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Mail says "Downloading" an attachment, but it doesn't download anything

Restarting https://discussions.apple.com/thread/8515738 because the problem is still happening in macOS 10.14.6. This is definitely the fault of macOS or Mail.app because I can work around the problem by opening the web app of my email provider. The attachment downloads fine from that web app, even though Mail.app still says "Downloading…". This is the best workaround. I've found that relaunching Mail.app sometimes (less than half the time) works. Finally, sometimes the attachment will show up the next day. But that is 10 hours to download a 2 MB file over 200 Mb/sec fiber. Something is wrong.

MacBook Air 13", macOS 10.14

Posted on Jun 20, 2019 10:08 PM

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Posted on Jun 24, 2019 5:53 PM

Well, I'm replying to whoever is interested:


• Nothing in common with failing messages. They can come from different people who are on either GMail or iCloud email. I've seen failing attachments as .jpg, .pdf, .m4a.


• Internet speed test not applicable because a dial-up line could download 2 MB in less than 10 hours. And I now have a 200 KB file which has been downloading for over 5 minutes.


• As I said in my original post, works fine in email provider's web interface. That is in fact my workaround to download files that will not download.


• No antivirus or cleaner apps.


• And, before someone mentions it: No, I shall not try to "reset my PRAM".


Rant, sorry: I realize that not everyone is having this problem, but everyone I know is having more issues with macOS now than five years ago, and I think the reason is that instead of directing their engineers to fix reported bugs in their bug queues, Apple is instead directing their engineers to pile on more new features that no one needs (for example: Dark Mode), which instead results in even more bugs that will never be fixed as they instead move on to the next new shiny feature.

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Jun 24, 2019 5:53 PM in response to LD150

Well, I'm replying to whoever is interested:


• Nothing in common with failing messages. They can come from different people who are on either GMail or iCloud email. I've seen failing attachments as .jpg, .pdf, .m4a.


• Internet speed test not applicable because a dial-up line could download 2 MB in less than 10 hours. And I now have a 200 KB file which has been downloading for over 5 minutes.


• As I said in my original post, works fine in email provider's web interface. That is in fact my workaround to download files that will not download.


• No antivirus or cleaner apps.


• And, before someone mentions it: No, I shall not try to "reset my PRAM".


Rant, sorry: I realize that not everyone is having this problem, but everyone I know is having more issues with macOS now than five years ago, and I think the reason is that instead of directing their engineers to fix reported bugs in their bug queues, Apple is instead directing their engineers to pile on more new features that no one needs (for example: Dark Mode), which instead results in even more bugs that will never be fixed as they instead move on to the next new shiny feature.

Jun 28, 2019 9:55 PM in response to Jerome Krinock

I just read about Apple's Mail Drop (https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT203093), and realized that all of the "downloading" forever messages I can recall have fairly large attachments, some MB or so, sent from iPhones. I think it is likely that, under the hood, these attachments are probably sent by Mail Drop, and therefore the trouble is probably in Mail Drop. Does anyone disagree with that?

Jul 8, 2019 12:31 AM in response to itooon

Sorry, my first post was wrong.


When I did below procedure these issues were gone.


  1. Open Preference and select the "Accounts" tab.
  2. Change account information "Download Attachments" from All to None.
  3. Close Preference.
  4. Re-open Preference and select the "Accounts" tab.
  5. Change account information "Download Attachments" from None to All.
  6. Close Preference.

Jun 22, 2019 2:04 AM in response to Jerome Krinock

well it’s a bug I don’t have.

Ok if you don’t like A/B let’s try another diagnosis method - is/is not.

Is there anything in common with the failing messages? Eg are they always the same email provider?

Always from the same sender?

Only you who has the problem from the same sender?

Have you run an internet speed test while they are slow?

Can you close Mail and get them in webmail?


Dont reply to me - they are rhetorical questions.


Mail says "Downloading" an attachment, but it doesn't download anything

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