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Why are deleted emails no longer stored in Smart Mailboxes?

I've just noticed that deleted emails are no longer stored in Smart Mailboxes? Is there a way to change back?


Mac mini, macOS 11.2

Posted on Mar 16, 2021 9:31 AM

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Posted on Mar 17, 2021 5:50 AM

A Smart Mailbox doesn’t store messages. It is just a search that displays messages that match its criteria. When you delete the message, it doesn’t exist anymore so the Smart Mailbox cannot find it to display.


If you want to file away the messages, create a real mailbox and move the messages into that mailbox after processing them.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Mar 17, 2021 5:50 AM in response to mowed

A Smart Mailbox doesn’t store messages. It is just a search that displays messages that match its criteria. When you delete the message, it doesn’t exist anymore so the Smart Mailbox cannot find it to display.


If you want to file away the messages, create a real mailbox and move the messages into that mailbox after processing them.

Mar 17, 2021 3:30 AM in response to Barney-15E

I have a Smart Mailbox for "Council Tax" and a copy of an email with Council Tax on it automatically goes into that Smart Box. I would delete the email when I had dealt with it but it was still in the Smart Box but now they get deleted from the Smart Box as well! How do I stop them being deleted from the Smart Box?

Mar 17, 2021 10:45 AM in response to mowed

The only way you could’ve seen them in a smart mailbox before is if they weren’t actually deleted. If you were just talking about if you move them to the Trash, then then there is a setting in the Smart Mailbox criteria to view items in the Trash. You can edit the smart mailbox and check that box, but if you actually deleted the email it won’t show now nor did it ever show in the past in a Smart Mailbox

Why are deleted emails no longer stored in Smart Mailboxes?

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