I just upgraded to OS Sierra and one of the changes/problems encountered is being able to maintain the width size of my mailbox list.
I know how to expand it so I can read the name of my mailboxes and sub-mailboxes, but the problem is, I cannot maintain the width size.
Each time I leave and reopen Mail, I have to adjust the width. It is a PITA and was never a problem before.
MAC OS.X
When you expand the mail box list it will be expanded , restart the machine the column width will be same ( memorized )
To bring back in normal position , put your cursor on the vertical line ( a cross hair will be created ) , drag with three fingers towards left side .
I did what tygb suggested by dragging com.apple.mail to my mailbox. I dragged it back as you suggested and restarted.
I know longer see the list of my many mailboxes. I hope I can recover as there so much info I need. this is what it looks like now. It used to have a long list for Gmail and Mac.
An old thread : Mail search not finding messages in Inbox
The simplest solution is delete the problematic account , and once again add it .
All mails will start downloading in new IMAP account from the server ( you must have high network speed ) .
To do it open mail and its preferences > Accounts select the account and click on minus sign .
To add it once again click on mail in top menu bar > add account > select an option in choose a mail provider > click on continue > enter your webmail address and password .
I don´t have this problem with Mail in Sierra (10.12.5), so this is really a wild shot: try holding down the "option" key when you adjust the width of your mailbox column. This works in Finder windows, so it could work in Mail!? Hope this helps you! Ian.
If I followed your instructions correctly, I expanded the width (using the crosshair on the vertical line) then restarted the computer. When it came back up it was the width I had expanded it to. I then again put the crosshair on the vertical line and moved it to the left to the desired position. However, once I closed Mail and reopened it was back to the narrow width and NOT the width I had set.
I appreciate the help.
On restarting the computer the settings will go to default and will not be saved ( software is designed in such a way ) .
Closing the mail application while you are working on machine is different .
Did you mean that on restarting the column width is not standard or uneven it is broader or thinner or a mail app issue .
The column width does not maintain the width I set it to. Never happened before. Only when I went to OS Sierra.
So now, when I open mail I have to widened the column width, using the crosshair on the vertical line, to view all my mailboxes. When I am done with mail, I close it. When I open it again, I have to go through the same exercise and again using the crosshair on the vertical line to widen the width.
I tried your suggestion of widening it to the desired width and restarting the computer, but it goes back to the same narrow width. Perhaps that is considered standard, but as I noted above, before Sierra it would keep whatever width I set it at and whether I closed Mail or restarted the computer, when I opened mail it was at the width I had set it.
As I told you that the settings will go to to original if you restart the computer or shut down .
May be it is Mac OS Sierra 10.12.5 or previous versions Mac OSX - El Capitan or Mac OSX Yosemite ...( for sure used El - Capitan and other versions ) .
You have to manually enlarge the columns to view the mails .
You settings may be corrupted. Try this:
First, quit Mail.
In the Finder menu, select Go, then Go To Folder and paste the path below and hit Go:
~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail
A Finder window will open to that folder in your user library. Move the com.apple.mail folder to the trash, but don't delete. This will set Mail back to it's defaults and you will need to recreate your settings. Open Mail and reset your window as desired. If this doesn't work or you have problems, you can quit Mail, open the trash, and right click and choose Put Back to restore the original com.apple.mail and replace the new one created.
Thank you Glenn. I followed your instructions, but I cannot find the com.apple.mail folder in Library. There is a Mail folder, but it does not contain it either.
However, in the process of doing this I discovered that when I QUIT Mail and reopen, my settings are retained. It is only when I CLOSE Mail do I lose them.
In all the prior versions, the width was left where I set it, where I Quit Mail or just closed it. I did not have to manually resize the column each time.
I just discovered it retains the column size if I QUIT and reopen, but will not do so if I just close it.
SiO from now on I guess I either have to Quit or Minimize if I want to retain my settings. Still, it is weird that it does not retain upon closing.
If you followed the instructions to paste the path, you will be opened up in that folder. Perhaps you are using a different view than I am and don't see the whole path in the window.
Paste this instead leaving the folder off the end:
~/Library/Containers/
You should open up in the Containers folder where you should then see the com.apple.mail folder.
Please follow the method suggested by Glenn Leblanc , a slight change drag and drop com.apple.mail folder to the desktop , restart the machine , open the mail application .
Again enter into the user library in containers , verify that com.apple.mail folder is recreated .
Once again check your settings in mail , if everything works fine delete the folder that is on the desktop into the trash and empty it .
Quit Mail.
If you chose to drag it to the desktop, then open a Finder window back to the Containers folder and drag and drop it back to the original location. Choose to replace the newer one created.
If you moved it to the trash like I said to do, open the trash, right click on the folder, and choose Put Back and replace the newer one.
Put the cursor over On My Mac. Click the button Show when it appears.
Do the same for Gmail.
I don't understand why it didn't come back like it was. Did you quit mail first before moving the folder back? It would have been easier if you put it in the Trash like I suggested.
Expanding the width of the mailbox list?
