Published 2024-05-20 by TechNet New England
When Apple Mail stops loading emails, it is usually a connection issue, a corrupt mailbox, or an authentication problem. ## Fix 1: Check the Connection Click **Window > Connection Doctor** in the Mail menu bar. This shows the status of all mail account connections and any errors. ## Fix 2: Take the Account Offline and Back Online 1. In Mail, click **Mailbox > Take All Accounts Offline**. 2. Wait a few seconds. 3. Click **Mailbox > Take All Accounts Online**. ## Fix 3: Rebuild the Mailbox 1. Select the mailbox that is not loading (Inbox, Sent, etc.) in the sidebar. 2. Click **Mailbox > Rebuild** in the menu bar. 3. Mail will re-download all messages from the server. This can take a while for large mailboxes. ## Fix 4: Remove and Re-add the Account 1. Go to **System Settings > Internet Accounts**. 2. Select the email account. 3. Click the minus button to remove it. 4. Add it back. ## Fix 5: Check Authentication If your password recently changed or MFA was updated, Mail may be using old credentials. 1. Go to **System Settings > Internet Accounts**. 2. Select the account. 3. Re-enter your password. For Google accounts, you may need to re-authorize through the OAuth sign-in flow. ## Fix 6: Reset Mail Preferences 1. Quit Mail. 2. Open Finder, press **Command + Shift + G**. 3. Type: `~/Library/Containers/com.apple.mail/Data/Library/Preferences` 4. Move `com.apple.mail.plist` to your Desktop as a backup. 5. Reopen Mail. It creates a fresh preferences file. ## When to Contact IT If Mail shows authentication errors that persist after re-entering your password, the issue may be a conditional access policy, an expired OAuth token, or a server-side configuration issue that requires IT admin access.