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Permanently Delete messages in Gmail via Mac Mail?
- Thread starter blairwillis
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I don't want to open up a can of worms regarding how "safe" and "private" your mail is on Google's servers, as it will get the thread wayyyyy off topic and there are probably entire websites devoted to the issue. However, I will offer a thought relative to this thread.
Google doesn't really want you to delete anything, because the more data they have to sift, the better they can understand you, the consumer. They want to show you ads, that create revenue. The more effective their ads are (pertinent to your interests, habits and needs), the more revenue they can generate.
I'm glad to see this thread has helped others. I will say that in the time since I first started it, I've come to rely less and less on my Mac (and OS X Mac Mail) and more on iOS on iPhone and iPad to handle my mail. I dare say I could do without Mail on the Mac entirely. I just happen to like the bigger screen and keyboard. But at some point, I hope I'll just be able to project my iPad/iPhone onto my Cinema Display and the Mac will become less and less necessary. That is where this is going.... right?
Hmmm... OK, so first off, I'm still using OS X 10.7.5, so I can't speak for anything in regards to Mountain Lion. However,
Are you trying to select one of the "Trash" items listed in the sidebar under "Mailboxes" (the ones that look like Trash cans). If so, that won't work. You need to select an actual folder (with a Folder icon) which will be further down the sidebar.
I've checked several folders and always get the "Use this Mailbox for...Trash" option as available, never greyed out.
Thank you very much for this solution. I've been trying to figure this out for DAYS and have gone through 4 prescriptions of Valium.
Joy, just pure joy on finding this thread.
Thanks
Joy, just pure joy on finding this thread.
Thanks
Just had this request from a client (specifically, that deleted emails keep coming back) and assumed it was an anomoly. Completely forgot about that pesky "All Mail" IMAP sync folder - so this resolution is bound to work! With a bit of user training (or hiding the All Mail folder), I hope to never see this again.
Kind thanks for the in-depth explanation!
Kind thanks for the in-depth explanation!
Hi Blairwillis. Have you figured out how to achieve the same under Mavericks and Mail 7.0?
This post is awesome, BlairWillis. Thank you very much for going through the steps to let us all be able to delete our messages.
I have a question, however. There are, indeed, some messages that I want to delete forever. These messages contain sensitive information that I do not want simply floating around (although we may argue that they are already and will always float around, but this is another topic). I have followed your instructions to set things up in a way that when I delete an email it gets deleted.
However, there are some emails that I do not mind being archived in "All Mail." For instance, a conversation with a friend is generally something that I would like to keep. I took your suggestion at the end of your solution:
as I do not want duplicates of my emails being downloaded by Mail. However, I was wondering if there were a way to implement and use the "All Mail" folder without Mail downloading emails twice?
An initial solution I thought of was to just make a new mailbox to archive things in myself, but I was wondering if there was a way to accomplish the above mentioned idea using the given Gmail "All Mail" folder?
Thank you, again, for your brilliant post.
I have a question, however. There are, indeed, some messages that I want to delete forever. These messages contain sensitive information that I do not want simply floating around (although we may argue that they are already and will always float around, but this is another topic). I have followed your instructions to set things up in a way that when I delete an email it gets deleted.
However, there are some emails that I do not mind being archived in "All Mail." For instance, a conversation with a friend is generally something that I would like to keep. I took your suggestion at the end of your solution:
as I do not want duplicates of my emails being downloaded by Mail. However, I was wondering if there were a way to implement and use the "All Mail" folder without Mail downloading emails twice?
An initial solution I thought of was to just make a new mailbox to archive things in myself, but I was wondering if there was a way to accomplish the above mentioned idea using the given Gmail "All Mail" folder?
Thank you, again, for your brilliant post.
I have not yet "upgraded" to Mavericks. Would love to hear some info on how Mavericks interacts with Gmail.
My strategy is this:
Email that I keep either stays in my inbox or gets filed in an appropriate folder.
The drawback is that my inbox is thousands deep, but I only pay attention to the most recent, flagged, or unread messages.
If I read a message that's important and requires action however I'm not prepared to do so, then I might actually mark it as "unread" so I'm 100% sure to notice it next time.
Theoretically, I would prefer a totally clean inbox. So in that case I might create a single "catch-all" folder for "old mail" that I could move anything and everything to once I'm done with it. That's for any message that doesn't already have a specific folder already. As my personal approach to email evolves, I feel less of a need to ever revisit much of anything, so less specific filing seems necessary. I still very much feel the need to delete (permanently) messages that I'm 100% sure I never want to see again, but most of what I keep doesn't need to be "organized" beyond the ability of search functions.
In fact, most of my filed mail is automatically filed using gmail filters before I even read it. It's non-critical and non-time sensitive mail that I might eventually read but doesn't need to be in my inbox ever. Example: Newsletters from a professional organization that might arrive weekly but I'm fine with only taking a look at them once every few months.
also running maverick and it doesn't work
I am also running maverick and it doesn't work. For just the gmail accounts on my mac, the "use this mailbox for" options are grayed out. Its available for iCloud or yahoo but not gmail
I am also running maverick and it doesn't work. For just the gmail accounts on my mac, the "use this mailbox for" options are grayed out. Its available for iCloud or yahoo but not gmail