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"On my Mac" Deleted E-Mails
- Thread starter Matte2
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Is this a setup that exists or is it conjecture?
My Mail app doesn't have an "On My Mac" trash sub-folder. I would have to create it. Is that something you have done already and then set your account's Mailbox Behavior to send deleted messages there?
My Mail app doesn't have an "On My Mac" trash sub-folder. I would have to create it. Is that something you have done already and then set your account's Mailbox Behavior to send deleted messages there?
I could be wrong, but seems to me that once you drag a "mail item" to ANY folder that is in the "on my Mac" section, an actual copy of the entire email (not just the header, with the actual content of the message remaining on the server) is created on your Mac, and, the copy that was previously "on the server" is then deleted.
So, if the emails were ALREADY IN a "trash" sub folder located in your "on my Mac" area, if you execute an "empty trash" command, they might be gone for good, and ARE NOT "recoverable".
Again, I could be wrong. Others, please correct me.
A followup...
I created a folder named "Trash" in "on my Mac".
I put some emails into it.
I then used the Menu command Mailbox -> Erase Deleted Items -> In All Accounts.
After doing this, I checked the "Trash" folder in "on my Mac", and the items WERE STILL THERE.
HOWEVER...
If you do the following:
- Open the "on my Mac -> Trash" folder
- Select one or more items in it and delete them (or otherwise move them to the trash)
- And NOW choose the "delete mail" in all accounts command...
then...
The items now appear to be "gone" and not recoverable.
So...
Whether or not the emails in question are recoverable... depends on what you did with them...
So, if the emails were ALREADY IN a "trash" sub folder located in your "on my Mac" area, if you execute an "empty trash" command, they might be gone for good, and ARE NOT "recoverable".
Again, I could be wrong. Others, please correct me.
A followup...
I created a folder named "Trash" in "on my Mac".
I put some emails into it.
I then used the Menu command Mailbox -> Erase Deleted Items -> In All Accounts.
After doing this, I checked the "Trash" folder in "on my Mac", and the items WERE STILL THERE.
HOWEVER...
If you do the following:
- Open the "on my Mac -> Trash" folder
- Select one or more items in it and delete them (or otherwise move them to the trash)
- And NOW choose the "delete mail" in all accounts command...
then...
The items now appear to be "gone" and not recoverable.
So...
Whether or not the emails in question are recoverable... depends on what you did with them...
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The Trash folder you created is just a folder called "Trash". It is not a real Trash folder, the items there aren't "deleted items". So Erase Deleted Items does not remove them.
Messages in the On My Mac Trash/Bin are in paths like this:
'~/Library/Mail/V10/<UID>/Deleted Messages.mbox/<UID>/Data/6/5/Messages/56896.emlx' where the <UID>s are unique identifiers (long hex string).You should be able to recognise the right UIDs, by looking at the contents. And you will need to look in all the paths below /Data to find the particular message. Or use a search tool like Find Any File looking for *.emlx files inside Data.
But, also the deleted messages will still be in Mail in the On My Mac Bin/Trash folder. You can drag and drop them back to an Inbox (or wherever you like).
If you have done an Erase Deleted Items, then they are gone from your boot disk. But will still be in your Time Machine backups. Just use Finder and search in your Time Machine backups with paths like those above.
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BrianBaughn: This set-up exists. It is not conjecture.
Even though I have used Macs for a long time, I am still at a beginner level as far as knowledge and interest beyond basic use.
Before acquiring the Mac I am currently using, I archived, saved and created smart mailboxes on the old Mac's Apple Mail program. I then transferred these .mbox files to a USB flash drive and then somehow (I forgot how, it has been a very long time) transferred the .mbox files (basically old e-mails) to the new Mac's Apple mail program. Looking at the Apple Mail program, I see "Mailboxes", then below that the main Inbox/Sent/Trash/etc. Then I see "Smart Mailboxes" and below that 'On My Mac" with several imported smart mailboxes. As mentioned previously, these imported mailboxes were e-mails from my old computer than I transferred to my new computer's Apple Mail program.
