresh the list?

Any help would be appreciated as I cannot send mail now from that account...
Thanks!

Macbook, Mac OS X (10.6.6), Mail

Posted on Mar 8, 2011 10:41 AM

Best reply

cpfamilia

Level 1

25 points

Posted on Oct 23, 2017 12:44 AM

I have found in Keychain two hidden entries that corresponded to smtp servers (com.apple.account.SMTP.asynchost), which I deleted and the ghost smtp servers went away.

But be careful with this approach, make a backup of the keys in the keychain before deleting whatever, as it can make the system unusable.

View in context

25 replies

Apr 7, 2011 6:27 PM in response to 666dorado

I hsd the same problem. I couldn't remove it using the Mailbox drop down setting, but when I used Preferences and used the - sign I removed it for good

kisuke3

Level 3

914 points

Apr 7, 2011 7:08 PM in response to jk18

To remove the email acct you shoukd just hit the minus sign under the acct preference of mail. This should remove all the settings.

Apr 7, 2011 7:20 PM in response to jk18

Do you have the old account set up in iCal to publish alerts? Check those settings, if you do.

Ernie

Boppers

Level 1

0 points

Jan 22, 2012 4:10 PM in response to jk18

This worked for me:

"To delete an outgoing mail server in Mac OS X Mail:

Select Mail | Preferences... from the menu.
Go to the Accounts tab.
Click on the Outgoing Mail Server (SMTP): drop-down list.
Select Edit Server List... from the menu.
Highlight the SMTP server you want to delete.
Click - (beneath the server list) or Remove Server, depending on the Mac OS X Mail version.
Now click OK or Done.
Close the preferences window."

Courtesy of About.com

http://email.about.com/od/macosxmailtips/qt/How_to_Delete_an_Outgoing_Mail_Serve r_in_Mac_OS_X_Mail.htm

Mar 26, 2015 1:52 PM in response to jk18

I got p i s s e d by gmail not sending some mail (I just need that account for Apple since they not accept their own .me mails :-/). Anyhow, I removed every single SMPT server from the list and it is completely empty. Alas, the very next email I created had that stubborn gmail server in it >:-( WHAT, please?

Oct 13, 2016 12:37 PM in response to jk18

I have had awful Mail.app problems after upgrading. I upgraded from Yosemite to El Capitan to Sierra, and also tried upgrading from Yosemite straight to Sierra.

The mail database upgrades wind up broken, with the "V4" folder having a mix of old and new folders.

Furthermore, after I rebuilt the database (manually forced it), I still had issues with outgoing mail servers.

1. My gmail accounts would send from some other SMTP server. These messages got bounced because they were sent from a different server than the message was supposed to originate from.

2. When editing those affected accounts, and viewing the dropdown list of outgoing servers, the original SMTP server would show in the dropdown, but not when viewing the "EDIT" list!

3. Adding another one (essentially a duplicate of the one that won't show in the "EDIT" servers area) results in TWO of that SMTP server to showing in the dropdown, one of which can be edited, the other of which can neither be edited nor deleted.

4. When attempting to pair the affected gmail account with either the old SMTP server or the new one, the change won't "take." Whenever I make the choice in the dropdown it, it simply switches back to "NONE."

5. I have attempted deleting SMTP servers from the EDIT list, but they still show in the dropdown (seen under an account's settings), even after using the "-" and deleting them under the EDIT outgoing server list.

ARGH!

Feb 12, 2017 3:12 PM in response to DougGJoseph

I have this exact same problem. Have you found a solution?

Feb 12, 2017 9:56 PM in response to Leif Arthur

I only got rid of it after I had to install from scratch due to a system crash.

So maybe ⚠ deleting mail accounts and settings in ~/Library and setting up Mail alone from scratch might solve it.

Oct 19, 2017 1:57 PM in response to jk18

Having the same problem. Any solution?

Oct 23, 2017 3:10 AM in response to cpfamilia

Bravo cpfamilia!

I've found hidden smtp entries in my keychain, deleted them and now the unwanted SMTP servers are gone.

Deleted smtp server does not go away!