no mail sounds after installing El Capitan

Hi thanks for the script.. it works of course which is great :-)

I knew a script would do it but I don't know enough about writing them (even one as apparently simple as this one) to try it.. but I have just followed your post and now have a sound for incoming mail not a long term solution but at least it works for now THANK YOU!

Thanks, script works great.

Think Apple should fix this properly though.

Just a Workaround until Apple posts a fix…

Using Rules in Mail I just wrote Apple Scripts to perform the functions I needed:

Here is an example of how to play a sound for New Mail:

Using the "Script Editor.app" in Applications/Utilities

Just open then select "New Document"

Enter this script:

tell application "Mail"

do shell script "afplay '/Users/MyAUDIO/BeepBeepBeep.wav'"

end tell

You will NEED to change the Path and the name of the sound file to one of your liking.

Use the "Play" arrow to test if the sound plays and test for script errors.

Just save the file to: "~/Library/Application Scripts/com.apple.mail" folder with a name like: PlaySound.scpt

Now, just go to the Mail "Rules" and use "Run AppleScript" for your Action.

If you placed your Script in the Folder above then it will be listed in AppleScripts Dropdown when creating the Rule.

Use something simple like: Check for "Any recipient" "contains" "@"

You should be able to get all your Rules working by creating an Apple Script to Perform the Action Instead using the "Built-in" actions that no longer seem to work...

The problem has been fixed in OS X 10.11.1 for most users. This suggests the problem is in your User's Library.

Testing in a new User will quickly tell you if the problem is system wide or if it's your User's folder that contains the problem.

You can use the Guest User or create a new User for testing.

Add one of your email accounts and test.

CREATE A NEW USER

Go to System Preferences --> Create a New User in Users & Groups.

Switch to the New User by logging out/in or use Fast User Switching

Do you still see the issue?

If yes, then the problem is with your base files.

If no, then the problem is in your User's folder.

Assuming this is the case..

1. the problem is with your base files.

or 2. the problem is in your User's folder.

how do you fix it!

Okay, I have a guest user, but it has never been used, thus has no email account. So, given that, how am I supposed to test the issue from a user with no email account?

From the responses here, it certainly does not look, like the issue has been resolved for most users. We have yet to see one user say it has been fixed.

It's all very strange how everything was working just fine prior to El Cap, and now it might be blamed on our user files. If the user files were changed, it wasn't me that did it.

If it's base files, I would download the El Capitan installer again and run this over my current install.

If it's your User's folder, we can try resetting your Mail files.

Make sure you have backup first.

If you have POP accounts or mail stored under "On My Mac", this will take additional steps to recover.

In System Preferences > Internet Accounts

Uncheck Mail for each account.

With Mail quit....

Go to your User's Library folder. (see below)

• Go to Containers. Drag the com.apple.mail folder to the Trash

• Go to Mail folder. Rename Mailxxx

• Go to Preferences. If you find any com.apple.mail.plist files, delete these.

Log out under the Apple in the Menu bar

Log in

Empty the Trash

In System Preferences > Internet Accounts, check one email account. You want to do this for one account at a time.

Open Mail.

Verify the account is working and you are getting mail sounds.

Add additional accounts and test after each account.

If you still don't have mail sounds, it's possible there is another file that is corrupt that is not in the data we reset.

Show User's Library

The User's Library folder is hidden by default. To unhide: Select the Finder in the Dock. Under Go in the Menu bar > hold down the Option key and you’ll see the Library.

Finding the User Library Folder

http://www.takecontrolbooks.com/resources/0167/site/chap11.html#FindingtheUserLi braryFolder

Open Mail in the Guest User and add one of your accounts.

Using Guest or a new User gives you a clean environment to test. This will eliminate your User's folder as the source of the problem.

When you log out of Guest, all data will be erased.

If you create a new test User, the account you entered in Mail will remain for further testing. This is a better option than Guest if you have the drive space to keep the extra data.

wow... thanks I will give it a go (if I get sounds with a new user account) and report back.. still doesn't answer the obvious question why did this happen in the first place... like I'm guessing everyone else in this thread - everything was fine until the update... And if it is a user files problem why can't Apple say so?

anyway, thanks for the instructions I will give it a go and report back probably tomorrow now....

When you upgrade, the process can result in corrupt or bad/incomplete files. It's a bit like driving your car. Most times you get to your destination without any issues but you never know when you might be involved in a crash.

In order to fix, you need to know if it's a problem in your User's folder or if it's actually broken at the base level.

Okay, logged in as guest user, used my email account, and the alerts worked just fine. Now, how do I repair my user file to address this issue?

My wife's Mac also has the same issue.

I replied above to Peter with steps to repair. Oct 22, 2015 12:32 PM

Depending on your skill level in troubleshooting, sometimes it's easier to move to a new User.

Wonderful.....so if take my car in for a service and it breaks down shortly afterwards as a result of incompetence, I am expected to fix it myself! My mail worked perfectly well before El Capitan, now it seems that it is the fault of my new MacBook