convert .mailsignature to text?

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Level 1

52 points

convert .mailsignature to text?

In upgrading my OS to 10.11 I lost 120 email signatures created over 15 years. Seems there's no way to import them back into Mail via Time Machine, but is there any way to convert the signature files to text? Tried opening them in TextEdit, in Safari, and a couple other apps, and while the needed text is there, it's surrounded by meaningless symbols . I want to get right to the actual text so I can copy and paste. Any way to do it?

iMac (21.5-inch Mid 2011), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 8, 2016 6:24 PM

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Answer 1

Sep 8, 2016 6:29 PM in response to Neil Kaplan1

HEllo

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Answer 2

leroydouglas

Level 10

200,256 points

Sep 8, 2016 9:28 PM in response to Neil Kaplan1

If it is html view it through a browser and copy and paste the output.

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Answer 3

Sep 9, 2016 7:14 AM in response to Neil Kaplan1

Like many things Apple now uses a UUID as the unique file name for mail signatures and this can make it hard to re-associate a mail signature with your system like you are trying. However the following steps will work.

Login as a user
Launch Mail
Have at least one email account setup in Mail
Go to Preferences in Mail
Create a new blank signature
Quit Mail
If you are running El Capitan then in the Finder go to ~/Library/Mail/V3/MailData/Signatures (~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Signatures if you are still using Yosemite)
You will now find a brand new file called XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX.mailsignature
Copy this file name to the clipboard
Delete this file
Copy the first of your old .mailsignature files in to this folder
Rename this file by pasting in the name from the clipboard
Re-launch Mail
Go to Preferences and look at the signatures, you should find it now contains the original content
Repeat for each additional signature

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Answer 4

Neil Kaplan1 Author

Level 1

52 points

Sep 9, 2016 7:24 AM in response to John Lockwood

Thank you John, that MAY be the only way to do this, but 120 times? I really have better things to do .. Shame on Apple . . I have so far spent perhaps 12-15 hours doing the OS update, performing upgrades, copying files, on the phone with numerous tech support and senior advisors, some better than others, but one of whom made the many problems with Mail substantially worse than it otherwise would have been. And at the end of it all, my system is running slower, I can't access my signatures, I lost all my 3rd party app authorizations, and more. Not worth the effort, everything was working fine before and I don't see any substantial improvement in features, at least not as to how I use the computer. But as I said, thank you for the detailed instructions, impractical as they may be

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Answer 5

leroydouglas

Level 10

200,256 points

Sep 9, 2016 7:53 AM in response to Neil Kaplan1

Neil Kaplan1 wrote:

The biggest advantage in upgrading is the improved security in the newest OS X. This is not something that is always so obvious "at least not as to how I use the computer."

It is never fun to feel like you are going backwards. Regarding your mail signatures—this may be an opportunity for you to pare down you signature inventory.

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Answer 6

Neil Kaplan1 Author

Level 1

52 points

Sep 9, 2016 8:35 AM in response to leroydouglas

Thank you Leroy. I understand re the security, but it should not have taken over my life for the past week to accomplish it. As for paring down the signatures, the file names give no clue as to the content or name of the signature itself, so there is no way to tell what it is I'm omitting until I've gone through some sort of conversion process first. And had I known about this issue I'd have taken preliminary steps, like perhaps saving the text from my signatures for later use BEFORE making them inaccessible to me.

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Answer 7

leroydouglas

Level 10

200,256 points

Sep 9, 2016 8:45 AM in response to Neil Kaplan1

Neil Kaplan1 wrote:

preliminary steps, like perhaps saving the text from my signatures for later use BEFORE making them inaccessible to me.

If you have robust back-up strategy in place, you can always boot off the external clone of your previous OS X—from there you can copy and email back to yourself the needed signatures. Laborious yes, but doable.

How to create a boot clone

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Answer 8

Neil Kaplan1 Author

Level 1

52 points

Sep 9, 2016 8:46 AM in response to leroydouglas

That actually might work . . .

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