Mail canceled shutdown (10.6.7)

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Level 1

12 points

Mail canceled shutdown (10.6.7)

I'm running a late 2010 model  iMac i5 running 10.6.7 and Mail v4.5. I've had this computer for several months but am now using the Mail app for the first time. I have found it to be very useful in managing my multiple email accounts and I would like to use it from now on.

My only issue is that whenever I try to shut down my computer, it fails to do so and I get the message "The application Mail canceled shutdown." In addition to issues shutting the computer down manually, I believe it also prevents the computer from going to Sleep. I set my computer to Sleep after being idle for 30 min, however all that happens is the monitor shuts off/turns black, but it does not go to Sleep. The computer does Sleep if I press the power button to manually Sleep it, but it will not go to Sleep on its own anymore.

I believe this is all due to the Mail app and I don't know what settings to adjust in order to fix this. I shouldn't have to quit the app just to fix the Sleep problem. That'd defeat the purpose of the auto retrieving of e-mails. Could it be due to the update frequency on checking for new mail. I have it set for 5 minutes, which I believe is the default. I have read other articles on here and online regarding the Mail app canceling the shutdown process, but the solution is to Force Quit the Mail.app. In fact, I have had trouble quitting the app, both manually via Command+Q and going to the Mail menu>Quit Mail.

Is there a way around this so I don't have to Force Quit the Mail app? It seems to be somewhat 'extreme' to have to Force Quit an app just for the sake of shutting down the computer. I can only assume there's a setting I'm failing to see where the app is forcing the computer to stay awake and prevent from shutting down. Or perhaps a bug in the app?

Any info would be much appreciated. Thanks!

iMac 27, Mac OS X (10.6.7)

Posted on May 12, 2011 3:52 PM

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Answer 1

May 12, 2011 4:12 PM in response to mello2198

You should not have to force quit Mail. Is there maybe something sitting in the Outbox that it has failed to deliver?

You could run Console.app (in your Utilities folder in Applications) and then try to quit Mail from its menu; see do any error messages get posted in Console.

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Answer 2

GGGelek

Level 1

0 points

Jun 26, 2011 10:16 PM in response to mello2198

I have the same problem , did u fix it , if yes, how . pls help..........😉

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Answer 3

mello2198 Author

Level 1

12 points

Jun 27, 2011 7:24 PM in response to GGGelek

Actually, I was unable to resolve this issue and I chose to take the "lazy" way out by deciding to discontinue using the Mail.app until I purchase and install OS X Lion next month.

The previous reply (Austin Kinsella1) didn't really resolve the issue either, but I do appreciate the response and attempt to help.

I'm really sorry that I can't be of any help in your same issue. It had become such a hassle for me that I wasn't patient enough to deal with it any longer. I chose to give in and go with the easiest solution (just checking my gmail in the browser) and move on with that decision. I still don't know what the issue was but with Lion coming out with a whole new Mail.app, I can only hope everything will work perfectly. 🙂

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Answer 4

GGGelek

Level 1

0 points

Jun 27, 2011 10:04 PM in response to mello2198

thank you very much reply.... i do not have idea to resove problem... then i chose the forced shutdown.. 😝

after restart it is working also mail app....

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Answer 5

Jun 23, 2012 1:13 PM in response to GGGelek

Hi, I have Lion and this still happens.

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Answer 6

leqroq

Level 1

1 points

Jul 11, 2012 12:43 AM in response to mello2198

I have a Lion and it also happens to me. I also don't know how to resolve.

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Answer 7

Bunnyfu

Level 1

0 points

Sep 23, 2012 2:22 AM in response to mello2198

This issue has plagued my mac since snow leopard. Now I am on Mountain Lion with a new MBP Retina, and I am still getting this issue. So it is obviously not something to do with corrupt OS files.

I have two accounts on my computer. One has absolutely no problems logging out/shutting down. The other, older account, however, fails to logout 99% of the time because of the mail app.

Its just a hunch, but this might be due to an oversized mail database. I have been storing all of my mail in local folders for about 3 years now, so the size of the mail database is over 1 GB in size. I am guessing it is having problems digesting this amount of data. As a result, when I try to close Mail, it takes ages for the app to clean up and close itself. This in turn leads to a logout timeout and a "Mail has cancelled the shutdown process" message.

The fact that this doesn't happen on a lightweight mail database on my second account leads me to the conclusion that it is a problem with the size of the mail database. However, there doesn't seem to be any solution to the matter. Mail just isn't built with enterprise volumes in mind.

I think the only solution might be to delete all saved mail to make the database smaller. But that is an aweful solution in my opinion. The whole point of a mail client is to manage mail, not just send and receive. You never know when that 5 year old conversation might come in handy and save you XXXX$....

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Answer 8

Apr 2, 2013 2:49 AM in response to Bunnyfu

Same here.

On Mountain Lion i always get "Application Parallel Desktop canceled restart". While getting this message i see Parallels suspending. If i click restart again it works, which is silly.

On Lion i only have to click restart once, and after Parallels get's suspended osx does what it is supposed to.

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