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Mail app won't save Gmail settings in OS X Mavericks

Ever since I upgraded to Mavericks, the Mail app won't let me permanently save my settings with two gmail accounts. I uncheck the box in "store draft messages on server" under mailbox behaviours in Preferences and then save. When I look, that box is checked again. I've done this over a million times now.


I don't want that option because I get 100s of draft portions of one email while writing it and it shows up in On My Mac. Sometimes, for no apparent reason the email shows up in "Draft" even though I had already sent it which is very confusing. I have been trying to figure this out since yesterday and I have removed and then added the gmail accounts (2 of them), did reboots, etc. Nothing works. I don't know where else to look.


I have been having all sorts of problems with the Mail app (Gmail accounts being sent from the wrong account out of the blue) ever since I bought my MacBook Pro in Feb/13. I was hoping that these issues would be resolved with the upgrade to Mavericks and would work properly. NOT. It's been so frustrating. I really like the UI of the Mail app and would like to continue using it so I was wondering if I could delete the Mail app and then re-install it? Can I do something in Terminal?


MacBook Pro, OS X Mavericks (10.9)

Posted on Oct 26, 2013 6:28 AM

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16 replies

Oct 26, 2013 11:36 AM in response to crystalship

I found the answer on another thread. So far it works, but it remains to be seen 😉



https://discussions.apple.com/thread/5468664?answerId=23500944022#23500944022


1) Quit Mail.app.

2) Log into Gmail in your favorite web browser.

3) Click on the gear menu and select "Settings".

4) Click on the "Labels" tab.

5) Under "System Labels", next to "Drafts", click on "show if unread" and uncheck the "Show in IMAP' box.


Now disable "Store draft messages on the server":


6) Launch Mail.app.

7) Select Mail > Preferences...

8) Click on the "Accounts" button in the toolbar.

9) Click once on the account name and then click the "Mailbox Behaviors" tab.

10) Uncheck the "Store draft messages on the server" box.

11) Close the window and opt to save your changes when prompted.

Nov 4, 2013 3:41 PM in response to Lexiepex

This works as long as Gmail checkbox is ticked off from "Show in IMAP". As soon as this is switched on again, Apple restore the setting.


This is senseless as if I need to keep showing the draft folder to move items I need to save and pass through different computer while composing.


Unfortunately the fault is both from Apple and Google. The latter doesn't seem they have implemented an IMAP protocol that follow the standards, whereas Apple does refuse to follow users instruction reverting setting to what they believe it should be the best.

The reality is experienced and non experienced users that suffer the pain of two companies that are fighting against each other. This is blatantly stupid.


Apple took a year to release Maverick and nobody from the mail team spent a second looking through the Gmail suggested settings.


To be clear, I don't have anything against saving draft on the server, but because of this protocol discrepancy, when Apple Mail start saving draft they are not overwritten in the folder, but a delete command is sent for the previous draft. As a result of this, by looking at the Gmail message with the official Google app, loads of draft will appear too. There is a trick I found to remove them, but this is annoying as much as seeing all my messages have pending drafts.


Hope somebody of these two company decide to fix this issue in a way or another.

Nov 25, 2013 1:09 PM in response to BrendonWBrown

Hi Brendon:

"Great hack, good stuff."

this is not a hack, just making sure that the settings are ok on both sides (server and user).

The setting has a negative though: when you have a brittle internet connection, after a short disconnect you have to redo the email(s) you were writing.

But since most people have a good sturdy internet connection, this is better.

Lex

Mail app won't save Gmail settings in OS X Mavericks

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