Mail saving multiple copies of drafts

[Mikeo1938]

I spent over an hour laboriously writing an e-mail in a foreign language, frequently stopping to take phone calls and drink cups of tea. Mail had (as always now seems to be the case) saved multiple versions and when I'd finished, I set about deleting partially completed versions from the dock. Of course, what happened was that I accidentally deleted the completed version and was left with just a few lines and had to start all over again.

I have OS 10.11.1 with Mail 9.2. This never happened with Snow Leopard and an earlier version of Mail. Is it perhaps because I'm now using IMAP and not POP? Is there any way of stopping Mail from saving partially completed versions? How can I make it save just the latest version?

Thanks in advance.

M

 

[badshoehabit]

Is the one you want not in trash?

You might try a different mail app, such as Thunderbird.

 

[Mikeo1938]

Thanks 'badshoehabit' for the reply. No, alas the e-mail is not in there and I'll just have to do it all again.

But do you know whether this saving of multiple drafts by Mail is a glitch that will be ironed out? I wonder whether other people are finding it a nuisance.

I've been using Mail for many, many years now because I had assumed it was the best application for a Mac.

However, I seem to remember using Thunderbird yonks ago and with a PC.
Would it be easy to migrate stuff from Mail to Thunderbird. I do keep most of my e-mails, all in separate folders and would be loath to lose them.

M

 

[badshoehabit]

I can't now remember why I started using Thunderbird instead of Mail. In my experience it doesn't save multiple drafts, just the last version of what was input.

Found this about migrating existing mail/folders to Tbird (read all of it).

http://www.makeuseof.com/answers/can-migrate-apple-mail-mozilla-thunderbird-mac/

 

[IWT]

Dear M

I think you will fid that Mail is saving versions of your email into the "Drafts" folder; which is what it is supposed to do - as a precaution. As you said, numerous interruptions during the construction of an outgoing message could lead to that message becoming corrupted or lost. The creation of versions in the "Drafts" folder allows you to recover these if required.

Now, in your case, you deleted the complete version by accident (user error; we've all done it ). That will obviously leave you with the previous uncompleted versions; but, arguably, that is better than starting from scratch?

BTW, I only recognised this feature as a default, in El Capitan. Previously, if I was writing an email, I had to choose to "save" it as I went along; which then put it into a "Drafts" Folder. I don't think it is a POP3 versus IMAP issue.

Ian

 

[Mikeo1938]

Thanks Ian.

Do you know, it's just happened again! But this time with a shorter e-mail and written in English. In the case of long and complicated e-mails, I may have to resort to writing them first in Word and then copying and pasting into Mail.

I cannot understand why it will not just save the version that exists when I close down Mail for some reason or other. I'm sure that you are right about this being an issue with the version of Mail that comes with El Capitan. I'd prefer to stick with an Apple app if possible: is it possible to return to the version of Mail (whatever it was) when I got to the limit of Snow Leopard? There's another point: I have scores and scores of different e-mail folders (with rules) holding important stuff going back more than a decade. I don't want to risk losing this (or jumbling it up) by changing to, say, Thunderbird. I'm quite prepared to admit that I've done something wrong. However, I must say that this new feature (intentional?) is a retrograde step. Does anyone know whether Apple are aiming to sort it out? Am I the only one who's running up against this problem?

Thanks in advance for comments.

M

 

[IWT]

Dear M,

I'm not certain I am helping you or have ready answers!

My comments for what they're worth:

Don't change from Mail, at least not yet. As you say, you have rules set up and so on.

Perhaps I am the one who is misunderstanding you. If you compose an email to your satisfaction and click Send, I am presuming it goes off no problem?

If you are in the middle of a composition and need to take a break, Click File on the top Menu Bar and select "Save". That should manually save that email as a Draft. You may or may not see it in the Draft Folder till you close/exit the email.
Could you try a quick experiment? Start a new message. Type in anything you like - TEST for example. Now File > Save; then close/exit the email. Does it now appear on the left probably under Inbox as a Draft (with the number 1 beside it)?

It should. And if you double click the Draft Folder, then double-click the email, it should open in exactly the state you left it. You could another line; say, "Testing Again". Now close out. Repeat as before and the email should open where you left it, ie, with the new line.

Would you mind terribly, just trying this and post back results please?

Ian

 

[Mikeo1938]

Thanks again, Ian.
I'm away fm my Mac T at present but will try yr test later and report back.
M

 

[MacInWin]

I have see what Mikeo1938 is describing. I have learned to be careful about reopening drafts, and I don't delete drafts until I have sent the email and it's in the Sent folder. I don't know if it's a bug or a feature.

