How do you reorder the order of "Smart Mailboxes" in the left pane?

Question

How do you reorder the order of "Smart Mailboxes" in the left pane?

Using MacOS Version 13.4.1 (22F82)

I have ~35 Apple Mail Smart Mailboxes. I would like to reorder them. I used to be able to highlight the Smart Mailbox, click, and drag the Smart Mailbox into its new position. This stopped working sometime back.

As I don't frequently rearrange the order of my Smart Mailboxes, I am not sure when this stopped working and what might have changed.

I did some research and cleaned up some old files, deleting an old v2 .../library/mail/v2 directory, and then it worked again. Yesterday, the ability to click and drag stopped working again.

Any ideas on how to get this functionality restored?

MacBook Air 13″, 13.4

Posted on Jul 11, 2023 8:36 AM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Old Toad

Level 10

210,585 points

Jul 11, 2023 12:00 PM in response to John A Haight

It still works for me also. Have you installed and run any "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus or VPN apps on your Mac?

Give this a try: boot into Safe Mode according to How to use safe mode on your Mac and test to see if the problem persists. Reboot normally and test again.

NOTE 1: Safe Mode boot can take up to 3 - 5 minutes as it's doing the following;

• Verifies your startup disk and attempts to repair directory issues, if needed

• Loads only required kernel extensions (prevents 3rd party kernel/extensions from loading)

• Prevents Startup Items and Login Items from opening automatically

• Disables user-installed fonts

• Deletes font caches, kernel cache, and other system cache files

NOTE 2: if you have a wireless keyboard with rechargeable batteries connect it with its charging cable before booting into Safe Mode. This makes it act as a wired keyboard as will insure a successful boot into Safe Mode.

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Answer 2

Jul 11, 2023 3:29 PM in response to Barney-15E

When I click on any Smart Mailbox, the name of the Smart Mailbox highlights as expected but I am unable to drag the mailbox up or down. If I click and drag, the mailbox that the mouse is on highlights. It is as if you were unable to depress the mouse button to make the drag work.

I have tested the click and drag functionality on nonmail applications and the functionality works, so it doesn't seem to be hardware related.

There is no other visual feedback. If I highlight the Smart Mailbox and ctrl+click, I get the drop down menu as expected.

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Answer 3

Jul 11, 2023 3:49 PM in response to Old Toad

Yes, I have run "cleaning", "optimizing", "speed-up", anti-virus and VPN apps on my Mac.

I started in Safe Mode and the click and drag worked. I rebooted as normal and it contnued to work. Success!

Next time I run into the issue will repeat this and hopefully it will resolve the issue again.

Thank you.

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Answer 4

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,638 points

Jul 11, 2023 4:21 PM in response to John A Haight

If you engage Force Touch on them, you cannot drag them. If you drag across, they will highlight.n

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Answer 5

Barney-15E

Level 10

116,638 points

Jul 11, 2023 11:41 AM in response to John A Haight

It still works for me. What happens when you try? Does a menu pop up or some other visual feedback?

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How do you reorder the order of "Smart Mailboxes" in the left pane?

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