Setting up two Macs on the same internet connection, with the same IMAP email account

[MegaMillions]

So, I have two macs connected to the same internet connection via a router. I have my email account set up in mail.app on both computers. However, only one of the computers can send email via mail.app. They both have all the settings put in correctly.

If I remove the account from the computer that doesn't work and add it again, then it'll work and the other one won't. Can they not both be synced to the server and work correctly?

My iPhone and my Mac both sync to the Gmail server and to the server of my other email address, and any action I take in a mailbox either in mail.app, on gmail.com, or on the iPhone, affects both other locations. It's all synced up perfectly. Is it possible to have such a setup between two macs on the same internet connection?

 

[Detektiv-Pinky]

So, I have two macs connected to the same internet connection via a router. I have my email account set up in mail.app on both computers. However, only one of the computers can send email via mail.app. They both have all the settings put in correctly.

If I remove the account from the computer that doesn't work and add it again, then it'll work and the other one won't. Can they not both be synced to the server and work correctly?

My iPhone and my Mac both sync to the Gmail server and to the server of my other email address, and any action I take in a mailbox either in mail.app, on gmail.com, or on the iPhone, affects both other locations. It's all synced up perfectly. Is it possible to have such a setup between two macs on the same internet connection?

Sure it works. I have a similar setup running. I can send from both computers.

Do you sync the two computers with each other somehow? This might cause problems as you are sending mail from both computers, since 'send'-email is stored locally. I think it is not possible to merge the local mail databases automatically.

 

[jodelli]

I'm doing it too; can send and receive on either of two Macs indifferently. And on Windows as well.

I'm thinking similarly to Detektiv-Pinky as well. If when being networked one of the Macs is accessing the main drive of the second Mac it might choose to use only the one setting.

 

[DoFoT9]

sorry to bring up such an old thread, but i have the same problem and i would like to solve it.

i have two macs, they both check Gmail using the Mail.app.

i can send emails from both accounts no problem. the trouble is with receiving. if i get an email from my MBP, the message will not appear on my desktop, and vice versa. it is because the messages are marked as "read" on the server, and therefore not downloaded by the other computer.

i alsouse my E63 to access emails, but it is unaffected by these two, it will always retrieve the emails - so it shows that it can be done.

as for the "two macs running on the same network" thing, i can assure you, its not that 😎