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Mac Mail automatically resizes windows sometimes...bug?

Thanks in advance for the help. I set my email window size the way I like and get tons of emails and I open and close them with no problem and the email window stays the same size, but every once in awhile, I get an email and when I open it, the window automatically resizes to a smaller size which causes all subsequent emails to stay that size until I stretch out the window again to the size I like...it is driving me nuts...is it a bug of some kind or is there a setting I can change so the window size always stays the same in Mail?

Posted on Aug 14, 2012 2:20 AM

46 replies

Sep 4, 2012 10:19 AM in response to William Lloyd

I know, same here, it is just bizarre. It is happening on 2 of my computers. I do have the mail in classic layout if that sheds any light. I wish I could post a video of it happening.

Sep 4, 2012 10:23 AM in response to Csound1

Why me? lol......My best guess is that there is some bug in classic layout that causes it to happen when some sort of image file is included in an email. It doesn't happen every time either...I can go weeks opening and closing emails and then it will happen 3 times in one day, then not happen for another week, etc.

Sep 4, 2012 10:26 AM in response to Community User

Apple Forever wrote:


Why me? lol......My best guess is that there is some bug in classic layout that causes it to happen when some sort of image file is included in an email. It doesn't happen every time either...I can go weeks opening and closing emails and then it will happen 3 times in one day, then not happen for another week, etc.

The window of Damocles

Sep 4, 2012 10:52 AM in response to Csound1

Csound1 wrote:


Apple Forever wrote:


Why me? lol......My best guess is that there is some bug in classic layout that causes it to happen when some sort of image file is included in an email. It doesn't happen every time either...I can go weeks opening and closing emails and then it will happen 3 times in one day, then not happen for another week, etc.

The window of Damocles

Ha ha, very funny. But I still enjoy Mountain Lion even with the window hanging over my head.

Sep 4, 2012 12:43 PM in response to Community User

This mysterious window resizing in Mail (Mountain Lion) happens to me too. I am also using classic layout.


It seems to happen to me when I receive an email from someone sending from an iPhone--maybe even any smart phone. The window would shrink from where I had originally set it to about 1" x 3". All subsequent emails would be that same small size until I resize the window by dragging a corner. Clicking the green + expands it to full window and back to the unwanted small size.


I'm glad to see I'm not the only one experiencing this annoyance.

Sep 4, 2012 1:26 PM in response to sarahfromranchos

OMG, I am not going crazy!!! Thank you so much for posting a response Sarah! Now I can cancel my therapy appointment. I did not see a pattern with someone sending an email from an iPhone or smartphone and I think I remember it happened with some emails that were definitely not from a phone, but the window behavior you describe is pretty much exactly what I am experiencing with the only exception being that I have had other sized window changes besides 1x3". And the fact that you are also using classic layout is helpful to know so it seems it is probably a bug and not a preference setting of some sort. I don't know anything about the intricacies of iCloud, but you mentioning the phone makes me think that maybe it is some sort of bug in iCloud protocol that gets confused about the device it is sending the email to and mistakenly and randomly resizes the window out of confusion. Well, I will keep an eye out now when it happens next time and hopefully discover a clue to the bug and will post back if I discover something. Thanks again.

Sep 13, 2012 5:45 PM in response to Community User

I am seeing this too, and also using classic view. My windows randomly get resized to about 2" tall x 5" wide and appear in the bottom right of my screen.


Sometimes resizing them manually, then reopening future emails solves it. Sometimes it doesn't and I have to close and reopen mail.


I have noticed it happening much more often lately (as in the last week or so).

Sep 13, 2012 7:28 PM in response to jdag

Thanks for posting. I am still getting it as well and it happened twice today. Like you, I am getting the 2" x 5" size as well lately but it goes to the lower left corner. I still can't find a pattern, cannot reproduce it when it happens to an email...that is, when I change the email back to the size I like and then mark the email as unread and then open it again to see if it will auto-resize again, it doesn't resize.

Sep 13, 2012 8:49 PM in response to Community User

jdag & apple forever:


I am also continuing to experience this sudden change to a smaller window in Mountain Lion's Mail (classic view). My first impression that it was emails from an iPhone that changed size was not correct. It is now happening to other emails as well. Oh, and the size-reduced windows also appear in the lower left hand corner.


Something is weird.

Mac Mail automatically resizes windows sometimes...bug?

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