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    Fixing Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail Not Responding

    Gee Are PabstBy Updated:136 Comments2 Mins Read

    Update: ‘Fixing Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail Not Responding’ also applies to Mac OS X 10.11 El Capitan and macOS 10.12 Sierra!
    Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail icon 1024x1024Fix Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail not responding (“Application not responding”) by removing the container folder ‘com.apple.mail.savedState’. Mac OS X saves window locations and open documents of most programs to restore them when the program is launched again after quit. Sometimes after upgrading Mac OS X to the latest version, there can be some handling issues with the prior saved state of Mail which could lead to Yosemite Mail is not responding and crashing.

    Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail: 'Application Not Responding'
    Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail: ‘Application Not Responding’

    It seems that Mail cannot properly manage the prior saved state. Hence, this could be the reason for Mail crashing, especially for the ‘Yosemite Mail not responding’ crash. The solution is to remove Mail’ prior saved state and then re-launch Mail.

    How to remove Mail saved state:

    1. Force quit of Mail app (‘Application not responding‘ issue!).
    2. Go to the Finder.
    3. Hold the Option key and then select ‘Library‘ from the ‘Go‘ menu.
    4. Go to the folder ‘Containers > com.apple.mail > Data > Library > Saved Application State‘ and move the folder called ‘com.apple.mail.savedState‘ to the trash.
    5. Empty trash.
    6. Restart your Mac.
    7. Re-launch Mail.

    Note: Leave the window ‘Internet Accounts‘ in ‘System preferences‘ open. Now, when I restart the Mac or it starts up automatically in the AM, Mail launches correctly, but with the ‘System Preferences‘ window open (Kudos to Ron Mac for this tweak!).

    If this fix doesn’t work, the reason for your Mail app is crashing is another one, e.g. ‘Mail quit unexpectedly‘ . Try the following fixes to resolve Mail crashing:

    I was faced with the problem of Mac OS X 10.10 Yosemite Mail not responding on my MacBook Pro 13” retina (End 2013). I was able to resolve this problem by removing the container folder ‘com.apple.mail.savedState’. Did this fix solve your Mail problem, too? Let us know and comment!

    Stay tuned! 😉

    Hi there,my name is Gee Are, blogger and analyst. Blogging is my Passion! I’m the founder and owner of the two blogs called pabst.socialmedia and miapple.me - Tech.Blog.My work experience as a blogger and analysist (Internet Intelligence, SEO and social media) is the basis of the services of pabst.socialmedia.Find more about me.

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    136 Comments

    1. Jigar on

      Hello,

      Thanks a lot for this solution.

      It works but once I shut the computer down at the end of the day the problem arises again at the next start up. Is there a permanent solution to this issue.

      Thanks

      Jigar

      Reply
    2. Petey on

      Hi Gee,

      I have performed this task exactly as directed and while it solved the problem for a small time it did come back. I have been through the post several times to see what else I can implement and still have the same issue reoccurring after a few days. Do you know if this works on OSX X El Capitan 10.11.2 or is this just a fix for Yosemite?

      Reply
      • Gee Are Pabst on

        Hi Petey,

        thanks for your feedback, Yes, it works also on El Capitan. But maybe the problem you’re facing is another one. Have you already tried one of the three other options mentioned in this post (see the links in the post).

        Cheers,
        Gee Are

        Reply
    3. Marie on

      Thank you for your contribution! I have been fighting for several hourd to get rid of this problem, until I was lucky to find your solution. The fix was quick and easy, thank you!

      Reply

    6. Pingback: Apple:Mail App keeps hanging (not crashing) on Yosemite 10.10.3 – Apple Questions

    7. HigherRoad on

      So this worked for me – ONCE, but it appears Mail recreates this file and I have to keep deleting on every launch. How might we stop the creation of the file?

      I have figured out that I can launch by holding down the shift key and double clicking my Mail launch icon, and this seems to bypass previous preferences (I am assuming) and launches fine.

      Perhaps one of you fine smart folks might know a way to make that permanent and eliminate my workaround?

      Reply
      • DPL on

        First, let me thank all of you for great work and input. Secondly, I can say that I have had more trouble and experience than anyone here. I have over 60 e-mail accounts running in Mac Mail – and yes – one could argue that this is my biggest problem, but alas – not the case: After experiencing every possible issue (too long a list to report) incl. those I have found on the internet (all sites/complaints), my personal conclusion is that the only way I fixed EVERYTHING, was to stop using Mac Mail for the multiple Gmail accounts I have. Finally, after disabling all Gmail accounts, all the other 50+ accounts run smoothly. Hope this helps…

        Reply
      • Gee Are Pabst on

        Hi HigherRoad,

        for permanently disabling ‘Saved Application States’, open ‘System Preferences’ > ‘General’ and put a checkmark next to “Close windows when….”.

        Cheers,
        Gee Are

        Reply
      • Gee Are Pabst on

        Hi HigherRoad,

        Check this tweak:
        Leave the window ‘Internet Accounts‘ in ‘System preferences‘ open. Now, when I restart the Mac or it starts up automatically in the AM, Mail launches correctly, but with the ‘System Preferences‘ window open (Kudos to Ron Mac for this tweak!).

        Cheers,
        Gee Are

        Reply
    9. prikkprikkprikk on

      This didn’t solve my problem. Through trial and error I determined that deleting the file Library -> Mail -> V2 -> MailData -> SyncedSmartMailboxes.plist would make Mail.app not hang on startup, and instead display a dialog about choosing a mail account to add.

      Reply
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