Mail app and Yahoo mailboxes organization

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Level 2

276 points

Mail app and Yahoo mailboxes organization

I set up the Mail app to access my Yahoo account and it has created an interesting way to organize and manage my email. I'm wondering if it is possible to change how this is set up.

So this is how it is set up:

Lion gives me my Inbox, Sent, and Trash folders. Then Yahoo gives me my Notes and their mailboxes, including Bulk Mail, Draft, Sent, Trash, and my converstations.

Notes, Bulk Mail, Draft, and my conversations work great and as expected. However, it is weird having 2 Sent folders and 2 Trash folders. If I delete messages in the Mail app, it sends it to the Trash located under Mailboxes. If I delete a message using another method (Yahoo website or iPhone), it shows up in the Trash folder under Yahoo. The same goes for the Sent folders.

Also, I have that same Yahoo account set up for my Mail app on my iPhone. My mailboxes are shown the basically the same way on my iPhone:

I am wondering if there is any way to get this whole system a little more organized. I would like all deleted messages to go to the Trash under Mailboxes and the same for Sent. I don't want the Sent and Trash folders under Yahoo at all. Then I'd like to have the Draft and Bulk Mail folders up under Mailboxes if that is possible.

If you can help, it would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you.

iMac, Mac OS X (10.7), 2011 Release, Core i5, 4 GB RAM

Posted on Aug 15, 2011 8:14 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 5, 2011 5:20 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

Same problem over here, googled it without any luck. If you do (have) find (found) an answer please be a sport and share it.

Cheers.

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Answer 2

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 5:27 PM in response to pregueiro

Unfortunately, I have not.

Hopefully someone out there knows and will reply here.

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Answer 3

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 7:02 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

Based on my own account, it looks like Yahoo! wants to use the folders called Sent, Bulk Mail, and Trash. Clear out and delete any folders named otherwise.

In Mail.app, establish the above three folders via Mailbox > Use this Mailbox For. You may also need to go into your account set up under Preferences > (Your Yahoo! Account) > Mailbox Behavior and tell Mail.app to use the server-based folders.

This should solve your problem re the duplicates.

Once you have eliminted the duplicate-but-similar folders your iPhone problem should also be solved, however you may need to delete and recreate the Yahoo! account on your iPhone. In fact you may need to do this before you do the above.

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Answer 4

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 7:44 PM in response to AdamKB

Thanks for your reply!I almost got it to work.

I disabled my mail account on my iPhone first, then disabled it on my Mac.

Then I went to Yahoo's website and deleted the extra folders that my Mac generated and used.

I enabled it again on my iPhone and it appeared to work great. Didn't generate any extra folders.

Then I enabled it again on my Mac and it created the extra folders and began using them again. 😕

Once a message is placed in a folder, it will show up on Yahoo's website as well.

This is a little confusing. My Mac is creating the blank folders and anything I do on my Mac is reflected in those folders on Yahoo's website. The extra folders you see in the Mac app are the changes made using Yahoo's website.

For example, if I begin composing a message in the Mail app and save it as a draft, it'll be stored in the official Drafts mailbox on the Mac, but at Yahoo's website, that draft isn't stored in Yahoo's official draft mailbox, it is in an extra folder called Drafts. And visa versa if I create a draft using Yahoo's website.

What did I do wrong? Are my settings not configured properly?

Message was edited by: Joey!! 【ツ】

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Answer 5

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 7:38 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

Force Mail.app to use the folders you want it to use via the Mailbox menu and then delete the others.

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Answer 6

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 7:51 PM in response to AdamKB

I understand what you are saying but I cannot figure out how.

I need to move the extra folders so those messages are moved under the main Mailbox on the Mac. There doesn't appear to be a command under Mailbox that will do that.

Can you explain further? Thanks.

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Answer 7

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 7:59 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

In the Mailbox menu is the menu command called "Use this Mailbox For..."

While highlighting the preferred Sent, Spam, and Trash folders on the Yahoo! server use the above menu to establish those as the Sent, Spam, and Trash folders that Mail.app will use. Then delete any other folders with similar names that you don't want to use.

Now Mail.app will use the correct folders and everything else should also.

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Answer 8

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:09 PM in response to AdamKB

Sorry, I don't want to use the extra folders under YAHOO as my mailboxes for Sent, Draft, Junk, and Trash.

I want to use the mailboxes mail created with the special icons as the one and only mailboxes.

I hope that makes sense.

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Answer 9

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:11 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

The steps I provided will give them the special icons. Do it. Trust me.

If you have multiple email accounts, all the Inboxes, Sent, Junk, and Trash folders will be grouped together.

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Answer 10

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:31 PM in response to AdamKB

Oh! Sorry I didn't believe you 🙂

It appears to have solved the problem I've been complaining about! Thanks.

One last problem, I enabled the checkbox to store junk messages on the server, and it created a new folder under ON MY MAC called Junk (Yahoo!) and I cannot force it to use that as the Junk mailbox. Note: I already did that for the folder it created called Bulk Mail.

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Answer 11

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:31 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

Joey!! 【ツ】 wrote:

Now, I enabled the checkbox to store junk messages on the server, and it created a new folder under On My Mac called Junk (Yahoo!) and it won't let use that as the junk mailbox. I already combined the folder it created called Bulk Mail to the Junk mailbox.

Sounds like it's already set up as the junk mailbox (which is why you can't tell it to use that folder as the junk mailbox). You can test it by marking a message as junk or by looking inside the mailbox if you already have mail marked as junk (say from the Yahoo! web interface).

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Answer 12

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:48 PM in response to AdamKB

Hmm ok so I disabled the option to store it on the server, which gets rid of the Junk (Yahoo!) folder, but brings back the Bulk Mail folder under YAHOO. So I forced it to use that as the Junk mailbox, so then that folder disappears, but then the Junk (Yahoo!) folder is recreated AND in preferences, the option to store junk on the server is checked again!

Grrr

Junk (Yahoo!) doesn't appear to do anything anyways. If I mark it as Junk in Mail, it goes to the Junk mailbox. If I mark it as Spam in Yahoo, it also goes to Junk in Mail. So should I just delete Junk (Yahoo!)? It says it's permanent and cannot be undone.

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Answer 13

AdamKB

Level 2

340 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:53 PM in response to Plant-Daddy

I don't understand what you're experiencing. I recommend leaving junk mail on the server and call it a day.

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Answer 14

Plant-Daddy Author

Level 2

276 points

Sep 5, 2011 8:59 PM in response to AdamKB

I simily deleted the useless Junk (Yahoo!) folder and it is still storing them on the server and in the Junk mailbox.

Hooray!

Thanks for your time and patience!

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Answer 15

Jul 19, 2013 5:24 AM in response to Plant-Daddy

I just got my iPhone and installed the Yahoo Mail app and am getting duplicate Inbox, Spam, Starred, Trash, outbox, sent and Contacts folders. I can't find this "Mailbox" menu to adjust the "Use this mailbox for" option. Is it on the server (when I use my email on my desktop) or on my phone in the app? I can't find much help for this problem.

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