PeterR

Q: Mail behaving strangely, can't open or close windows

Suddenly I can't open any messages.  When I click on a message to open it, it won't open, and instead a blank new message window opens behind the message list window. I then cannot close either that new window nor the main message window. All I can do is exit the Apple Mail program. When I open Mail again, the problem repeats. This is a crisis, I am in the middle of a project with a deadline and now I can't read or send messages!

 

help!!!

MacBook Air (11-inch Mid 2013), OS X El Capitan (10.11.6)

Posted on Sep 9, 2016 1:02 PM

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Q: Mail behaving strangely, can't open or close windows

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  • by Eric Root,Apple recommended

    Eric Root Eric Root Sep 9, 2016 2:37 PM in response to PeterR
    Level 9 (69,991 points)
    iTunes
    Sep 9, 2016 2:37 PM in response to PeterR

    Do a backup, preferably 2 on 2 separate drives.

     

    Quit Mail.

     

    Go to Finder and select your user/home folder. With that Finder window as the front window, either select Finder/View/Show View options or go command - J.  When the View options opens, check ’Show Library Folder’. That should make your user library folder visible in your user/home folder. Go to Library/Containers/com.apple.mail.  Move the folder com.apple.mail to your desktop. You must move the entire folder, not just the contents.

     

    Restart, re-launch Mail and test. If the problem is solved, recreate any required Mail settings and import any emails you want to save from the folder on the desktop. You can then put the folder in the Trash. If the problem remains, return the folder to where you got it replacing the one that is there. 

     

    If that doesn’t solve it repeat the above using Containers/com.apple.MailServiceAgent.

    Information learned from Linc Davis. Thanks to leonie for some information contained in this.

  • by PeterR,

    PeterR PeterR Sep 12, 2016 4:03 AM in response to Eric Root
    Level 1 (65 points)
    Mac OS X
    Sep 12, 2016 4:03 AM in response to Eric Root

    I did the first suggestion, and it cured the problem, for 2 days. Then it returned just as bad. So tried the second one, but after taking Containers/com.apple.MailServiceAgent out, Mail always crashes immediately after opening, so I put it back in. But mail continued to crash. So I rea[ted step one. Then is disinstalled MailHub. This whole thing is making me crazy.