Mail 11 (High Sierra): mail attachments "downloading" but never actually download

When I changed the setting on the Hotmail account (the account that was not downloading) from “Recent” to “All” , the issue disappeared and had not recurred. On the other hand, certain older messages still hang on the same way!

None of the mentioned "solutions" to the problem has worked for me. I can view ALL my attachments when I use the iCloud webmail, but in Mail App many are inaccessible / never finishing downloading.

It is a disgrace that Apple's MacOS Mail application has such a serious issue with their own iCloud mail service.

For me, email's with attachments that are moved with a rule are not downloaded when Mail first runs.

Good thing the new Mac OS update 10.13.3 solved the more critical error of Messages not being sorted properly sometimes! Not sure how I would be able to work without my Messages sorted properly!

This is down right frustrating. In order to see my attachment I have to go to Gmail interface and "oddly" enough, I am able to download instantly. The apple mail version never downloads, keeps the message of "downloading". I read one response from Apple support about going into safe mode, etc. I feel the average Apple user should not have to fool with going into Safe mode. My solution for now is to go between 2 mail programs. Hopefully Apple will fix this issue along with adding a picture to and email. Since High Sierra update if I add a picture to an email it is no longer inline with the text, it shows as an attachment (very confusing for the person receiving the email). Solution for that is to use Gmail interface if I need to send inline attachments.

4 Months with this bug ! Yikes. Apple is not listening to this forum.

I've moved to Airmail 3. Works with iOS also..

Not perfect, but it downloads files with rules.

Inline photos are easy. Would love attachment quicklook images to print with email. But they don't like Apple.

Airmail's online chat are quick to reply... we'll add that to the next version.

Problem, I asked them about this once a year for the path three years.

That reply seems to be a standard "signature" reply by them for anything they don't know.

Same problem here. The rule moves the message from the inbox to another folder before it is completely downloaded, and once moved to another folder, it cannot be downloaded. One solution is to turn off the rule, but I think a better solution would be to make a new rule (this way you don't have to turn off the rules) which applies an apple script. This script should delay -for example 10 seconds- the application of the next rules, so that the message is completely downloaded before it is moved.

Any emails with attachments that come into a smart mailbox will exhibit the "downloading" problem. If I access the same email in its regular inbox, the attachment downloads without issue. So add "smart mailboxes" to the bug pile. Are you listening Apple?

I changed from Apple Mail to Airmail some months ago, but concluded that its rules functionality was more basic and less reliable than Apple Mail so I reverted.

I have been suffering from the lost attachment issue when a move rule is applied.

I've had some success using 'copy' rather 'move' as a workaround. I'm yet to determine if this can be relied on.

Note that when one uses a rule with 'Attachment is Document' criterion, MS Word .doc attachments seem not to be regarded as documents and the rule isn't triggered.

@Board Head2 -- thank you! This worked and, with some tweaking, I can get all my messages where they need to be. Only the ones with attachments sail straight through to the InBox, then I can put them where I want.

Still hope Apple fixes this in an update soon, but it's nice to have this work around.

Thanks for taking the time to share!

How does this fix the bug?

Its just disables any rule that moves emails with attachments.

This forum does nothing to get Apple to fix this.

Time to start BEING the Bug that keeps bugging Apple vs dealing with their Bug.

Everyone needs to call Apple Support and talk to a human.

Escalate as high as you can go to get a Senior Advisor/Engineer.

Probably just the person next to the generic help desk.

But it feels good and the more people at Apple that are bugged by us, the more likely we'll be listen to.

6 months with this BUG. Apple clearly is not listening now.

First of all, Board Head2 did not say he fixed the bug, but he (or maybe she) solved the headache for all of us by finding out a creative way to define "all the emails with attachments", and he kindly shares the effective work around with us.

I understand what you mean, but people here already know that this community is a place to share information among users, and not the place to persuade Apple to fix bugs. That's why I already submitted a bug report to them by the feedback form, and I guess many others did.

As a starter, why don't you share with us what reaction you got from Apple when you talked with their Senior Advisor/Engineer ?

Submitted to their bug site several times.

I've got over 30 emails to apple in the past 4+ months with one support person assigned to help.

multiple chats, phone calls....

Request updates, they contact Engineering, Engineering asks for data dumps,

Request updates from my data dump, they contact Engineering, escalate the issue, Engineering asks for data dumps.

Request updates from my data dump, they contact Engineering, re-escalate the issue, Engineering asks for data dumps....

The cycle has never changed in 4 months.

If 500 users were doing the same, I would hope Apple would respond more timely.

Or there would be 499 more people driven crazy by Apple Engineers isolation from us.

I just think this forum can encourage users to call, email and report this bug, RE Report this bug... in more mass so it becomes something Apple will prioritize over say... Messages not being sorted properly sometimes, a bug they did fix.

I see there is an OS update -- 10.13.4. Has anyone here installed it and is there any chance it addresses this bug? I did not see anything about Mail in the update description, but one can dream, no?

Apple Tech is looking for users to capture data from so they can try to fix this.

Apparently they can't setup a computer with rules that move attachments and test this in house themselves.

I've disabled those rules. Can't afford to loose attachments.

I just spoke to Apple and made them aware of this thread. I was told that they are aware of all threads.

I explained what the problem is EXACTLY - that rules to send messages to sub-inboxes were removing attachments from IMAP accounts - and that turning rules off left the messages in the main inbox with attachments.

He said that this should eventually be fixed. Let's hope the next update does that.