How to Make Mac OS X Mail Show Conversations Chronologically from Top to Bottom

The experienced reader will start at the end, of course, then start again at the beginning and, a few pages later, once more somewhere in the middle.

If that's not the reading style you prefer for your email conversations, you can set up Mac OS X Mail not to start with the latest message on top but with the first in the thread.

Make Mac OS X Mail Show Conversations Chronologically from Top to Bottom

To set up Mac OS X Mail so that the most recent message in a conversation appears at the bottom (and the oldest on top):

• Select Mail | Preferences… from the menu in Mac OS X Mail.
• Go to the Viewing category.
• Make sure Show most recent message at the top is not checked.
  • To see conversations in reverse chronological order, have Show most recent messages at the top checked.
• Close the Viewing preferences window.

(Updated July 2011)