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josborne3 Author

Level 1

15 points

El Capitan Mail Preview Pane issue

I shrunk the message preview pane in the mail app all the way down and now I can not get it to return. I have tried the following steps:

1) Toggling classic view on and off

2) resizing the window and going to full screen in order to better click on the dot in the middle of the preview pane bar but that only allows me to resize the window.

3) double clicking the dot on the preview pane bar at the bottom - produces no effect

4) removing the mail plist file from the Library Containers

5) tried to use apple script to directly set the preview pane to true, but that produces an error and apparently has not worked since mavericks

Is there any documentation on how to either toggle this with apple script, or which file the preview pane option is actually stored in?

Any help at this point would be much appreciated!

I can't believe this is not an option in the view setttings...

MacBook Air, OS X El Capitan (10.11)

Posted on Oct 20, 2015 1:37 PM

58 replies

Jan 7, 2016 8:16 PM in response to Arshay

Yes--there's no visual confirmation that you're pulling the preview pane area up until you're near the top.

Jan 8, 2016 5:48 AM in response to shiatt733

OH. That was the missing piece. So to those as mystified as I was ... just PRETEND you're dragging the dot up (even if nothing happens), go almost to the top and the Preview Pane WILL reappear. Thanks so much!

Arshay

Level 1

0 points

Jan 8, 2016 6:20 AM in response to bettercallsaul

That was the BEST way to describe it!

Jan 11, 2016 5:23 AM in response to josborne3

yes that seems to do it - please though, if any developer is reading this, note that this kind of behaviour is counter-intuitive and should be changed.

Don Ayer

Level 1

47 points

Jan 12, 2016 7:09 AM in response to josborne3

The same trick works in the new view as it does in the classic view, though you have to click+drag from the right hand side. You will see the little arrow-line symbol, but the preview pane won't actually reappear until you're most of the way across the screen.

dmschiff

Level 1

9 points

Jan 12, 2016 4:09 PM in response to Arnhem

THANKS!!!

Norbgal

Level 1

0 points

Feb 10, 2016 9:36 AM in response to redsfan1976

Same happened to me ... just skip rebuild. It took me several attempts before I could move the bar. Stupid enough but finally it worked.

Feb 14, 2016 9:29 PM in response to josborne3

Thank you very much Arnhem, that worked very well. Good job figuring it out!

Mar 15, 2016 9:13 AM in response to josborne3

Thank you for stressing that the dot needs to go almost to the top. I was pulling my hair out here.

Mar 15, 2016 9:16 AM in response to josborne3

Thank you so much for stressing the need to move the little dot almost all the way to the top. I was pulling out my hair here.

Mar 19, 2016 1:45 PM in response to josborne3

Brilliant recommendation — a friend had been struggling with this preview window problem for weeks. I read your post, tried the mailbox rebuild and was immediately able to open his preview window again. Thanks!!

ah1002

Level 1

4 points

May 4, 2016 7:19 AM in response to josborne3

Another pile of Apple crap. Same issue as the other 20 users. Changed to classic view looked good. On next start the view pane was missing. Dragged the bottom up did not work bit if you drag it very high it works. Fail Fail Fail