394 iPhone_iPad_Mac_apple

Delete sent mail when deleting converation in a...

When I delete a conversation in apple mail it doesn't automatically delete the corresponding sent emails that are part of that thread. For instance, if person X emails me twice, and I respond twice then all four emails are properly grouped together in my inbox. If I delete this conversation, it only moves the two emails from person X to the trash and not my two responses, which remain in sent mail. Is there a way to delete all four messages at the same time?

Thanks.

Chris

If you select a message in the message list, it will show the conversations from all mailboxes where the messages are in. But you are really selecting the latest in the Inbox. So when you delete, you are only deleting what's in the Inbox.

If you select the actual message in the viewing pane and hit delete, it will delete that individual message from the mailbox it's in.

Thanks Glenn,

That is true, but what I would like to do is delete an entire thread (including sent messages) with a single click. Doing what you suggest means I still have to hunt around in the view pane to delete all the individual sent messages, or do the same thing in the sent mailbox. I am asking if there is a way to delete all the messages (sent and received) in a thread at once.

Chris

I don't think you could get it to work like that. That's not how it was designed. The only way I know to select all messages in the viewer pane is to use the command key and select each one to highlight, then the delete key. Shift select or select all doesn't work.

I hide related messages in conversations by unchecking to include related messages in Mail preferences. I put the tab to show related messages in the toolbar in case I want to see them in a conversation. I have Sent messages set to delete after a month. I never have to look at them unless I choose to. This is a much easier solution than trying to do what you want.

I don't think you could get it to work like that. That's not how it was designed. The only way I know to select all messages in the viewer pane is to use the command key and select each one to highlight, then the delete key. Shift select or select all doesn't work.

Yes, I noticed that too after some fiddling around in the panel pane.

I hide related messages in conversations by unchecking to include related messages in Mail preferences. I put the tab to show related messages in the toolbar in case I want to see them in a conversation.

That is a good tip. I generally prefer to leave the option included related messages checked since mail seems to a do a pretty good job of grouping them, but there are times where I want to turn it off and the toolbar tab is an easy way to toggle that.

I have Sent messages set to delete after a month. I never have to look at them unless I choose to. This is a much easier solution than trying to do what you want.

It sounds like my needs differ from yours, and so I am looking for a different solution. I have a lot of conversations that, after they are resolved, and can be deleted in full - hence the original question. However, some of these conversations need to be archived, and keeping my replies for these conversations are important to me. If I archive a thread, then the sent messages stay in the sent mailbox, which is ok with me. Your solution of dumping the sent mailbox periodically would delete all the sent emails, including the ones I want to keep.

Yes, your needs sound different. So you will just need to do it in the best way you can find for now. I don't know of any other solution. Maybe someone else knows of some way to accomplish it.