Messages disappeared after rebuilding mailbox in Apple Mail

I had a lot of messages in my mailbox (over 20,000). During rebuild of the inbox, the program froze after a while, so I had to force quit the application. Now all of my messages after June 2006 (about 17,000) are missing. Is there any way to get these messages back to my inbox?
I did backup of the whole system about a month ago, but I would like to resolve this somehow else as I received a lot of important stuff over last month.

First, in the Finder, open Home/Library/Mail/this mailbox (if the Inbox, then it will be in the account folder for that account, if an On My Mac mailbox you created it will be in the Mailboxes folder). Open this xxxx.mbox folder, find the Messages folder, open it, and report the number of files said to be in this Messages folder?
Are you sure it froze? How long did you wait? It is normal for all messages in the list of messages to temporarily disappear during Rebuild.
More info, please, including whether using POP, IMAP or .mac if this is the Inbox.
Ernie

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Email disappearing after rebuilding mailbox

I rebuilt a mailbox that had about 200 messages in it, and over 1/2 disappeared.
This was not because of upgrading from 10.3, I've been running 10.4 since it came out and have all the updates installed.
This is not one of my Inboxes, but a local mailbox that I created for sorting/storing messages.
I can go to Library->Mail->Mailbox->Messages folder and see all the messages there. If I double click one, I can view the message.
I've searched the forums here and tried the following that has been suggested for similar problems, but it hasn't worked:
1. Repair permissions w/ Disk Utility
2. Pull the mailbox itself to the desktop & import again (several times, after re-trying other points listed here).
3. Delete the Envelope Index & allow mail to import on it's own. (I didn't see an Envelope Journal).
4. View the permissions of a message in the folder that I can't import vs. one that I can view. They are exact.
5. Rebuild the mailbox from within mail.
The only thing I haven't done is completely reinstall Mail or delete the Library->Preferences->Mail plist. Mainly b/c I've got a lot of email addresses that I monitor, and that would be a major pain, that I don't want to undertake if there's any other option available.
What else do I need to try to get these messages back in?
Thanks!
Chris
Mac OS X (10.4.7)

OPEN LETTER TO THE MAIL 2.0 CODING TEAM. RSVP.
with thanks to DAVID GIMENO GOST, for answering so many people's posts about all the mail 2.0 bugs.
hi guys,
i love all things apple, and i have done for twenty years.
but with respect, your build of mail 2.0 really could be a lot better.
moving my mail from 1.0 on an ibook g3 running os X 10.3.9, over to mail 2.0 on an intel macbook 1.83 running os X 10.4.7 has been a nightmare.
the discussion boards of many mac sites feature countless cases of people making the move from 1.0 to 2.0, with all their e-mails disappearing.
having spent two weeks reading the knowledge forums, and learning about emailchemy, plus all the complications which, even with that third party program, still exist in moving one's mail over from version 1.0 over to 2.0, are both massive and horrendous.
and that's for me, who has twenty years of finding my way around mac bugs.
but this one is the most difficult i've ever seen, as well as being one of the most widespread problems in a FULL VERSION RELEASE of an apple program, which apple has done nothing to resolve during the six months in which this problem has been widespread in the mac community worldwide.
so thank god for DAVID GIMENO GOST !
i'm amazed that apple still hasn't come up with a patch for moving mail from 1.0 to 2.0.
even now, while i've finally got all my mail back today, 95% is showing as unread, due to the last obstacles in the process, which i can no longer face solving.
i've also lost hundreds of red mail flags during the transfer :o(.
PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE, guys:
we shouldn't need to be buying third party software to move our e-mails from apple mail 1.0 up to apple mail 2.0, and even then be faced by massive hurdles to overcome, which take weeks for someone who at least has SOME idea of what he's doing.
i pity all the people who read the numerous forum posts about how difficult it is to transfer their mail from 1.0 to 2.0, and simply give up on the spot, and have to start their e-mail history TODAY, unable to access their previous e-mail again - potentially now for ever.
because the ironic joke is that we can't even have an access copy of mail 1.0 on our macs to read our old e-mails, unless we hack that program out of the 10.3 cd installation set, which the gurus on your own web site recommend us NOT to do !
so what are we supposed to do, to access our old e-mail, which we can't open, even though YES, it is in our mail folder, and YES, we did full rebuilds of every mail folder, and YES, we trashed our mail preferences first.
e-mail is now at the very center of the average mac user's digital life.
a user's most important program should not require countless hours scrolling through the astonishing number of problems within mail 2.0, which the apple.com discussion boards evidence, with new problems being added every day.
please sort this out, and build a patch, for the sanity of the many people who love apple, but who are unable to access any of their old e-mails.
because i wouldn't wish the last fortnight on anyone else.
RSVP, APPLE.
with best wishes to everyone on the infinity loop,
michael thorne
london, england
[email protected]
ps: if you're a mac user who has been affected by the mail 2.0 disappearing bug, please post a reply to this message, and send me an e-mail to: [email protected], so that we can draw apple's increasing attention to it. thanks.
MacBook1. 1.83 GHz. 512 MB. Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Inbox Messages Disappear after Rebuild

