Why does Mail sometimes decide to re-download every mail I've ever sent?

[AVR2]

Once in a while when I launch Mail, it tries to download thousands of mails. Not spam ones, but legitimate mails going right back to when I joined .mac in 2005. Why is this?

 

[eawmp1]

Do you EVER delete from the server?

 

[AVR2]

I delete things from Mail - just select the messages I don't want and press "delete". Is that not enough?

 

[Buzz Bumble]

I delete things from Mail - just select the messages I don't want and press "delete". Is that not enough?

Depends on your Mac's Mail account settings and whether you're using IMAP or POP email.

Even if the settings are correct on your Mac, your Email Provider my have have a problem with their server.

Someone I help had a similar problem of messages downloading twice (or more times). Their Internet Provider had to get the account "refreshed" to fix the problem ... that's what they get for being a lazy Internet company and relying on Yahoo for their email system, and they are supposdely the biggest Internet Provider in the country as well as the main phone company.

 

[AVR2]

Depends on your Mac's Mail account settings and whether you're using IMAP or POP email.

Even if the settings are correct on your Mac, your Email Provider my have have a problem with their server

I have an official MobileMe email account - well, .mac as-was, because I set it up in 2005. My Mail account settings were configured automatically, as you'd expect with .mac.

As I say, the issue with downloading thousands of old mails only happens occasionally, perhaps once every six months, but I wondered *why* it happens in the first place.

 

[splitpea]

Once in a while when I launch Mail, it tries to download thousands of mails. Not spam ones, but legitimate mails going right back to when I joined .mac in 2005. Why is this?

I've had that happen with a couple different email providers, usually after the provider does some sort of server maintenance. I think it happens when the server loses track of some sort of pointer that indicates when the last time was that you downloaded your mail.