Keep an email account in mail app but stop it keep trying to check the mail server

Question

Level 1

23 points

Keep an email account in mail app but stop it keep trying to check the mail server

Hi I want to keep a legacy email account in my mail on mail for El Capitain. I don't use it any more but I want to keep access to the mails I sent and received. The issue is connection doctor keeps telling me that it can't connect to the server and keeps asking me to change the password in internet accounts, with an exchange password required in the notifications. Its very annoying and I just want to stop it syncing. Is this possible if anybody has any clues let m know.

iMac with Retina 5K display, iOS 9.2

Posted on Jan 4, 2016 9:56 AM

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Answer 1

SeanCota

Level 1

8 points

Apr 30, 2016 7:15 AM in response to toismonts

Bad Apple! This is a major flaw in Mavericks and El Capitain, and the MacOS in general.

I am a small business (one guy) who is a part time 1099 sub-contractor for many businesses. I have emails in my clients' domains which are required, and at the end of the contract they are terminated. I need to maintain these emails and linked iCal Calendar events for liability reasons, and IRS requirements of logs for expense purposes.

If you reactivate an account, it is removed from visibility and reference in either Mail or Calendar. Not useful. If you leave it active so that the accounts are searchable, forwardable (different SMTP) printable, you are stuck with constant polling and reminders that you need to activate the account. This wastes my time, processor time, and makes the system cumbersome to use.

Apple: Please fix.

Sean

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Answer 2

toismonts Author

Level 1

23 points

Jan 5, 2016 4:01 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Hi Luis thank you for your response , that removes the account and I can no longer see the emails, this is the same limitation on iPhone IOS. However for mail preferences I have tried unchecking "Automatic detect account settings" and "include when checking for new messages". these options don't existing on IOS. My requirement was as stated, keep the legacy account showing so I can see old email sent and received, but not sync it any more. thanks

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Answer 3

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,828 points

Jan 5, 2016 4:08 AM in response to toismonts

Create new mailboxes in Mail, under On My Mac, and move all of the messages into that mailbox, then delete the account. Make sure you also move the Sent Mail, if you want to see what you sent from that account.

If you want to see all the messages on multiple devices, then create the mailbox on an IMAP or iCloud account. If you create the folders on an IMAP or iCloud account, then the messages will take up space on your storage quota.

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Answer 4

Jan 5, 2016 5:37 AM in response to toismonts

toismonts wrote:

Hi Luis thank you for your response , that removes the account and I can no longer see the emails, this is the same limitation on iPhone IOS. However for mail preferences I have tried unchecking "Automatic detect account settings" and "include when checking for new messages". these options don't existing on IOS. My requirement was as stated, keep the legacy account showing so I can see old email sent and received, but not sync it any more. thanks

Barney explained it in detail. What I described worked for me because since I use POP and not IMAP I already have all the mailboxes on my mac, so I forgot about that step.

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Answer 5

toismonts Author

Level 1

23 points

Jan 5, 2016 9:39 AM in response to Barney-15E

Hi this did not work. I created from the new mailbox menu and added a mailbox in "on my computer". Then drag and dropped for 4000 messages, it immediately tried to connect the old mail account again and now seems to be wanting to connect for every message move. So now I am clicking stay offline 4000 times, there seems to be no way of stopping the move When its finished I will try and copy instead of move and try with less. Seems a good idea but for some reason mail isn't set up for this. Using outlook I can just stop synching the account and take it offline - I know because don'e it on my laptop.

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Answer 6

toismonts Author

Level 1

23 points

Jan 5, 2016 9:42 AM in response to Luis Sequeira1

OK no props, I have all my mails on my Mac as when I am offline I can see all mail folders. I just don't have them in "on my computer" because all my mailboxes are synched on all my devices. Ive used the standard mail setup process for them all.

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Answer 7

Barney-15E

Level 10

122,828 points

Jan 5, 2016 9:46 AM in response to toismonts

toismonts wrote:

Hi this did not work. I created from the new mailbox menu and added a mailbox in "on my computer".

If it is an IMAP account there isn't much you can do if you don't have access to the account. The files are stored on the server and are synced to your Mac. Mail will continue to try to sync.

There may be a way to get the raw message files moved in the Finder, but at this point I'm not sure of all the details or if it will work.

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Answer 8

toismonts Author

Level 1

23 points

May 3, 2016 12:55 AM in response to SeanCota

Hi Guys, Sean I am with you here that is my problem, emails I need to keep for reference and Liability Now I cant do anything with them, Ideally I could just copy them to a folder or archive but this seems impossible in Mail. (was possible with outlook) . setting the general setting to manual means all mailboxes will become manual doesn't it ? If so thats not a great workaround as we could miss a lot of mails and it rather defeats automatic inbox ! I seem to have stemmed the constant input your password dialogue box appearing perhaps this was deselecting "include when automatically checking for new messages" under accounts tab and the actual account in mail preferences. Now I just get a reminder to input password if i try to make a copy paste of the mails or forward any or if i restart mail. Thanks all for Tips. Ideally this gets fixed by apple

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Answer 9

Jan 4, 2016 10:12 AM in response to toismonts

Go to Mail->Preferences->Accounts (NOT Mail->Accounts, which would take you to System Preferences).

Select the legacy account. Uncheck the box that says "Enable this account".

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Answer 10

Apr 30, 2016 8:22 AM in response to toismonts

Goto Mail Preferences>General>2nd Dropdown box>set to "Manual".

Live Long and Prosper

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Answer 11

SeanCota

Level 1

8 points

Apr 30, 2016 12:50 PM in response to Astral Traveller

Astral Traveller,

Thank you for the advise. This will work checking each manually. I've yet to check the impact on Calendar. I would still recommend that apple fix this.

Thanks again.

Sean

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