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How to move mailbox from one mac to another mac ?
- Thread starter UKBeast
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The safest way in my experience is to export the mailbox (right click on Mailbox > Export). Then on new Mac, File > Import Mailbox. Select the exported file. There are other copying files ways which have not been successful for me.
If the mail count is not the same on the new computer you can rebuild the mailbox.
I guess you have a good reason for not using Migration Assistant which is how I usually do it.
If the mail count is not the same on the new computer you can rebuild the mailbox.
I guess you have a good reason for not using Migration Assistant which is how I usually do it.
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As @Mike Boreham says if mail is in a "On this Mac" mailbox. Use Export and then Import.
But if it is Mail on a service (e.g. iCloud or gmail), just connect the new Mac to the service and let all the mail download.
But if it is Mail on a service (e.g. iCloud or gmail), just connect the new Mac to the service and let all the mail download.
I have thousands of mails, several months are missing after I re import to the other mac. In fact the mails do appear on the source computer. So source computer is not exporting the mailbox file properly and completely I think. Also exported file size is smaller.
I have 100gbs of emails on the source computer, this is the problem. Too many.
OP wrote:
"I have 100gbs of emails on the source computer, this is the problem. Too many."
Well, just export/re-import whatever "goes through", and quit worrying about the rest. Simple solution, eh? (from a simple-minded guy, look at the avatar)
When I see a post where a user mentions tens or hundreds of gb's of old emails, I can't help but wonder...
- what are they good for?
- what purpose can it possibly serve by keeping them around?
- how would one ever READ all those emails?
Just looked in my Mail.app inbox.
There are a total of 8 (e-i-g-h-t) emails in my "inbox".
And some of them can be gotten rid of, because they're just amazon notifications that an order shipped.
Again... what can one DO with all those emails?
"I have 100gbs of emails on the source computer, this is the problem. Too many."
Well, just export/re-import whatever "goes through", and quit worrying about the rest. Simple solution, eh? (from a simple-minded guy, look at the avatar)
When I see a post where a user mentions tens or hundreds of gb's of old emails, I can't help but wonder...
- what are they good for?
- what purpose can it possibly serve by keeping them around?
- how would one ever READ all those emails?
Just looked in my Mail.app inbox.
There are a total of 8 (e-i-g-h-t) emails in my "inbox".
And some of them can be gotten rid of, because they're just amazon notifications that an order shipped.
Again... what can one DO with all those emails?
This is business account. I recieve around 100 mails a day from the clients or the collegues and answer back. There are important information in there and attachments also, excel datas, pdf files, important documents coming theough mails. . And mails are proof between you and the client. So i have to keep them all for several years at least.
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I've had past troubles with moving email that's stored on the Mac…be it in Mail or Outlook. Sometimes it was corrupt emails mucking up the works. Those are hard to pin down. I'd rather have the email stored in one or more Gmail or Outlook IMAP accounts than "On my Mac".
Mail shows how many messages are in a folder. How do those compare between the source and the destination after the export/import?
Have you tried exporting/importing in smaller batches?
Mail shows how many messages are in a folder. How do those compare between the source and the destination after the export/import?
Have you tried exporting/importing in smaller batches?
Assuming you're going between identical MacOS versions you should be able to copy over your ~/Library/Mail folder.
You could probably copy the entire lot over and then wait for any IMAP folders to sort themselves out (I did it that way) but it may be better to only move over the relevant mailboxes.
ladedu.com
Scroll down to "How to move all..."
Each folder in your ~/Library/Mail/V10 (or V-lower-number-as-I'm-on-Ventura) is a mail account, apart from MailData which you can also copy over to make your new Mail app config be the same as current. Close Mail, rename your existing library/Mail directory to something you can put back if you mess up (e.g. library/Mail-original), copy the entire Mail directory over, then re-open Mail. Works for me.
You could probably copy the entire lot over and then wait for any IMAP folders to sort themselves out (I did it that way) but it may be better to only move over the relevant mailboxes.
Transfer "On My Mac" Email to a New Computer: Here’s How
Want to take all your cherished emails? Find out here how to transfer mail to a new Mac and copy “On My Mac” email folders using Apple Mail.
ladedu.com
Each folder in your ~/Library/Mail/V10 (or V-lower-number-as-I'm-on-Ventura) is a mail account, apart from MailData which you can also copy over to make your new Mail app config be the same as current. Close Mail, rename your existing library/Mail directory to something you can put back if you mess up (e.g. library/Mail-original), copy the entire Mail directory over, then re-open Mail. Works for me.
As export-import is partially failing, you can try a direct import. Mail > File > Import Mailboxes > Import from Apple Mail and locate the ~/Library/Mail folder on the old Mac. Do the import.
You could also try the import from your Time Machine backup.
Did you rebuild the Mailboxes as I suggested?
I recently export/imported 65000 emails in 11 on-my-mac mailboxes from one computer to another. The mail count was identical on both computers. A few months ago I did the same process but using some exports that had been made a year or two previously, and the item count was not identical until I rebuilt the Mailboxes. It wouldn't do any harm to rebuild the mailboxes on the old Mac before exporting either.
Although I am currently using on-my-mac mailboxes for old emails it is a bit of an experiment. Previously I had everything in iCloud/IMAP which was a lot safer, simpler and more reliable, especially when it comes to changing computers. I have never had any problems with iCloud mail, but I have with on-my-mac mail. I struggle to think of good reasons to be using POP these days. If you have more than one device using mail it is very hard work to keep mail in sync on all devices with POP.
If the reason you have stayed on POP is that you want local copies continuously backed up, there are ways of having local automatic backups of iCloud/IMAP. eg Mailsteward.
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When you have a business and you need to recall a conversation from a customer from 3 year ago; or when you need to dig up a receipt for a product you bought in 2014, email archives are easier than printing out every receipt. One solution is to just make a backup of the old disk and put it in the closet; you can reboot the old mac disk if you need to get an old email. I just rettived a serial number from an app I bought in 2017. There are plenty of reason to keep your old emails
I would add that searching in Apple Mail is much easier using HoudahSpot
It finds what the silly search engine in Mail doesn't . I'm using it since a long time and still very happy
For everything else I use EasyFind-free- or FindAnyFile
Why Apple hasn't learn anything from those apps?!
It finds what the silly search engine in Mail doesn't . I'm using it since a long time and still very happy
For everything else I use EasyFind-free- or FindAnyFile
Why Apple hasn't learn anything from those apps?!