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How to disable conversations in Apple Mail.

Looking for how to disable conversations - not turn it off mailbox by mailbox.


Not only do I find it irritiating, but it groups unrelated emails in the same conversation.

Mac OS X (10.7.1)

Posted on Sep 21, 2011 9:08 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Sep 21, 2011 9:10 AM

Uncheck View->Organize By Conversaion

19 replies

Sep 21, 2011 10:35 AM in response to igmackenzie

Not difficult, but tedious for all of the mailboxes I have - and the same for the people we support.


One of our top support issues is along the lines of 'my messages are lost' , when they are only hiding in a conversation.


I've yet to talk to any of our people who likes conversations - it's almost the first thing we show them how to turn off.


With any luck Apple will add a disable option in an update...


(And it's not an issue just in Apple Mail)

Jul 12, 2012 4:43 AM in response to andreazk

I think Apple has broken a rule here: don't impose organisational changes on your users.


They should have made this optional - Instead of which they have a number of disgruntled users who find their tried and tested mail organisation is broken.


You can see that some Apple hack reluctantly acknowledged this by providing a "Classic" button which nevertheless doesn't remove the "conversations" issue.


Most frutstrating.


The other frustration is "Mission Control" and a long linear incompetent organisational paradigm replacing "Spaces".


A bit of a hiccup, this Lion: Are they running out of things to fix because it's working fine?

Jul 12, 2012 5:47 AM in response to JamesConnolly

I've found a VERY easy way to fix the Conversations dealie.

While you are in Mail, go the the Customize Toolbar dealie.

You'll find a dragable button that says "Conversations" on it.

Drag that button into your toolbar.


By clicking that button, you can turn Conversations on, you can turn it off,(when it's on, the button will say, "No Conversations", so you can then turn them off.).


So, while the "Classic" button doesn't fix it for you, the "Conversations" button will. 🙂


Yeah, I'm not so all Mission Control either.

To be honest, I never really used Spaces, either.

I just use that All Windows button on my keyboard, or I've learned how to use gestures on my trackpad to get where I want to go.


I think putting up a REALLY GOOD Gestures tutorial would be a helpful thing to do.... sometimes I call it "Guess-tures" as I am often just doing that;GUESSING to see if what I gesture makes something happen.


Good Luck.

How to disable conversations in Apple Mail.

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