My Inbox went blank after doing a Rebuild on that box. I checked under Users>Myname>Library>Mail and the Inbox was full of messages. Why can't I see them now? Any suggestions for a fix? Using 10.5.1 on a new iMac.

I came here looking for an answer to the same question.
I have a client that recently migrated from a Macbook Pro running 10.4.11 to an iMac running 10.5.1.
Things seemed OK for a week, but Mail started behaving funny: lots of duplicate messages, old messages showing up in the Inbox (from 2005, 2006), old spam, etc.
I went to remove the Envelope Index file, and Mail went to "re-import" the messages on the next startup. It stayed stuck on 0 of 45000 (estimate) and then finally crashed.
I put the Envelope Index file back in, and started again. Kept getting the exclamation point on the Inbox, with a message indicating that the mailbox was locked on the server side (strange, since this is the only machine accessing it).
I decided to try a Rebuild of the Inbox file.
Everything vanished.
I went into the Inbox mail file, and saw there was a folder called "Messages" and another called "Messages-1".
"Messages" only had 4 messages in it - the 4 that downloaded after the Rebuild function wiped everything. "Messages-1" had about 3000+ messages in it, which seemed to appear OK when I looked at the dates.
However, after I reimported the messages using the import feature in Mail, I had a few from today, and the rest were from October 24th and before. None were dated in the last 2 months (or few days for that matter).
I've been on hold with Support for over an Hour, and I guess I'm going to give up. This is pretty bad though. I can piece back most of the messages from the previous migration, and pull from the last 2 weeks on the server, but I can't believe I witnessed the Messages folder get wiped in front of my eyes (the second time).

Messages lost after rebuilding mailbox

Inbox had a message that said it was damaged --rebuilt as suggested and then each message in it said that it had not yet been downloaded from the server. Tried rebuilding it again and now all of the messages are gone. Then tried importing inbox.mbox which produced a selection of email that did not resemble the original inbox.
Are my original inbox messages retreivable?

No, it isn't clear. I still don't know what does "I attempted to import files from it (unsuccessfully)" mean, nor what does "I then tried to reconstruct the inbox from the mac back up" mean. These statements are too vague.
The only items within an *.mbox folder used by Mail 2.x are Info.plist and the Messages folder. Any other files you may see there are almost certainly Mail 1.x files that Mail 2.x leaves there after the conversion. This is poorly explained in Mac OS X 10.4 Mail: Some mailbox files used by Mac OS X 10.3 are not deleted after importing. The article only talks about mailboxes in ~/Library/Mail/Mailboxes/, but the same could also be said about mailboxes in any of the "POP-" account folders.
As long as you keep a backup copy of the old files for a while (at least, until you're sure everything was converted properly), they can safely be removed from the Mail folder. OnyX has a Cleaning > Misc Options > Temporary and obsolete items option for getting rid of all those files.
Note that if you see strangely-named Messages-T0x... folders, these aren't old files from previous versions of Mail, but rather an indication that there is something amiss. More specifically, these are temporary folders created by Mail 2.x during an import or a reindexing process (e.g. rebuilding a mailbox) that Mail should have deleted when done. Their presence is a clear indication that something didn't work as expected.
Importing a mailbox that still has the old files there would produce different results depending on how you try to import it. Importing it as Other, for example, would cause Mail to look at the old mbox file only, ignoring everything else, which almost certainly is not what you want.
In order to import the current mailbox contents, you must first move all the *.emlx files out of the Messages-T0x... folders and into Messages proper, then get rid of the (now empty) Messages-T0x... folders. In Mail, do File > Import Mailboxes, choose Mail for Mac OS X as the data format, and follow the instructions. Note that Mail wants you to select the folder that contains the mailbox to be imported, not the *.mbox folder itself.

