How to: Prevent draft email residue in Apple’s OS X Mail
This is a simple and (mildly) annoying problem where draft emails remain, or sometimes even reappear, in the drafts folder after sending. There are two ways to make the problem go away, so read for the inside dope on ridding Apple’s Mail program of unsightly draft folder residue.
Here’s a small problem that’s been bugging me for some time — after composing an email and then sending using OS X Mail on a MobileMe account using my trusty MacBook, the message sometimes shows up in the Drafts folder after it’s been sent. Granted, this isn’t a big problem, but I’ve been experiencing for a couple years (I think).
Thereupon, I finally tripped upon a work around for it on MacFixIt, which says the issue is related to the IMAP protocol and can affect anyone using OS X Mail to send and receive mail on an IMAP service—especially Google’s Gmail.
The trigger issue is configuring Mail to store draft messages on the server, a feature most users don’t need. That is, if you’re not composing and sending mail on multiple devices at multiple locations, you probably don’t need this feature and turning it off will more than likely put an end to your unsightly draft email residue problems.
Mail > Preferences > Accounts > uncheck “Store draft messages…”
Isn’t there another way?
Yes, there is, but you might want to ask any children to leave the room for a few minutes. Ready? OK, then you’ll need to back up your mail account preferences (~/username/Library/Preferences/ > com.apple.Mail.plist), delete them and re-enter them.
Naturally, if you’ve got a half-dozen accounts, re-entering might be more trouble than this piddly problem is worth, especially if you’ve misplaced or otherwise lost your passwords. So, again, back up your Mail prefs file before having a go at reentering your accounts.
Have a tip or tutorial you’d like to share? Drop us a note and link in the comments below…
Related Posts:
