Apple Mail Cut & Paste Problem...

Turns out it wasn't quite so easy. It was working fine for any new Notes I created, but I still have the same problem when opening and editing old notes that existed when I was using signatures.

So now I'm trying this and it seems to be working (cross fingers):

I have to go to the old Note, select all, copy. Then I change the top line of the old Note, just adding a number 2 (since all Notes use the top line as a 'Subject' header). Then I go into TextEdit (using plain text to remove any kind of formatting) and paste the copied note. Then still in TextEdit select all and copy the unformatted text, go back into Notes. New note. Paste.

It retains the old title since I didn't change the top line. Then I delete the old Note, now called 'Top Line 2'. And the new Note doesn’t seem to have cut and paste issues. I guess I will have to do this for all the Notes created while I had Mail Signatures. A clunky workaround that will hopefully ease itself as I go back in to edit each note.

I will monitor and get back if I notice any patterns.

I've experienced the same problem as David which is most frustrating. It suddenly appeared in about July 2011, probably came with some Apple Mail update. I've asked several Mac friends and they do not know the answer either.

Like David I have many preset signatures which I just edit to tailor to individual reply. This has worked well for many years until suddenly in July 2011 all these quirks started happening, ie text not being placed where cursor is placed, etc, completely out of control and most frustrating.

I have this problem on both my mac computers (probably since the same software update) and I'm pulling my hair out as it wastes so much of my time.

I feel very demoralised that this problem is stil not fixed and does not seem to be fixed with Lion either.

The pre-designed signatures has been a very useful tool for so many years I cannot see why it could not be fixed so that we can continue to use it. All workarounds with other applications are time consuming too and surely only an interim solution.

Apple please fix this ASAP for all Apple operating systems!

Thank you

Actually what I've been hoping for since 2009 is that Apple who are so good at design and presentation can arrange a formating choice for emails being sent - for example I w'd like to choose dark blue as a font for all my emails (and replies) to go with my the company colours in line with website etc.

At the moment I can choose the font colours for previous emails coming back with email replies. Similarly it w'd be a fab feature if I c'd coose the above mentioned font for my email replies to go with my company design - rather than the bog standard black.

Surely Apple that w'd be cool if emails from your Apple Mail look well designed.

Thanks for these two comments Dr. Oetker.

My experience coincides with yours - since July 2011 having to run around chasing inserted text on eails.

It has not helped to replace the returns with ctrl-returns in the signatures as I hoped. I am reduced to using no signatures and pasting the signature from TextExpander.

I agree we could have nice preformatted emails. This is long overdue.

Hi Graham

(btw my friend and I had a funny sense of humor when we chose this name for the blog. Seems I'm now stuck with it and cannot change it!)

How about going back to the pre-July model !?

- even just to check what's different in the coding that c'd cause this timeconsuming and ever so frustrating problem.

Don't even know if I've got text expander or go via extra steps in between. May also prefer to switch to Outlook as another Apple Mail user has done - if this problem carries on much longer I may be forced to.

Here's to better choice for simple designi of emails that makes the difference in impact - I'm watching this space!

okay, so reporting back... I thought I got rid of the problem after deleting all my Signatures, but more writing in Mail Notes, I'm still having the same problem with random paste after copy or cut. and I'm not noticing any pattern of when or why. After I deleted the Signatures in Mail the problem didn't immediately rear its head. but it's back. I still haven't had the problem in writing Mail email, only in Mail Notes. I like Notes because they copy onto my iPhone and I always have them with me.

I hope Apple's not falling on its own sword. I'm worried.

I was reading the cut & paste issues being discussed and thought I'd let folks know that I am having the same problem with MS Outlook. Haven't found an answer but it did start recently.

David and all others in this thread,

Was about to give up and call AppleCare ...... I have about 12 different signatures under one of my email addresses and some them are fine when I go to edit them, though I've noticed that the simpler the signature, there are few if any problems. Seems to primarily be if you have ANY formatting other than basic, one-style, one-size text. Can't say specifically, but I don't have time to figure out WHAT is causing this (isn't that Apple's job?)

