Mail smart mailbox not filtering

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Mail smart mailbox not filtering

The Smart Mailboxes that I create in Mail, Ventura 13.2.1 do not filter. They just show a very large number of unread emails (>155K) regardless of the criteria input. So does the "Today" System Smart Mailbox. I Went through the reindexing process, which took a while but didn't change anything. I deleted the smart mailbox and re-created it, also without any change.

My regular mailboxes show no unread emails and flagged emails appear normal, showing the number of emails in each flagged category. Anything else to try?

Mac mini (2023 with M2 Pro)

Posted on Feb 15, 2023 2:12 PM

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Answer 1

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Old Toad

Level 10

210,615 points

Feb 15, 2023 3:07 PM in response to lowellfrombrookfield

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

Feb 15, 2023 7:42 PM in response to Old Toad

I performed the Safe Boot, and allowed the computer to run in safe mode for about an hour - no change in the Smart mailboxes.

So I went ahead and Reinstalled MacOS 13.2.1, which unfortunately didn't solve it either. See my Mail sidebar I have attached.

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Answer 3

Mar 18, 2023 9:28 AM in response to lowellfrombrookfield

One additional note to this problem that is not resolved. The smart mailboxes that I create from scratch are the ones that do not work. But there were a couple smart mailboxes that I had in place before I purchased the new Mac Mini and upgraded to Ventura that still work and are filtering correctly. I decided to try Duplicating one of them, and then changing the filtering criteria, and it seems to work! I have created 3 "new" smart mailboxes using this technique, and they all seem to be filtering correctly. But any one that I create by selecting New Smart Mailbox from the menu does not work, even if the criteria are exactly the same as one Smart Mailbox that works! Perhaps someone with more knowledge than me can use this tidbit to identify the problem.

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Answer 4

Old Toad

Level 10

210,615 points

Feb 15, 2023 3:08 PM in response to Old Toad

.

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Answer 5

Old Toad

Level 10

210,615 points

Feb 16, 2023 9:19 AM in response to lowellfrombrookfield

Have you tried selecting all of the mailers and using the Milbox ➙ Rebuild menu option? Let it run for about 30 minutes.

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Answer 6

Feb 17, 2023 7:18 AM in response to Old Toad

No, haven't done that yet. Was out yesterday but will try that later today and let you know. Thanks for all your troubleshooting suggestions!

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Answer 7

Feb 17, 2023 7:59 AM in response to lowellfrombrookfield

Sorry if this is obvious, but did you check the criteria in those smart mailboxes?

I imagine you did, but just in case...

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Answer 8

Feb 17, 2023 1:58 PM in response to Luis Sequeira1

Yup. I also deleted and recreated. But thanks for the thought. You never know...

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Answer 9

Feb 17, 2023 3:56 PM in response to Old Toad

So I selected All Inboxes and Rebuilt them. Rebooted the computer. And now the Smart Mailboxes are showing 210K+ messages, so it added some messages, but is still not filtering.

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Mail smart mailbox not filtering

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