Apple Mail Cut & Paste Problem...

Why is this taking so long to fix Apple? This bug together with the formatting issues of rich text/HTML emails is driving us all crazy.

I've tried several alternatives to Mail.app (including Outllok 2011 for Mac) and the problems still persist! Why are Mac users treated like second class citizens on this issue? It's pretty sad I have to run Outlook in a VM just so I can send out a decent looking email!

I've added my 2c to your post on the MacWorld article. Let's hope that someone pays attention!

"I'm adding my voice to Don's. Even with an AppleCare plan, and numerous discussions with senior engineers who have personally verified this problem, Apple has yet to fix a seemingly basic function: being able to reliably cut & paste text in their flagship Mail program. I've had many promises of follow-up from Apple's customer support team, none of which eventuate. Poor customer service all around!"

I have the same problem.

I only use notes from Mac Mail as that syncs nicely with iDevices.

Cause cannot be signatures as I don't use signatures in Notes.

Making empty rows before pasting is neither solution as removing extra line breaks also causes just pasted lines to jump to random place in document within few rows from correct place. This is even more annoying.

This problem has been there at least few years now. At least with Snow Leopard and Lion.

I was just going to leave the mammothic MS Outlook and move to Apple Mail when getting new Macbook with Mountain Lion in few weeks from now, but if this same problem I'm having with Notes is also occurring with Mail I'll rather stay with Outlook.

Apple please do something!

Mika

We have to get this resolved. I have a new contracting job where I have to send out announcements. I can't format them properly. The copy and paste throws lines of text all over the place; the line spacing can't be controlled, and the stationery setup simply does not work at all. Sure, I can create stationery but what a mess. My boss was actually thinking of buying an Apple laptop until she was introduced to my mail formatting pronblems. I am on the latest OS. With the Apple Look and Feel being Apple's cornerstone, driving good design every where, having a robust mail system that allows for perfect formatting is absolutely essential. I would be extremely embarrassed as an Apple employee if I had anything to do with mail. In fact, I know an engineer at Apple. I am going to bring this to her attention and see if there is any traction to get this fixed.

Yes -- we need Apple to make the Mac a functioning professional tool instead of just a hiply designed social and entertainment console. If Apple fails at this- they are doomed. The Mail formatting issue is downright embarrassing. I heavily use photos for my job and there are bad bugs in the iPhoto that I won't go into in this thread. And now the Maps debacle. Pull the software ASAP- fix it or put back good third party, like google maps. Can't believe they just ignore the users complaints.

Well, as a long time complainer and "contributor" to this thread, I have just about given up, or at least relinquished myself to the fact that .......

APPLE JUST DOESN'T CARE!!!!!!!

After all, they just brought the wonderful, fantastic, newly innovative, full of exquisite Apple imagination and design ideas ......... iphone 5 ....... NOT!

They have obviously been too busy with their lawsuit to keep other companies from STEALING their design ..... FLAWS, such as with MAIL's signatures.

Personally, being a DEVOTED mac person for well over 20 years, I am NOT going to get an iPhone 5, but am upgrading my old Motorola Razor (and my wife's) to two (2) Samsung Galaxy SIII's ........ I am not willing to find out the ridiculous little "thing" that won't work right on the iPhone 5 such as this Mail Signature thing.

I know that this is solely related to mac mail signatures as other's have had problems in outlook, etc.; but by far it is with Apple and Mac.

Since Apple seems to have no time for us small inconsequential PEONS, but they do have time to sue the **** out of a REAL INNOVATIVE company such as Samsung, I think I will reward THAT company, even if they aren't in America.

Yes, I have not contributed much with this post to the problem at hand, but can you (APPLE) tell that I AM ******?!!!!! (In case you didn't get it - the ***** has to do with a human bodily function of getting rid of bad liquids in the body, such as me getting rid of Apple!)

This is yet another empathy post with a big "ditto" here. I'm increasingly using third-party apps to correspond with people, especially when I need to do it professionally. Hmm, this sounds like the solution I'm now using when I need to use a map app too.

Another ditto. I'm a loyal Apple customer, since my college Mac Performa, and I bought a brand new MacBook Pro last year. The reason I've been so loyal to Apple over the years is that all of the little things are done right. Now it seems that the little things are done wrong.

We all know that it's the little things that make the difference in user friendliness...

