Can't open Mail, Index is broken!

On the iMac.

Do a backup, using either Time Machine or a cloning program, to ensure files/data can be recovered. Two backups are better than one.

Try setting up another admin user account to see if the same problem continues. If Back-to-My Mac is selected in System Preferences, the Guest account will not work. The intent is to see if it is specific to one account or a system wide problem. This account can be deleted later.

Isolating an issue by using another user account

If the problem is still there, try booting into the Safe Mode. Disconnect all peripherals except those needed for the test. Shut down the computer and then power it back up. Immediately after hearing the startup chime, hold down the shift key and continue to hold it until the gray Apple icon and a progress bar appear. The boot up is significantly slower than normal. This will reset some caches, forces a directory check, and disables all startup and login items, among other things. When you reboot normally, the initial reboot may be slower than normal. If the system operates normally, there may be 3rd party applications which are causing a problem. Try deleting/disabling the third party applications after a restart by using the application uninstaller. For each disable/delete, you will need to restart if you don't do them all at once.

Safe Mode

Safe Mode - About

If you don't use Mail, then the message database should be empty. Is it?

Quit Mail. Then select

 ▹ Force Quit...

from the menu bar. A small window will open with a list of running applications. Mail may appear in that list, even though you quit it. If so, select it and press return. Close the window.

In the Finder, hold down the option key and select

Go ▹ Library

from the menu bar. Move the following items from the folder that opens to the Trash (some may not exist):

• Caches/com.apple.mail
• Saved Application State/com.apple.mail.savedState
• Application Support/AddressBook/MailRecents-v4.abcdmr
• Containers/com.apple.mail
• Mail
• Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist (OS X 10.7 only)
• Preferences/com.apple.mail.searchhistory.plist (OS X 10.7 only)

Note: you are not moving the Mail application. You’re moving a folder named “Mail.”

Log out and log back in. Launch Mail. It will behave as if you were running it for the first time. Go through the setup process with one of your accounts.

You are welcome.

Hi Linc. I am working on my wife's Mac for her. I'm a windows guy (Sorry 😟) but unfortunately, my wife knows less about the Mac than I do. We recently upgraded to Yosemite and I was getting the indexing broken error messages when trying to open her mail. It would try to repair but then go back to the same error message and just repeat itself.

I found this post, followed your instructions and viola! I was able to get my wife's email up and running. Only problem is, all of her saved emails are gone.It was like starting all over again with setting up a new email account for her. I did not delete any of the old files you listed on your post to remove. They are sitting in the trash bin right now.

Would you be so kind as to let me know if I am able to input all of her previously saved emails and folders into her new email account, and if so, how? I hope I am making sense and I also hope I am posting this request in the right place as this is my first time ever posting.

Thank you for all of your help. I also found some of your other posts before finding this one and you are the ultimate "Mac" pro. Hopefully you get some benefits from helping out friends and family along with the rest of us who don;t know anywhere near as much as you do. Thanks again!

Where do you type in GO LIBRARY? I HAVE TRIED IN THE WINDOW ON UPPER RIGHT WITH NO SUCCESS.

I found Go but it says the folder can't be found.

Most of the file you noted were not there but once I moved

Mail to another folder; mail opened and I set up my accounts again and all my folders appear to be there.

Thanks for your help.