GMAIL IMAP PROBLEM (can't duplicate mailbox in apple mail)

I am seriously at my wits end! It has been about a week and I am still having huge problems with my gmail imap account in apple mail. At first, my sent messages were not being imported into apple mail (only about 30 days work). After a bunch of fiddling and trying to fix the problem (deleting the account in apple mail, rehooking up the account, rebuilding the mailbox, switching off IMAP enabling in gmail) the problem has only gotten worse.
Now, only 1000 emails from gmail are sent into apple mail. I know there is a setting within the gmail prefs to limit the amount of messages in an imap folder 1000 but, I have that turned OFF.
As of right now my apple mail shows about 1000 messages in my inbox and 250 or so in my sent mail. None of the mail is from before 12/7/10.
The only thing that seems significant about that date is that I set up another IMAP account on a temporary macbook laptop at a temp job on that day in apple mail (the account has since been deleted when I stopped using the laptop).
Ugh, this is so annoying and frustrating. I often need to look in my mail archive for old messages/attachments.
I can't seem to find any help anywhere, but if you can offer me any advice I would really appreciate it!
L

Hi,
I don't know if this is relevant... but…
Last year, when I set up a second, temporary Gmail IMAP account, I found that all did not jell well together…
I encountered quite a few problems… sending and receiving… transferring to and from the accounts… and lots of Hangs and Time Outs…
When I had eventually finished with the second account, I not only deleted it from Mac Mail, but Completely Closed and Deleted it with Gmail.
Since then I have had no such problems with my single Gmail IMAP account…
As I said, not sure if this is relevant to your Problem, but thought it might be of interest to you.
Cheers

Can't rearrange gmail mailboxes in apple mail in OSX Mavericks

Since getting Mavericks, I can no longer rearrange my gmail mailboxes in apple mail, either by dragging them or renaming them. This is a bother! Any fixes?

I've been having this problem on all my devices since using mavericks. And it's not only with gmail - also with private mail-clients. Looking for a descent fix!!!

Apple Mail inbox message disappear after a week

I have a brand new iMac running 10.8.2. I am using the Apple Mail program to view emails from an AT&T DSL account.
The emails just disappear after a certian time and I can not find any setting for this in preferences (note this is not deleted e-mail, but rather all email in my inbox) As of 4/3, the oldest email is dated 3/27 in my inbox.
The emails are on the AT&T server still, and my old iMac is also receiving them and not removing them.
How do I change this please?

Quit Mail.
Back up all data. That means you know you can restore the Mail database, no matter what happens.
Triple-click the text on the line below to select it:
~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/Envelope Index
Copy the selected text to the Clipboard (command-C). In the Finder, select
Go ▹ Go to Folder
from the menu bar. Paste into the box that opens (command-V), then press return.
A Finder window will open with a file selected. Move the selected file to the Desktop, leaving the window open. Other files in the folder may have names that begin with "Envelope Index". Move those files, if any, to the Trash. Relaunch Mail. It should prompt you to re-import your messages. You may get a warning that the index is corrupt and that Mail has to quit. Click OK.
Test. If Mail now works as expected, you can delete the file you moved to the Desktop. If you get a warning that the file is in use when you try to empty the Trash, log out and log back in.

Can u mark messages as "read" in iPhone after reading them in apple mail?

As the title says. I'd like to find a way to have all my emails marked as "read" in my iphone mail after I've read them in my apple mail or vice versa. I belong to an email mailing list that I receive about 30 emails every day on that I'd like to not show up in my iphone but they're sent to my main account that I have linked to my iphone. Aside from just that email blast. I'd like to not have to go in and automatically delete or open then back out of all the emails that I've already read. And I dont want to delete them cause most of them I need.
Any help?

Got it, I did have to disable POP because my Gmail account in my apple mail was set up as a POP mail. I then had to create a new account with the same email address and it set itself up as an IMAP account. Was super easy. Now I have all sorts of folders for it too even. Only problem is, I cant rename the mailbox for some reason.
Anyone have any bright ideas on that? I want to rename the mailbox in my apple mail. Right now its just called "gmail"

After recent updates from Apple, Mail will not open.

After recent updates from Apple the mail icon on the bar will not open. Only way to access mailis through Google, rather than the dock.

