Nowadays, nothing but bills and magazines arrive in the mail, unlike your email inbox which is always overflowing.
But sometimes the world of email just isn’t as fast as we’d hoped, and that creates problems when all you want to do is send that last email to your boss or teacher so you can get on with your life.
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slow running apple mail application on a mac machine is unexpected and unwanted. After all, you want to be able to use Apple’s flagship laptops with your custom applications instead of trying to work with a second-hand program that doesn’t have the features you’re used to.
That’s why we’ve compiled this guide, which will walk you through the easiest ways to get your mail working like it should in no time. they’re all pretty universal, and if one doesn’t seem to work, you should be able to try another with ease.
1. force close mail
Has the pinwheel of death appeared on your screen? it’s a destination we all know all too well: whether you hit send or missed a chance after typing a long message, the loading wheel always seems to pop up at the most inopportune moment. If waiting doesn’t seem like a possibility, it’s time to circumvent this technological curse.
first, quit the mail app (a good option is to click on the finder in the dock). then go to the apple menu in the top left corner of your screen and choose “force quit”.
This will open a small window with a list of all your open applications. you’ll want to select the email (it may have the words “(not responding)” in red next to it, which is just an indicator that it’s been blocked. once you’ve selected the email, click the button that says “force quit you may be prompted to confirm your action.
give the mail a few moments to finish before starting the application again. however, once you reopen it, everything should work properly again.
In the worst case, you’ll lose the draft message you were working on when you closed it, but beyond that it shouldn’t affect functionality. in fact, you should see the mail application running faster and more efficiently than before.
2. rebuild message index database
does it seem like mail is lagging behind on tasks that used to take a second or two to complete? especially if you have many contacts in your address book or have stored many messages, you can rebuild the message index database to help recover mail. this will take some time, but it will definitely be worth it.
rebuilding the database essentially restructures the catalog of all your messages and contacts, allowing the app to access them more efficiently and therefore reducing load times and other processes. for best results, try to do this regularly instead of waiting until mail shows signs of needing it.
first, open the mail app. then in the menu bar go to mailbox > rebuild.
you can exit mail in the middle of the process without worrying about losing any messages or progress; the rebuild process will simply pick up where it left off when mail is reopened.
Also, note that this only rebuilds the current mailbox, so if you’re using more than one, you’ll need to rebuild them individually.
3. speed up mail with this app in one click
cleanmymac x is an amazing mac cleaning application that we have referenced many times due to its incredible versatility and effectiveness. once again, it’s useful in the case of a painfully slow mail application.
You will first need to obtain a copy of the application. once it’s up and running, you’ll want to navigate to the maintenance tab. once there, choose the option to speed up mail by checking the box and then clicking “run” at the bottom of the page.
If you are using cleanmymac for the first time, the speed up mail feature requires you to grant access. just hit the “grant access” button and follow the instructions to add cleanmymac to the list.
You can also select any additional processes you’d like to run to speed things up at the same time by clicking the corresponding checkboxes.
The program shouldn’t take long to run and you’ll see a brief loading screen while it waits. once it’s done, you’ll be presented with a completion screen so you know everything is done and mail is ready to use again.
This is a very effective and easy way to make sure your email doesn’t have any tricks up its sleeve, and it comes with the added benefit of dozens and dozens of other tools.
Not only will your emails load and send faster, but you can make your entire mac run a little faster with everything from easy app uninstalls to daily maintenance tasks that are hard to do on the go. hand.
4. disable mail preview
Mail preview can slow down the mail application, especially if you have many messages with a lot of information. the app automatically shows a preview of your inbox messages, which is convenient when you’re scanning them but isn’t always necessary, especially if it causes some performance issues.
To disable mail preview, all you need to do is hover near the vertical line that separates the mail list from the preview window. will change from the standard arrow to a sliding arrow. then you can click and drag the panel all the way to the right and get rid of the mail preview.
5. check your internet connection
It’s always good to start with the basics with any technical issue, so if your mail app is running slowly, you can always check your internet connection to make sure you have a good signal and you’re not experiencing issues within the app itself. Yes.
click the internet or wireless signal icon at the top of the browser window to search for a connection. You will see a list of available networks, and each one will display the signal strength.
Make sure you’re connected to the right network and have a signal. switch to another network or check your modem or wireless source if not.
also read: how to fix wifi problems on macbook pro
6. remove your user and re-add it
Another solution you can try to speed up your mail application is to remove your username and then add it back. this is like a reset within the app itself and can improve slow performance.
To remove your user from the mail app, follow these steps:
- open the mail app
- click mail from the top of the window
- click preferences
- click accounts
- select the account you want to delete and click delete
To add your user back to the mail app, follow these steps:
- open the mail app
- click mailfrom the top of the window
- click add account
- follow the steps to connect through your email provider
7. restart your mac
restarting your mac is a solution to many common problems and is always a good place to start. A simple restart can fix many issues that seem strange or that it can’t completely resolve. call it the ghost on the machine or whatever you want, but when in doubt, just reboot.
The easiest way to restart your mac is to click the apple icon at the top left of the screen, then select restart from the drop-down menu. your computer should restart in a minute or less, but you may need to close any open programs that are preventing it from doing so.
If the mail app is slow and nothing else works, restart it and see if that fixes it.
final words
It’s never fun when apple mail is slow on your mac. Whether you’re composing an email to your boss or just checking spam and old messages, the roadblock interferes with your productivity and can ruin your work.
Also, it’s nice to be able to use Apple’s programs meant for computers instead of resorting to checking your mail in an ad-filled browser window or with a less effective third-party application.
We hope that the tactics included in this guide will help prevent this from happening in the future and resolve any issues you may currently have.
Do you have your own way of speeding up mail when it starts to slow down? feel free to tell us about it in the comments below!