Basically I get random spinning "whirlghigs" (I believe one person called the spinning ball thingy!) If I go to check the CMD-OPT-ESC, I'll find the "Mail (not responding)". The problem is that it indeed seems to be random. Sometimes I can go in and edit the exact same signature and everything is fine, though I suspect it is because I'm not editing the style, or a line or two that is "affected".

Yes, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE Apple get this fixed. Isn't this what the signatures are for? I'm on Snow Leopard, 10.6.8, Mail 4.5.

I have come to depend GREATLY on signatures and this is becoming a nightmare.

jonnyguitar wrote:

I was reading the cut & paste issues being discussed and thought I'd let folks know that I am having the same problem with MS Outlook. Haven't found an answer but it did start recently.

This is sad but echoes my experience. As I mentioned earlier, I had switched, in the office setting at least, to Outlook for Mac because I thought that this newly updated program didn't have this problem. Well, although it is much less frequent and annoying, it does still happen in Outlook, as well. I use Mail at home, though, and can say that, without question, the problem is more severe in Mail.

Why would both programs have this problem? Does Apple supply some sort of basic toolbox for e-mail that is shared by developers? If so, is this toolbox corrupted? You may be able to tell that I am no programmer, but merely a long-time Mac user desperately seeking a resolution of this issue, and if not that, at least some rational explanation.

To add my voice to this list - I am having a similar problem with NOTES (I only noticed this thread after I made a new posting on this topic)... The bug only seems to occur when editing an older note.

From time to time the copy / paste does not work properly. When I copy some text with command-c & place the insertion point at the end of line somewhere else in the document & press command-V, the text will be inserted in the line above.

I am not certain of the precise pattern to reproduce the bug, but try this...

1) Open an existing note document within mail...

2) Copy several lines of text & paste somewhere else in the document

3) Then type some text at the end of one of these lines

4) Highlight & copy that text

5) Move insertion point to the end of the next line

6) press command-v

7) Text does not get pasted to the right location, but to the line above

Just one more voice confirming this bug. Suddenly started a couple of months ago in Mail. I find the best way to live with it is to use Apple-Alt-Shift-P to paste text as unformatted. Sometimes it still goes one line up but often it will paste in the correct place. If it does go in the wrong place, if I then cut it and re-paste without formatting at the point I want, it always works but tis is still a pain. Obviously this is no good if you need to paste something with it's own formatting style.

Apple, please fix.

Same same over here. This really needs to be solved, RTF issues in a standard mail app in 2011??

Common Apple, stop focusing on all those i-Gadgets for second and solve a little but annoying bug.

Can't be that hard.

Nils and all others,

I couldn't have said it better; YES, Apple, COME ON!!!! It remains suspiciously interesting that Apple has NOT responded whatsoever to the growing awareness of this LINGERING problem that should NOT be there!!!

Is there something inherent in Mail that is causing this that they can't fix? I use this feature MORE and MORE; but, with more and more problems to the point that I am having to turn most of signatures to just plain text with little to no emelishment of the text; nor, with any (or very limited in quantity and size) photos.

Even then, the cut and paste does and doesn't work, jumping at random. The most frustrating part is that sometimes (though rarely) it works fine!

I have quite a few signatures, about half of them embelished with different fonts and anywhere from one to 8 or 9 small photos. It seems this issue did not occur for awhile and then all of the sudden started up because I know I've been using those signatures for quite a while. Seems like perhaps this snuck in either in a new version of Mail; or, a Snow Leopard upgrade.

APPLE we need help!!!!!!!!

I would encourage anyone and EVERYONE that has Applecare to call in there to BUG them!

Maybe the Squeaky Wheel will get the grease!???!!!

Good idea how about one of you tweeters tweets Stephen Fry about it that will bring the attention to this problem.

How about tweeting this:
HEEEEEELP : (( APPLLE PLEEEASE FIIIIIIX YOUR MAIL PROGRAMME BUG NOOOW !!!

- best in 120 charakters so it can be re-tweeted and I did not count!