Way for Mail to Auto Close Original Message After Reply / Forward???

Question

Level 1

39 points

Way for Mail to Auto Close Original Message After Reply / Forward???

After opening a message, and then replying to it, I would like it to automatically close that original message. Otherwise, I forget to close them (and why have an extra step for something that shoudl be a preference,) then when I'm shuttling through Mail windows, it's cluttered with old messages I've already deal with, and I must pause to check them out in case they are relevant, then close. Is there any way to make it do this? I don't see it in preferences, and I keep checking after updates thinking surely Apple will add it soon. Outlook has had it for years and years.

FYI, I do know you can reply from the viewer pane without opening the E-mail. I may try to modify my habits in this way, but sometimes I need the message open so I can resposition it on the screen to reference / click between other programs. But of course it's so like Apple to withhold a simple functional preference because they want to you do things THEIR way. It's the genius / tool combo that's apple's ying & yang.

Does anyone have a workaround or somekind of third party software that could make it do this? I can't imagine why they wouldn't add such a simple functionality. Any help or tips greatly appreciated.

Brian

Posted on Sep 28, 2012 12:17 PM

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Answer 1

Dashford

Level 1

15 points

Nov 4, 2014 12:18 AM in response to Hepcat B

I have the same problem. Everything was working fine until I updated to Yosemite. Now Mail is behaving really weird. Sometimes the original message is closed when I reply, sometimes it isn't! Also I cannot scroll up when dragging a message to a folder (I can still scroll down!) And it is so slow that I cannot delete messages sometimes and sometimes it doesn't mark messages as read when I have read them. Also calendar invites are mostly not handling correctly. It used to be fine. Now it is not entering events properly into the calendar when I accept and the invitation emails are not being removed. This is all very frustrating. I am trying to avoid the hassle of rolling back my OS. I'm hoping Apple will resolve the bugs in Yosemite quickly! ;-)

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Answer 2

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Aug 20, 2015 2:21 PM in response to Dashford

***Now Mail is behaving really weird. Sometimes the original message is closed when I reply, sometimes it isn't!***

Same issue after just upgrading to Yosemite. Is there a fix for this? I prefer to have the original message close on it's own after replying.

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Answer 3

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 9, 2015 3:29 PM in response to andyr.

Bumping an old thread because I still have not found out why an open email won't close after replying.

I recently upgraded to El Capitan and the first email that I opened, then replied to, the original email closed.

But after that first one, now they stay open and it's frustrating.

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Answer 4

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 10, 2015 1:32 PM in response to andyr.

Still trying to figure this out, anyone know how to have an open email automatically close upon a reply?

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Answer 5

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 11, 2015 4:18 PM in response to andyr.

Anybody?

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Answer 6

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 12, 2015 4:07 PM in response to andyr.

I know this is a really old thread, but someone has to know how to fix this issue? I can't see how things can go backwards, I loved when my original message simply closed when sending a reply.

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Answer 7

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 17, 2015 2:29 PM in response to andyr.

Still having this issue, does anyone know how to have an open email automatically close upon a reply?

It used to work fine in the previous operating system. Can't find any settings?

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Answer 8

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Nov 18, 2015 3:35 PM in response to andyr.

Noticed today that when I reply to some emails, the original closes.

Why would some opened emails close after replying and some not?

Lastly, I have not seen any responses, is this in the wrong section? Thanks.

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Answer 9

2ra

Level 1

4 points

Dec 9, 2015 9:12 PM in response to andyr.

I just upgraded to El Capitan and now I have the problem that emails don't automatically close when I reply or forward. They used to.

What is the setting for this?

Also is there a setting to make it Mark As Read upon replying?

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Answer 10

Hepcat B Author

Level 1

39 points

Dec 10, 2015 8:08 AM in response to andyr.

Sorry I haven't responded on this post until now. I appreciate others posting on the thread I started as that seems to be happening much less lately.

I think the problem sorted itself out for me somehow, it auto closes all messages after replying, and has for a good while, I think it's been years. I just checked and still don't see an option in settings, which is STILL ridiculous since some people would sure have reasons for leaving an item open, like sending different responses to different people. If I found an answer surfing I'm sorry I didn't come back to post it - I did check my bookmarks since I often save pages with fixes with searchable title terms in case the problem recurrs.

I'm on Yosemite btw, maybe it was changed in that OS? I'll come back with any useful info if the problem comes back when I go to El Capitain (I put off Mac updates a long time, sick of being their involuntary beta tester.)

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Answer 11

Dec 14, 2015 8:37 AM in response to Hepcat B

I'm running El Capitan, and I have this problem - sometimes it closes the original message and sometimes not.

Also, when you click reply or forward (especially when the message is in its own window), do you notice that it takes about 3 full seconds for the new 'reply or forward' window to open?

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Answer 12

Dec 15, 2015 10:10 AM in response to pfinfante

There are many reports of this same problem with the original message closing, not closing, etc. And, sometimes there's animation, sometimes there's not. I can't believe no one else is commenting or coming up with ideas. Not sure if this started with latest El Capitan update or not.

I'm all ears! 🙂

Thank you.

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Answer 13

andyr.

Level 1

13 points

Jan 10, 2016 8:02 AM in response to pfinfante

Still curious if anyone has figured this out?

It's very frustrating when something works well, then after an update, it doesn't work so well.

The other weird thing I've noticed as of late is that sometimes when I hit reply, the reply email "bounces" before it opens.

If anyone has solved this problem, please post how you did so.

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Answer 14

Feb 11, 2016 2:02 AM in response to andyr.

This is SO weird that Apple Mail hasn't sorted this issue?! In Outlook it's a check box. I cannot understand why El Capitan doesn't allow a similar option in mail. I've been trawling to find a solution and the only thing that came close was a clunky piece of script which sends an email back to yourself.... !!!

Or a whole recreation of your account in administrator safe mode.

I don't understand why it needs to be so hard?!

Apple, can we have an update please!!!!

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Answer 15

Aug 31, 2016 9:58 AM in response to cathrynlc

Just (finally) upgraded to Yosemite because Finder stopped working in El Captian with no fix available. Try using a Mac without Finder. My mac mail is now having this same issue of keeping all my read emails open after I reply to them. Is there seriously no fix for this? No option to choose to turn on/off? Add it to the list I guess. A list of not terrible, but needlessly annoying glitches. That keeps growing...

We switched our sales & marketing folks to MacBooks in 2008. Happy campers through about 2013. Steadily, sadly, everyone is now migrating back to Windows. Which has the same annoyances, but at least the ability to address them in some way. Apple is losing touch.

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