These fixes have helped others, depending on the situation.
Have an up-to-date Time Machine or other backup before attempting any major software updates or rebuilds.
For more about backups:
Time Machine Basics: http://support.apple.com/kb/ht1427
Most commonly used backup methods:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-3045
Methodology to protect your data. Backups vs. Archives. Long-term data protection:
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-6031
A general repair to fix odd behaviors in Mail is Mailbox > Rebuild.
Try booting in Safe Mode.
          Boot and when you hear the bong hold down the Shift key.
          It will boot slowly. Be patient.
          Login the the user account.
          Restart.
Another fix:
Shut down Mail.
Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
Copy and paste the following
~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/
Click Go.
Move all "Envelope" files to your desktop.
Restart Mail and let it convert/reindex your mailboxes.
If this worked, Trash the Envelope files file that are on your desktop,
if not shut down Mail and put them back.
Another fix:
Shut down Mail.
Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
Copy and paste the following:
~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Caches/com.apple.mail/Cache.db
Click Go.
Move the Cache.db file to the Trash.
Restart your Mac and try Mail.
Another fix:
Open the Finder. From the Finder menu bar click Go > Go to Folder
Copy and paste the following
~/Library/Mail/V2/MailData/
Click Go.
Move all the Accounts.plist to your desktop.
Restart Mail.
If this worked, Trash the Accounts.plist file that is on your desktop,
If not shut down Mail and put it back.
You can try restoring mail from a Time Machine backup.
Hold down the Option key and in the Finder Go > Library
Enter Time Machine.
Select a date and time from when Mail was working.
Restore Mail.

Hidden Mailbox in Apple Mail 'On My Mac'

When changing the name of an existing Mailbox located 'On My Mac' in Apple mail the Mailbox disappeared with all its content. I tried to create a new Mailbox using the same name as the one that disappeared and I receive the following message: The mailbox "XYZ” could not be created. The mailbox “XYZ” already exists. I however cannot see "XYZ", It seems that it has been hidden somehow. Hope someone can help?

No luck! The mailbox does not show and us still hidden!

Can I moving mailboxes from Apple Mail 4.6 (OS X Lion) to Apple Mail 7.1 (OS X Mavericks)?

Hi all,
I've tried to copy my /User/Library/Mail, /User/Library/Mail Downloads and /User/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist on OS X Lion 10.6.8 to the same dirs in OS X Mavericks. But I still can't see my old mailboxes and messages.
It's possible to migrate from Mail 4.6 to Mail 7.1?
tks

Apple doesn't have an email system for support. AppleCare is the only method.
You might try the Support link on the Mac App Store, but they're not necessarily the people in charge of the up-to-date program, but they may be able to help you. Don't get your hopes up on that, though. When you contact the App Store support, make sure you note all of the things you stated above along with your Claim Reference number.

Mail Message URLs like message: ... not working with Apple Mail any more

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Is there a way to reenable this functionality, via Terminal or so?
I have to admit that I used Sparrow for a short time. It looks like this stole the message-linking. Now I completely removed Sparrow, but it is still not working again with Apple Mail. Any suggestions?
Kind regards,
Markus

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Why is email disappearing from my inbox in Apple mail?

I will open an email, read it then close Mail, or not. Either way, when I go back to Apple Mail to re-read the message it is gone. I've lost an extremely important message. I've searched Junk and trash, all of my accounts and the message is gone. This has happened with email coming from several sources.

Craig,
Where did you find this?
Is Settings the same as Mail Preferences?
I cant find the "Mail Days to Sync" option.
Regards,
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Photo disappear after rebuilding library

Hi all,
It's very sad thing to happen on x'mas.. hope i can get some help here.
I don't know what cause the problem... so i'd better describe everything i've done.
My friend sent me some photos in his iphone to my email.
I then saved all those photos on my iphone.
I've checked them on camera roll after downloading..and it still works.
then i load the app "Polarize", and try to load the photos from camera roll.
Then it said there's no photos..
so then i went back to photo... it then started to "updating library" / rebuilding library...
then i waited... after rebuild...several hundreds of photos are gone...
I tried to restart...and they are still gone...
Since my laptop has taken to maintenance, it hasn't been backed up for a while now...
Please kindly suggest any solution...

Make a temporary, backup copy (if you don't already have a backup copy) of the library and try the following:
1 - delete the iPhoto preference file, com.apple.iPhoto.plist, that resides in your
User/Home()/Library/ Preferences folder.
2 - delete iPhoto's cache file, Cache.db, that is located in your
User/Home()/Library/Caches/com.apple.iPhoto folder.
3 - launch iPhoto and try again.
NOTE: If you're moved your library from its default location in your Home/Pictures folder you will have to point iPhoto to its new location when you next open iPhoto by holding down the Option key when launching iPhoto. You'll also have to reset the iPhoto's various preferences.
OT

New messages sound doesn't play in Apple Mail 4.5

the new messages sound doesn't play in my Apple Mail v.4.5

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Messages disappeared after rebuilding mailbox in Apple Mail

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