New message windows always behind main window

If I click to create a new message, it always appears behind the main window. At first I though it wasn't doing anything at all - but when I looked in the Window menu I realised that the windows were at the back, hidden. Any way to fix this?

Geoff,
I also have been frustrated by the problem of a mail link opening beneath an already open safari web page. I also have spaces setup with safari and mail to open in different windows. If I set them to appear in the same space the problem is fixed although I expect this is a bug. Thanks for he tip about spaces,
Jon.

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"Compose New Message" window appears behind main Mail window

Sometimes when I right click on the Mail icon and choose "Compose New Message", the new message window appears behind the main Mail viewer window. This is very annoying. Anyone else have this problem or how to solve it?
Thanks.

Click the small oval button in the upper right hand corner of the message window.
-mj

Mail "New Message" window retreats to background after drag and drop attachment from Finder to Mail "New Message", click, and Finder window stays in foreground even when not in focus

Hi, I'm surprised I can't quickly find if anyone else is having this issue. For me it has been going on since Lion on my 13" MacBook Pro 2011 and it's still persisting in Mavericks, and even still now that I've "downgraded" to a 15" MacBook Pro 2010 with Mavericks. The behavior is odd and difficult to explain concisely. Basically, when I want to add an attachment to Mail, I'll Cmd+Tab over to Finder click and drag and Cmd+Tab back to Mail, and drop the attachment. At first it looks fine, but when I click in the New Message window where I just dropped the attachment, to move the cursor, it retreats to the background and the Mail Main Window comes to the foreground. Then, if I click on that, the Finder window that I just used comes to the foreground. Sometimes if I switched to another app before going to Finder to select the drag and drop, that other app window will appear in the foreground instead. If I click on the other app window that is now in the foreground, then the Finder window that was last used will come to the foreground. The only thing that seems to fix this switch-a-roo effect is Cmd+Tab-ing back and forth a few times, or click on the window "frame" at the top to move the window around.
The way to prevent this is to have my Mail Message window visible in the foreground side by side with the Finder window when the drag and drop occurs (this is a tedious extra step if mulitple windows are open, or to use the add attachment command in the menu within Mail. But it sure is annoying buggy behavior.
Thanks
Daniel

Yep, I get exactly the same thing when using Thunderbird mail client on my 2011 iMac running Lion. I've been putting up with it for at least a year, maybe longer.
For me it appeared to start after a Thunderbird update, so I figured that was the cause and couldn't find a solution at the time. However I've now noticed it starting to happen in Apple Motion 4 when dragging files from Finder into a DropZone in my animations. Motion remains the active program but the Finder window sits on top until I Cmd-tab out to a third open program (ie not Finder) and back to Motion again.
This is the first indicator I've had that it's an OS X issue.
Be great to find a solution as D&D is by far my preferred way of adding attachments to emails and similar tasks.

How to delete account from list of senders in new message window

Hello. I would like to know how to remove a particular email account from the list that is available in a new message window in the "Account" field (right below subject field) which lists email addresses of the sender. I deleted one of my email accounts from Mail but the email address for it still shows up there as an option and is in fact the default option each time because it was my main choice before I deleted the account from Mail. Now I have to change this each time I send a message and it is getting annoying, but I don't know how to get rid of the old address from the list. Anyone?

mikate,
Open Mail>Preferences...>Composing>Addressing: Send new mail from: (Choose the correct address).
If that is unsuccessful, also open Address Book and then check the card with your name in the "Name" column. If the old address is listed in that "Me" card, click the edit button and remove it.
In order to improve your chances of getting a solution to your problem it would be helpful if you supplied additional details about your operating system, and hardware configuration in "My Settings."
;~)

Mail won't show new message windows

This is weird.
I needed to email a photo to a friend. I drug the photo from iPhoto to the Mail icon in the dock and nothing happened (a new message window didn't pop up with the photo attached) I tried this 3 times and still got nothing. I swiped to another desktop (in Lion) and i could see the new message windows, all three of them, with the picture. When I landed on a space they disappeaered again. When I swipe to a new space they appear and then disappear when I land on that space.
I've shut mail down but haven't done a full restart. Any other ideas why this didn't work and then now how do I fix my problem?
Thanks…
Here's a picture of what I'm talking about…I don't know why it's upside down?!

I've never seen anything like this reported before. Verify/repair your disk (not just permissions), as described here:
The Repair functions of Disk Utility: what's it all about?
If the problem persists, proceed as follows:
1. Open /Applications/Utilities/Console.
2. From the File menu, choose either Open Console Log, or Open System Log, or both, so that the Console application displays the contents of both system.log and console.log.
3. Try to reproduce the problem, and look at the bottom of the Console windows for messages that could have been written there as a result. Do you see anything that could provide a clue as to what's going on?
Now, try this:
1. Go to Apple Menu > System Preferences > Accounts, and create a new user account for testing purposes.
2. Either log out of your main user account or just quit Mail so that it does not interfere with the other user account.
3. Log in as the newly created user and set up Mail anew there. Does the problem happen there as well?

