Mail Preferences takes 10 - 120 seconds to open

Sounds like the preferences file is corrupt. To fix:

1. hold down the option key
2. in the Go menu in the Finder, go to Library
3. in Library, go to Containers
4. in Containers, find com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist and drag it to the trash
5. restart
6. you will have to reenter your mail prefs but I bet the problem will be fixed

You have to restart, or log out and then back in, to generate the new plist file.

Back up all data.

1. Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

~/Library/Mail/Bundles

Services ▹ Open

from the contextual menu.* A folder may open, or you may get an error message that the item can't be found. Either result is normal. If the folder does open and has contents, move the contents to the Desktop. Relaunch Mail and test. If there's no change, put the contents of the folder back and quit Mail again.

2. Repeat with this line:

/Library/Mail/Bundles

This time you may be prompted for your login password when you remove the items. Make sure they're removed from the folder and not just copied to the Desktop. If necessary, copy them first and then move the originals to the Trash.

*If you don't see the contextual menu item, copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder...

from the menu bar, paste into the box that opens (command-V). You won't see what you pasted because a line break is included. Press return.

If you've changed the default location of some Mail files, then you're on your own.

Quit Mail. Force quit if necessary.

Back up all data. That means you know you can restore the Mail database, no matter what happens.

Triple-click anywhere in the line below on this page to select it:

~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Envelope Index

Copy the selected text to the Clipboard by pressing the key combination command-C. In the Finder, select

Go ▹ Go to Folder

from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return.

A Finder window will open with a file selected. Move the selected file to the Desktop, leaving the window open. Other files in the folder may have names that begin with "Envelope Index". Move those files, if any, to the Trash.

Log out and log back in. Relaunch Mail. It should prompt you to re-import your messages. You may get a warning that the index is damaged and that Mail has to quit. Click OK.

Test. If Mail now works as expected, you can delete the file you moved to the Desktop. Otherwise, post your results.

Back up all data.

Select all your mailboxes, and then select

Mailbox ▹ Export Mailbox...

from the Mail menu bar. Export the mailboxes to the Desktop folder.

Make a note of the settings for all your Mail accounts – everything you'd need to reconstruct the settings from scratch.

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

Leave the Finder window open for now.

Relaunch Mail and test. If the problem is solved, you’re done. Delete the exported mailboxes. Otherwise, quit Mail and move these items, if they exist, from the open Library folder to the Desktop:

• 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 setting it up for the first time. Go through the setup process with one of your accounts, using the information you noted earlier. Test. Same problem?

If there’s no improvement, quit Mail again and put back the items you moved to the Desktop, replacing any newer ones that may have been created in their place. You don’t need to replace the items you moved to the Trash.

If the issue is resolved, recreate the rest of your Mail settings, then import the mailboxes you exported:

File ▹ Import Mailbox...

After importing, test. If Mail is still working, delete the items on the Desktop and close the Finder window.