I get random copy and paste issues (even with three-word phrases), unprofessional random signature font changes, and other bewildering issues in Apple Mail (random messages moving mailboxes, infinite copies of draft emails, etc). I haven't wanted to believe that the death of Steve Jobs would lead to a culture change, but why can't Apple get it? We don't want lawsuits against innovative companies. We just want good design and computers that work.

My workaround is to convert to plain text, as rich text is not important to me, but I know that's not the case for everyone..

I've also been a loyal Apple customer for several decades, and it is hugely disappointing (and frustrating) that Apple refuses to fix ongoing, easily repeatable software bugs in core software.

I too experience random anomalies such as messages moving folders, some lines of text appearing in different colours or fonts than what I've manually specified (seen when customers reply to an email), extra carriage return inserted between paragraphs (again - seen when customers reply to an email).

I too have been having the same issue in both emails and notes. Very annoying and sadly I have not come accross a fix.

I originally thought that it had to do with tables and html formatting. For instance, I copy some text from a website and mistakingly my selection included a table cell. When I pasted the text from the webpage into a note or email the table came with it. However, I was wrong. If I copy the entire note or email and paste it into a plain text Textedit document (this would get rid of all html formating) > select all of it again > copy it > paste it back into my email or note the behavior remains. So that means that the problem does not exist in the content I am pasting it's a bug with the mail applicaiton.

I also have a problem where mouse jitters when I am using mail. I'm not sure it's related, but I thought it was worth mentioning.

Yes, this is what I do, and it usually works.

My main problem is with "notes" in mail.app (since I most often compose plaintext email, and my signature is plaintext, I don't have problems with email formatting). But notes always have formatting, and Command-V often pastes the text in the wrong location.

But Command-option-Shift-V usually works.

Amazing that this problem is so old--the first post in this thread was 14 months ago, and 2 Major OS versions (Snow Leopard) ago. Would Apple listen if the number of posts goes beyond 12 pages?

Yes, if you go through the many posts, which I doubt anyone can do at this point, you will see many people have been reporting through multiple channels. I've done what you suggest and encourage others to do it too. I've also talked to Apple at their stores and through their phone support. Many here even talked about organizing a day for a large group of us to all hit Apple stores at once. None of it has worked for several years now. Apple has ignored all of us.

I have spoken to AppleCare on the phone. It was similar to the experience of others here. I had to patiently explain and describe the problem, wait while the helpful person was educated, then eventually I was put through to someone higher up. I made it clear that I wasn't looking for an immediate solution (which is generally what call centre staff are looking for - generally they struggle to recognise feedback or bug reports), and I also suggested they look at this particular discussion to see the length of time, and the major frustration factor.

Apple sent me details for how to take a diagnostic snapshot of Mail, and I have just sent that back to them, along with a QuickTime video of me composing an email and moving text around. I discovered something interesting in the process (because I was using the Menu items for cut and paste instead of keyboard shortcuts): after I cut something from what I considered the 'body' of my email (not part of the signature), the Menu option for Undo would change to "Undo Change Signature", even though I wasn't changing the signature.

Another interesting thing: the staff at AppleCare (in Australia at least) do not use Apple Mail. They have an internal message system.

I will keep you updated.

Hi Peter,

Many months ago I went thru the same process, speaking with AppleCare, taking diagnostic images, and chasing, chasing, chasing for a fix. I hope that your report finally generates some action on the part of Apple. It's ridiculous that a core Apple program can't correctly handle cut + paste operations. It's equally sad that none of the journalists contacted by myself or others on this forum have seen fit to write about this problem.

Best wishes to all.

Yes, I agree. I also sent several different inquiries / notes that included detailing information about this insidious problem to MacWorld, and several online Mac "magazines". NONE of them even had the courtesy to even respond back.

Apple unfortunately seems to be a sinking ship that refuses to recognise that there are other things they make than the failed iPhone cult icon.

Am I ****** at Apple ....... yep!

I'm the one that abandoned long-time use of PC's and am now a longer-time user of Mac's. I've pretty much given up on this issue and just using the crutch and bandages as needed when this problem keeps rearing its ugly face.

I did get a sense of revenge in the last week when we purchased two (2) Samsung Galaxy Note II's ....... now there is a WONDERFUL phone! It is sad, sad, sad, that Apple has lost its quality edge and customer service excellence. I guess it is true that the "almighty dollar" can cause blindness.

I hope, beyond any reasonable hope or faith, that Apple will address this. But, it appears they really don't care.