Please tell how to do, that when I want to forward a message, a message opens in new tab, not in a new message window in thunderbird. Thanks.

Please tell how to do, that when I want to forward a message, a message opens in new tab, not in a new message window in thunderbird. Thanks.

Sorry, but at the moment 'Compose in a tab' isn't yet possible. You'll always get a new windows when composing or replying/forwarding a message.

Address book missing in New Message Window

Although I can append the Address Book icon to the toolbar in the main Mail window, this is not acessable from the New Message Window. I have several email accounts and prefer to not use the auto-complete tool in Mail. However, I'd rather not have to enter the email address manually. In Snow Leopard, I could search the addressbook directly from the new message window.
How do I add address to the "To Field" from my address book once a new message is created besides drag and drop from Address Book app?

Hi.
You can add the contact to Address Book once you have sent the message. Go to Sent, select the message, and when you see it on the preview pane, in the "To" field, click and hold on the address you want to add, and select "Add to Address Book" from the drop down menu.
Good Luck.

When starting up Mail 7.3 does not provide a New Message window

When starting up Mail 7.3 does not provide a New Message window as it always used to? Have I inadvertently turned something off?

OOPs! My mistake; I meant New Viewer Window!
The problem is that if I close the Mail window but leave Mail running in the background, the next time I click on Mail in the Dock, I do NOT get the New Viewer Window, just the Mail Menu on the Menu Bar. If I Quit Mail in that state and then start it up from the Dock, I also get on the Mail Menu.
If, however, I Quit Mail when the Viewer Window is open, it will open up again with the New Viewer Window visible.
In the past, I got the New Viewer Window whenever I clicked Mail in the Dock.
Changing settings in System Preferences / General doesn't make any difference.
Not a huge problem, just an annoyance. Ran Permissions Repair; no change in the issue.
Thanks for your response / attempt to help. Sorry again for the mistaken Window name.
Keithric

New Message window too big? Can't resize it? Here's a tip.

I found an answer, will share the tip.
Apparently the problem happened when I dragged huge pictures into an New Message window (to compose an email). Not sure, but it probably had to do with that.
The problem:
All New Message windows opened huge, covered entire screen, and I could not get to the resize button in lower right corner. Or it didn't work. I couldn't grab the corner and resize the window. Restarting didn't help. You can move the windows off your screen every way but up, not beyond the main menu bar.
Solution:
In the upper right corner is a button you can click to hide the window's tool bar. Click it and the entire window slides up as the tool bar disappears. Then you can grab the bottom right corner to resize the window. Hit the upper right button to get your tool bar back after resizing.
I came here to find a solution (after 2 days of thinking), then figured it out on my own before getting through the dozens of posts relating to inability to resize mail windows. I couldn't read all of them, but I'm guessing this might be a useful tip to others.
24" iMac, Intel Mac OS X (10.4.10)

Yeah, that button normally works, so that's a good suggestion, but it didn't in my case (that's the first thing I tried). All it did was to widen or narrow my window by quarter of an inch. It didn't change the height of the window and did not give me access to a working resize corner in the lower right.
I was surprised that reopening Mail and restarting the computer didn't remedy the situation. Reply windows kept opening in this fashion.
Hopefully one or the other buttons at top left or right will work for any future problem situations. Thanks.
L.

Resizing New Message window

Unable to resize the New Message window on my new iMac.
It worked on iMac G5 - 20" - Tiger
It worked on my G4 PowerBook - Tiger
It doesn't work on any iMac's at Apple Store - Coconut Point, FL
5 support personal couldn't make it work - including Genius
All said it can't be done
Owners at Everything Mac in Cape Coral, FL thought it was a chip flaw in new iMac since it worked OK on their MacBook Pro
What's happening here?
iMac G5 24" - 2.33 Mac OS X (10.4.8)

But, why when I hit the small green button in the left hand side of the screen doesn't it make it small like it used to?
What you are telling me is complicated for me to do.
Moving folders in plists always gets me in troube.
When I do an ISync, and it asks me the password to authenticate my computer, it never works, and says I enter the wrong password to many times.
My Idisk is all messed up.
The techie at the Apple store said he never say anything like it and couldn't fix it.
I don't like to mess around with plist folders.
I think that's what got me into the Idisk backup problem I have now.
I don't want to mess up anything else.
I will just live with and be upset like when the Dot Mac format changed and I hate it.
I have to click on each message to delete them and it takes me all day.
What a waste.
If it were not for me keeping the same email name I have had for years, I think I would even get rid of .MAC