 

[IWT]

I don't delete drafts until I have sent the email and it's in the Sent folder

I totally agree with Jake about always confirming email sent before deleting draft. But I've not encountered any problems about saving to Draft or reopening Draft to continue with finishing email.

Ian

 

[MacInWin]

It's as if Mail was saving your work every few minutes, but not overwriting, just adding to the Drafts folder each new save. And then they don't go away when you finally Send the message. I suspect it's a bug, or some wayward setting, but as I said, I ignore it and then just delete the whole bunch once I have sent the message. PITA but not fatal.

 

[Csmac]

Don't know if this is any help, but on 11.2 & 3 most of the time it keeps the draft until it is sent, but I have seen it leave the backuup there after sending. Upon closing and reopening Mail it's always cleaned up the drafts folder. Maybe I've just been fortunate, I don't know.

Cliff

 

[Mikeo1938]

Multiple drafts in Mail

Thanks, Ian.

I've tried your suggestion and my results appear after the italic script.

Could you try a quick experiment? Start a new message. Type in anything you like - TEST for example. Now File > Save; then close/exit the email. Does it now appear on the left probably under Inbox as a Draft (with the number 1 beside it)?

It should. And if you double click the Draft Folder, then double-click the email, it should open in exactly the state you left it. You could another line; say, "Testing Again". Now close out. Repeat as before and the email should open where you left it, ie, with the new line.

Yes, I can do a kind of manual save via File > Save
When I do this, the e-mail appears in Drafts.
And it reopens in the same state.
Furthermore, when I add to the text with "Testing Again", this also gets saved.

What I would really like to know is whether this new behaviour is a glitch or whether it is supposed to be an improvement. In the latter case what is the improvement? I used other versions of Mail for some 15 years and would often have several incomplete e-mails on the go at the same time. I would stop for some reason or other and then reopen. It always appeared in Drafts in the same state as when I quit.

It's now the case that I have to look in 'Sent' to see whether or not an e-mail really went. It happens that an incomplete version remains in Drafts.

One thing I have tried is Preferences > Mailbox behaviours > Drafts > uncheck the option to store drafts on the server. I'm wondering whether this will fix the issue ... (?)

It was SUCH an irritation to have to re-write that long and complex e-mail in a foreign language that I'm reduced to the ridiculous course of writing such e-mails in Word and then pasting them into Mail. This is not very productive.

Thanks for all the various replies.

M

 

[IWT]

Dear M

I'm glad the "experiments" worked — in the sense that this behaviour is what is supposed to happen. This means that if you stop one email to attend to another, just File > Save and it will remain in Drafts till you are ready to reopen it. This will apply to as many emails as you like. To me, that is all and well.

The "glitch" or "bug" is that sometimes the emails are spontaneously saved to Drafts as you go along, but not at other times - you have to do the manual thing.

And yes, it could be seen as a bug or glitch that, once sent, the Draft copy doesn't disappear as I would expect, but remains. This forces you to check the sent folder to confirm email was sent and then delete the Draft - pain!

Finally, in your first post you very gallantly did admit that you had inadvertently deleted your final copy of the email - in that case, a touch of user error; sorry.

Anyway, I've done my best to help and I thank you for your patience in conducting these "experiments". Despite some residual "pain', I hope you feel more confident about the process.

Ian

 

[Mikeo1938]

Thanks again also to everyone else.
This forum has helped me so much over the years.
M

 

[Rod]

Mikeo1938, this was a point touched on by you, "One thing I have tried is Preferences > Mailbox behaviours > Drafts > uncheck the option to store drafts on the server. I'm wondering whether this will fix the issue ... (?)" Did you check on the server to see if the full copy was saved in Drafts there?
I don't use Mail myself but when I save an email on my email client it is immediately saved to drafts at my gMail server site as well as locally.
Also you said you were deleting partly completed versions from the Dock, how did you put them on the dock?

 

[Mikeo1938]

Thanks Rod.

No, I've not checked whether they were indeed on the server but I'll see how things go for a while before experimenting further.
Sorry about my misuse of the word 'dock': they weren't really in the dock as such but in that part to the right of the vertical line, next to the trash can.
I have different e-mail accounts in various countries: gmail is universal and that is IMAP. Some of the others are POP and another is IMAP. I did wonder whether the fact that I didn't have this problem before was that I had previously used only POP. However, when this new Mac set itself up, it nudged me towards IMAP. Someone who replied earlier indicated that the POP/IMAP matter would not be causing this glitch to happen - if it is indeed a glitch or perhaps a supposed improvement (?)

M