As time passes, these e-mails become less necessary to where I do not need them. However, some e-mails contain my personal financial information. Next to these imported mailboxes are two options that seem relevant. "Delete Mailbox" and "Erase Deleted Items." I am still unclear on where these e-mail end up if I press "Delete Mailbox" or Erase Deleted Items." Not sure which option to choose. Without doing anything, I did a search on the finder for .emlx and could not find any files of that type so not sure where all those e-mail that indicate "On my Mac" in Apple Mail are in reality on my desktop.
I am assuming that's it is better security wise to delete these old e-mails to my hard disk vs deleting them to my ISP's e-mail program trash folder using IMAP.
I wish that deleting these individual e-mails or e-mail message boxes to my Mac would somehow appear in a more easy to find a file or folder, that way I could empty them in the trash or just drag them from Apple Mail to the trash on the desktop.
Would turning on FileVault encrypt these deleted e-mails on my Mac and would the encryption be adequate protection against recover by an average next user?
Would erasing the hard disk with Disk Utility before selling or donating for recycling my current Mac make these deleted files unrecoverable for the average next user?
Bottom line is that I am seeking a beginner level user friendly way of deleting old imported e-mails to my Mac's hard drive and making them relatively unrecoverable by the average next user.
Thank you for your suggestions and patience.
P.S. I looked at "Time Machine" and I do not have it enabled and have never used it.
Even though I have used Macs for a long time, I am still at a beginner level as far as knowledge and interest beyond basic use.
Before acquiring the Mac I am currently using, I archived, saved and created smart mailboxes on the old Mac's Apple Mail program. I then transferred these .mbox files to a USB flash drive and then somehow (I forgot how, it has been a very long time) transferred the .mbox files (basically old e-mails) to the new Mac's Apple mail program. Looking at the Apple Mail program, I see "Mailboxes", then below that the main Inbox/Sent/Trash/etc. Then I see "Smart Mailboxes" and below that 'On My Mac" with several imported smart mailboxes. As mentioned previously, these imported mailboxes were e-mails from my old computer than I transferred to my new computer's Apple Mail program.
As time passes, these e-mails become less necessary to where I do not need them. However, some e-mails contain my personal financial information. Next to these imported mailboxes are two options that seem relevant. "Delete Mailbox" and "Erase Deleted Items." I am still unclear on where these e-mail end up if I press "Delete Mailbox" or Erase Deleted Items." Not sure which option to choose. Without doing anything, I did a search on the finder for .emlx and could not find any files of that type so not sure where all those e-mail that indicate "On my Mac" in Apple Mail are in reality on my desktop.
I am assuming that's it is better security wise to delete these old e-mails to my hard disk vs deleting them to my ISP's e-mail program trash folder using IMAP.
I wish that deleting these individual e-mails or e-mail message boxes to my Mac would somehow appear in a more easy to find a file or folder, that way I could empty them in the trash or just drag them from Apple Mail to the trash on the desktop.
Would turning on FileVault encrypt these deleted e-mails on my Mac and would the encryption be adequate protection against recover by an average next user?
Would erasing the hard disk with Disk Utility before selling or donating for recycling my current Mac make these deleted files unrecoverable for the average next user?
Bottom line is that I am seeking a beginner level user friendly way of deleting old imported e-mails to my Mac's hard drive and making them relatively unrecoverable by the average next user.
Thank you for your suggestions and patience.
P.S. I looked at "Time Machine" and I do not have it enabled and have never used it.
OP wrote:
"However, some e-mails contain my personal financial information."
My first thought upon reading this was that "personal financial information" should be stored SOMEWHERE ELSE other than in "emails"...
... by using folders and files (either spreadsheets or WP) created specifically for such record-keeping.
If all you're worried about is that you want to sell or give away the Mac you have and the next user won't be able to recover any files on it, either use disk utility to "securely erase" the ENTIRE drive (restore a basic OS afterwards), or, if you're on an m-series Mac, use the "erase all content and settings" option.
"However, some e-mails contain my personal financial information."
My first thought upon reading this was that "personal financial information" should be stored SOMEWHERE ELSE other than in "emails"...
... by using folders and files (either spreadsheets or WP) created specifically for such record-keeping.
If all you're worried about is that you want to sell or give away the Mac you have and the next user won't be able to recover any files on it, either use disk utility to "securely erase" the ENTIRE drive (restore a basic OS afterwards), or, if you're on an m-series Mac, use the "erase all content and settings" option.
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