Mail wont let me open new message window

Hello,
So lately I have noticed a bug, I believe, in mail. At random times when I click on the new message icon nothing happens. However, if I close mail completely and reopen it, the new message window shows up. Any idea why this is happening? Thanks for the help
Derek Osterloh

SUSSED THE NEW MAIL MESSAGE PROBLEM!!!
I am delighted to say that I resolved this one myself... Its on an IMAC 20", which I had also hooked up to a second display (although not switched on). What happened is that I turned to system Preferences, went to Displays, and changed the settings in the arrangement tab. This I thought would help, as perhaps the New Message window had been created, but was displayed somewhere else I could not see, and Guess what, there they all were! They had been elongated after the update to Leopard, and subsequently, were all sat there on the 'other' display.
I hope his helps with others with the same problem. (thats also why I did not have the problem on the laptop)
Good luck to all.

New message window keeps popping up

The new message window keeps popping up without prompting, usually twice in a row. I notice
this particularly when I first open the Mail program. The funny thing is that you can't actually type in any text in the new message window. Any ideas???

It seemed to work itself out after several days.

Clicking email-links doesn't open "new message" window

Hi,
When I click email links, safari doesn't take me to the "new message" window. It activates safari: the program comes on in the dock and the text next to the apple logo changes to "mail", but I don't get the "new message" window

You're welcome. Glad to have helped.
Mahalo (thanks) for the and Aloha from Big Island.

Can't open new message window or reply window in mail

I just started having issues where I cannot open a new message window or a reply window. I also cannot open a new Note or To Do. I restarted, zapped the pram (8 times), and was going to trash the plist but couldn't find it. Does anyone know if there is a plist for mail. Any other suggestions would be welcome.

Hi ulua & welcome to discussions...
Try this - find the /Library/Preferences folder in your user/Home folder and then locate and delete this file:
com.apple.mail.plist
*Caution* - doing this may clear your account settings so be sure to note those first in the event you are required to reconfigure, etc.

How can I see my jabber buddy list as a default and not a new message window on my message app??

I recently got my OS reinstalled and since then I had a multitude of issues.
1) my texts kept showing up on my macbook pro so I took my cell number off the preferences on messages on macbook. Can I still have people facetime me using my cell phone number?
2) I do see my jabber buddy list when I click on the message center as a default. I keep getting the new message window, can i set a default that when i click on it I see who is online vs. having to go to windows and select buddy list all the time??
3) what is bonjour and why would i want to use it?

Hi,
Re 1)
The settings for Messages > iMessages are separate from the FaceTime ones on both Mac and iOS devices.
Re 2)
If you have a Jabber (Google or Facebook Chats included) ID in Messages > Preferences > Accounts you can go to the Window Menu and display them.
By default they are a combined list (Any AIM, Jabber, Yahoo or Bonjour account that is logged in)
In the Preference > General section you can untick the item that gathers them into one list to show them separately.
They also appear in the Window Menu separately with their open CMD + # keystrokes.
Once you have them On show quit the app that way.
It will "Remember" that they were on Show the next time you open the app.
Re 3)
Bonjour is a process on the Mac that "sees" all other Macs on your LAN and shows them in the Side bar of the Finder window as "automatic" Shares.
In iChat and Messages it is an included account that cannot be deleted
If Enabled it can have it's own Buddy List (see 2) )
It shows the Names of the peopel singed in on the other Macs on your LAN that are also using iChat or Messages with the Bonjour Account Enabled.
The name is taken from the My Card in the Address Book or Contacts app.
The My Card should have the Mac User's details (you on Your computer when Logged in) and a head and Shoulders icon.
I have three computers
One is running iChat 4.x.x and on that machine (running Leopard) the My Card calls me Ralph G4 as it is running on G4 tower.
My Laptop has me as Ralph MacBook Pro
This iMac I am posting from has the My Card of Ralph Johns
On this computer if I have iChat running on the other I see Ralph G4 and Ralph MacBook Pro as "Buddies"
It can do everything that the AIM and Jabber logins can do.
Text Chat, Audio Only Chat, Video Chat, Screen Sharing, File Transfers etc.
10:21 pm Saturday; February 15, 2014
 iMac 2.5Ghz 5i 2011 (Mavericks 10.9)
 G4/1GhzDual MDD (Leopard 10.5.8)
 MacBookPro 2Gb (Snow Leopard 10.6.8)
 Mac OS X (10.6.8),
 Couple of iPhones and an iPad

New message windows always behind main window

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