When your mac displays the problem report that says “mail quit unexpectedly“, you are often given the option to reopen the application. for some, mail reopens and continues to work until the next crash. for others, mail may not open or may close unexpectedly after reopening.
regardless, the unexpected crash forces you to reopen mail several times a day or renders mail inaccessible or inoperable. there are many cases related to “mail quit unexpectedly” in el capitan or mail keeps crashing in macos monterey.
It’s certainly inconvenient for mail to quit unexpectedly on mac. luckily, you can solve the problem here.
mac mail app not working guide:
- 1. why does the mail close unexpectedly?
- 2. how to fix ‘mail closed unexpectedly’ on mac?
- 3. fix mac mail stuck on ‘check mail’
- 4. fix unresponsive mail
why does mail close unexpectedly?
These are the reasons why apple mail keeps closing:
It is difficult to identify a cause without doing some troubleshooting. Let’s explore what to do when apple mail keeps closing on mac.
how to fix ‘mail closed unexpectedly’ on mac?
Before we get to the detailed solutions, it is recommended that you restart your mac as it may fix minor software glitches that can cause mail to appear “mail closed unexpectedly”. bug on macbook air. If a reboot doesn’t work, try the steps below.
how to fix apple mail app crash:
- rebuild mailboxes
- delete problem message
- restore mail by deleting preference files
- open apple mail in safe mode
- disable and re-enable email accounts
- delete the com.apple.mail.savedstate folder
- delete the envelope index files
- update mail app
rebuild mailboxes
If you haven’t completely lost access to mail, you can rebuild mailboxes to prevent mail from being randomly closed in the future with these simple steps:
The mail app will start re-downloading your messages, and you need to wait until the job is done. If you can’t follow these steps because the apple mail app won’t open, skip to the next tip.
delete the problematic message
If mac mail keeps crashing when opening/editing a specific email message or crashes on startup, the selected message may be corrupted. therefore, it is recommended to delete the message selected automatically when you open the mail and the one you dealt with when the block occurred.
now continue using mail for a while to see if the problem is resolved. if not, try other solutions below.
reset mail by deleting preferences files
your mac stores mail settings in preferences files, which may be corrupted, causing the mail app not to work on mac. it is good to remove these preference files to reset mail on mac.
how do i reset my mail on mac?
try again. if mail now works, you can empty the trash. suppose apple mail keeps closing; fix the problem in safe mode.
open apple mail in safe mode
booting in safe mode repairs your mac’s hard drive, clears caches and isolates third-party software that can cause mail not to work on mac. follow these steps to enter safe mode.
on intel based macs:
on mac m1:
Now you can open the mail in safe mode and check if it works properly. If mac mail keeps crashing, continue to the next solution.
disable and re-enable email accounts
Most likely one of your email accounts is causing your macbook air mail to close unexpectedly. follow the steps below to isolate the problem:
If mail stops closing after disabling all accounts, you should rule out the culprit, then remove and re-add the account that is causing problems.
if mail still fails on mac, move on to the next solution.
delete the com.apple.mail.savedstate folder
The Saved Application State folder is a cache folder that allows users to reopen or resume applications such as mail. When the specific folder responsible for the mail application – com.apple.mail.savedstate is damaged, the macbook air mail may quit unexpectedly.
if the mail app still doesn’t work on mac, it’s time to re-index the envelope files.
remove envelope index files
The envelope index files that mac uses to catalog and search message headers can fail. consequently mail app quits unexpectedly on mac. you can delete these files without worry as your mac will recreate them when you restart mail. Here’s how to fix apple mail app crash:
If you are warned that the index is corrupted and that you need to close the mail, click OK. If the problem is resolved, you can empty the files you moved to the Trash.
update the mail app
updating mail to the latest version available for your mac may fix crash-related errors. to update the mail app, you need to update your operating system from system preferences > software update.
fix mac mail stuck on ‘check mail’
fix unresponsive mail
If the mail app is frequently unresponsive, shows the beach ball, or freezes, try these tips: