I want to have all the folders I’ve set up in my Apple Mail be saved to iCloud so that I can access those saved folders from any Apple device – MacBook Air and IOS phones.
Example, on my present iMac desktop Catalina late 2013 production, I have hundreds of folders I’ve created in Mail under “On My Mac” in which I’ve saved tons of emails. I want to have access to those folders/emails while using my MacBook Air (Ventura 2022 production).
Using my iCloud account, I want my MackBook Air to have full access to all of the folders I’ve created in Mail on my Imac desktop.
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TheTrainRev
If those folders are "On My Mac" then they are, by definition, just on your Mac. They are meant to be local-only email mailboxes.
If you want them to be available across your devices, you need to use mailboxes under your iCloud account, not On My Mac.
You can create new ones under your iCloud account, or you should be able to move your On My Mac mailboxes under your iCloud account and it should transfer them and the contents to iCloud. Though if you have a lot of messages in there it could take a long time to upload and sync.
With 100s of mailbox folders, if you have a lot of messages in each, maybe do them one mailbox at a time and wait a while for that upload and sync to complete before doing the next. Or, maybe leave your old messages in On My Mac and just create new mailbox folders in iCloud and start using them from now on.
Alternatively, you may want to consider NOT having 100s of mailbox folders. I have zero. Well, just the Archive folder. It is easy to search that if I really need something and I save tons of time and brainpower not having to decide where each and every message goes when I am done with it. See https://macmost.com/productivity-series-how-i-handle-email.html
Thanks, Gary. I watched your video and noticed that "iCloud" was listed in the left column of Mail. Mine only has "On My Mac" as you've addressed (I understand your explanation regarding that). How do I enable "iCloud" to be displayed in Mail so I can move my folders to that?
Thanks, again
TheTrainRev: Are you using iCloud for email? If so, you should see iCloud and On My Mac (and any other accounts) in the left sidebar. Note that in Mail, Settings, Accounts you can change the "Description" of your accounts to whatever you want. So maybe yours shows something else besides "iCloud."
I have started a new way to organize my emails into folders, some of which I'd like to just keep on my Mac and others also in iCloud. I have moved the folders I want to the iCloud section. Since I now I have a few duplicate folders in both Mac and iCloud sections, how can I be sure that folders contain the same material? Ex: I have a folder labeled "@Conference." If I add an email to either folder, it only shows up in one. How do I keep *both* folders up-to-date?
Kim: Why complicate things? Just have them in one folder under iCloud. Then you have them everywhere. No need for a duplicate of the same email in another mailbox that is just local.