Transferring Mail accounts to new Mac

[Blue Velvet]

So, I've got a new 17" MBP* and the G4 PowerMac networked by firewire temporarily.

I've now got web access on both, a .Mac account which I've had for some time, and a whole bunch of Mail accounts and rules I want to duplicate on the MBP. And I'm not sure how to do it... my .Mac email address seems to be working OK but the rest aren't there.

Importing mboxes hasn't done it; syncing over .Mac doesn't seem to have done it. When I first got the MBP, it wouldn't let me transfer my accounts over to the new Mac as it couldn't see the boot-drive.

Once I get this set-up I can then turn my attention to getting rid of the G4.

I can't even begin to tell you how much your help would be appreciated...



* best Mac I've ever owned, but I say that about every machine I buy to replace the old one, given there's usually a 4-5 year gap between purchases.

 

[killmoms]

Just copy over all Mail plists (there might only be one, it's been a while) in your user Preferences folder, and the entire Mail folder—both of these folders are in your user's Library. That's how I've done it to migrate Macs (or restore from backups) in the past and it's always worked.

 

[yellow]

Quit Mail.app.

Copy over the contents of the Mail folder containing all your mail should be in /Library/Mail/ to the same place on the MBP.

Copy the contents over along with (as noted by killmoms) the ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist over to the same place on the MBP.

As far as I know there's nothing Mail related in ~/Library/Application Support/

Take a peek at the permissions on all to make sure they are correct with your new UID.

 

[killmoms]

The Mail folder containing all your mail should be in /Library/Mail/

Copy the contents over along with (as noted by killmoms) the ~/Library/Preferences/com.apple.mail.plist

Ah that's right, it's just in the Library, not in App Support. My bad, I was going from memory (which at 23 is already not so hot... bad news, man). First post edited.

 

[Blue Velvet]

Thanks guys.

It didn't work the first time, but did on the second try. Problem between computer and chair, probably.

Now just gotta dig out all those passwords.

 

[PlaceofDis]

Now just gotta dig out all those passwords.

if you had 'em on your keychain on the G4, you can find them all in the keychain app without much hassle.

 

[yellow]

Make a backup of what you have now.
You might be able to move the keychain (~/Library/Keychains/) to your new Mac simply by copying G4->MBP.